Studies & Degrees in Health Care Informatics
Health Care Informatics Study Programs
Healthcare informatics, also called health informatics or medical informatics, is the use of information technology and data in medicine and health services. It covers electronic health records, the systems that hospitals and clinics use to order tests and prescribe, the coding and exchange of clinical data, and the analysis of that data to improve care. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) describes it as a discipline that connects people, technology and data to improve healthcare outcomes.
Students come from two directions, health care and computing, and programmes teach each group what it lacks. In the joint master's programme of Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, students with a technical background start with basic medical sciences and healthcare organisation and management, while students with a healthcare background start with basic computer and systems sciences. Later subjects usually include databases, clinical information systems, data standards, privacy and security, user-centred design and data analysis.
Qualifications and levels
Two related fields share this subject. Health information management (HIM) deals with patient records, coding and data quality and is taught mainly at associate and bachelor's level. Health informatics is broader and more technical and is taught mainly at master's level.
- Certificates and diplomas. Short programmes in medical coding and records. At Central Community College in Nebraska the health information programme is taught online and leads to a certificate in one semester, a diploma in up to one year or an associate degree in two years.
- Associate degree (United States). A two-year degree in health information technology or management. At College of Lake County in Illinois full-time students can earn the Associate in Applied Science in two years. Its programme is accredited by CAHIIM, and graduates become eligible to apply for certification as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
- Bachelor's degree. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), health information technologists typically need at least an associate's degree, and some positions require a bachelor's or master's degree.
- Master's degree. The Joint Master's Programme in Health Informatics of Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University has 120 credits, is full time and on campus in Solna, and is taught in English. Applicants need a bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in healthcare, biomedicine, medical technology, computer and systems sciences, informatics or the equivalent. At UAB the Master of Science in Health Informatics takes 24 months, with online classes and two residential visits a year, and requires no healthcare background.
Certification matters in the United States. AHIMA accepts only health information management programmes for its RHIT exam, not health informatics programmes, so check which certification a programme leads to before enrolling.
Where to study healthcare informatics
SpainExchange lists 20 active schools for healthcare informatics: 17 in the United States and one each in Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom. No school in Spain is listed for this subject at present.
In the United States the list includes research universities such as the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of California, Irvine, Saint Louis University and the University of Minnesota, and community colleges such as College of Lake County, Central Community College, Kirkwood Community College and Shelton State Community College. Community colleges offer the certificate and associate-degree routes; universities offer bachelor's and master's degrees.
In Europe the list has Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, whose joint master's is taught in English, and University College London. All the schools listed teach in English, so applicants whose first language is not English normally have to prove their level.
Careers
Graduates work in hospitals, clinics, insurers, public health agencies and health software companies. Typical roles are health information technologist, clinical systems analyst, health data analyst, medical records specialist, cancer registrar and, with experience, health information manager.
The BLS publishes separate figures for two of these occupations in the United States. Health information technologists and medical registrars held about 42,000 jobs in 2025, 46 percent of them in hospitals, and employment is projected to grow 16 percent from 2025 to 2035. Medical records specialists held about 200,700 jobs in 2025, with projected growth of 8 percent over the same period. Medical records specialists typically need a postsecondary certificate, while technologists typically need at least an associate's degree. These figures apply to the United States only.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a healthcare or a computing background?
Either can work at master's level. The joint programme of Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University admits graduates in healthcare, biomedicine, medical technology, computer and systems sciences or informatics, and the UAB master's requires no healthcare background.
What is the difference between health informatics and health information management?
Health information management focuses on patient records, coding and data quality, and in the United States leads to certifications such as the RHIT. Health informatics is broader and covers the design, implementation and evaluation of health information systems and the analysis of health data.
How long does it take to qualify?
From one semester for a certificate to two years for an associate degree at a US community college. A master's degree takes about two years: 24 months at UAB and 120 credits at Karolinska Institutet.
Can I study healthcare informatics online?
Yes. Central Community College teaches its health information programme online, and the UAB master's has online classes with two residential visits each year.