Online MS in Health Informatics—Health Information Management

At a Glance

Completion Time

12–20

Months

Credits Required

Tuition

$31,815

Part-Time*

*Based on 2025–2026 Boston University tuition and fees. Merit scholarship may reduce cost.

Master the Management of Health Data

The online MS in Health Informatics (MSHI) concentration in Health Information Management at Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET) builds upon the eight-course health informatics curriculum to focus on the management of health data, information, knowledge, and projects.

Over the last decade, the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has revolutionized healthcare by enabling physicians and care providers to access comprehensive patient records and treatment histories. The successful deployment and operation of EHRs depend on professionals with interdisciplinary knowledge in healthcare and information technology—individuals who can integrate business acumen, scientific understanding, and IT expertise to manage and secure patient medical information effectively.

Health information management professionals play a pivotal role in facilitating the seamless flow of digital information between patients, clinicians, healthcare administrators, technologists, and other stakeholders in a healthcare organization. As stewards of EHRs, these professionals are vital to patient care and safety. They must demonstrate expertise in data management systems, information security, and project management, along with a thorough understanding of health informatics.

The Master of Science in Health Informatics, Health Information Management Concentration is also available on campus in Boston. Learn more.

Curriculum

The online Master of Science in Health Informatics concentration in Health Information Management consists of 10 courses (40 units).

Prerequisites

Applicants are not required to have a degree in Computer Science for entry to a program within the Department of Computer Science. Upon review of your application, the department will determine if the completion of prerequisite coursework will be required, based on your academic and professional background.

Those without a background in healthcare must complete the free, self-paced Medical Terminology Pre-Lab (MET HE 100). The pre-lab provides the basic understanding of medical terminology necessary to advance in the study of Health Informatics. This laboratory will help ensure that students from non-medical backgrounds have the fundamental knowledge of human anatomy, pathologies associated with it, and medical terminology.

Those without a background in information technology must complete the following prerequisite:

Introduction to Computer Information Systems

A maximum of two graduate-level courses (8 units) taken at Metropolitan College before acceptance into the program may be applied towards the degree.

Core Courses

(Five courses / 20 units)

MET CS 570 Biomedical Sciences and Health IT

4 credits. Fall and Spring

This course is designed for IT professionals, and those training to be IT professionals, who are preparing for careers in healthcare-related IT (Health Informatics). This course provides a high-level introduction into basic concepts of biomedicine and familiarizes students with the structure and organization of American healthcare system and the roles played by IT in that system. The course introduces medical terminology, human anatomy and physiology, disease processes, diagnostic modalities, and treatments associated with common disease processes. IT case studies demonstrate the key roles of health informatics and how IT tools and resources help medical professionals integrate multiple sources of information to make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.

Section O1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Oct 20th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Keskin	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

MET CS 580 Health Informatics

4 credits. Fall and Spring

This course presents the fundamental principles, concepts, and technological elements that make up the building blocks of Health Informatics. It introduces the characteristics of data, information, and knowledge in the domain, the common algorithms for health applications, and IT components in representative clinical processes. It presents the conceptual framework for handling biomedical data collection, storage, and optimal use. It covers the concepts of population health and precision medicine and the information systems that support them. It introduces basic principles of knowledge management systems in biomedicine, various aspects of Health Information Technology standards, and IT aspects of clinical process modeling. Students design a simple Health Informatics solution as a term project.

Section O2, FALL 2025 Oct 28th to Dec 15th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Zhang	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

MET CS 581 Health Information Systems

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Health Information Systems are comprehensive application systems that automate the activities of healthcare delivery including clinical care using electronic health records (EHRs), coordination of care across providers, telehealth, management of the business of healthcare such as revenue cycle management, and population health management. The course covers the functionality of these systems, the underlying information technology they require and their successful operations. It addresses challenges in this rapidly changing field such as complex data, security, interoperability, mobile technology and distributed users. The course emphasizes applied use of health information systems through case studies, current articles, and exercises.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Levinger	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PSY B55

Section E1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Levinger	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PSY B55

MET CS 584 Ethical and Legal Issues in Healthcare Informatics

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Laws, regulations, and ethics guide the practice of health information management (HIM) and health informatics (HI). This course introduces students to the workings of the American legal system and concepts and theories of ethics, examines the legal, ethical, and regulatory issues that impact the protection of confidentiality and integrity of patient information, and, on the other hand, the improvement of accessibility of patient information to enable healthcare providers to make informed decision based on complete patient data. We will cover laws and regulations that are central to the HIM and HI professions, including Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), the 21st Century Cures Act, and the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records Regulations, and more. The goal is to enable HIM and HI practitioners to make effective and informed decisions that prompt patient safety and care quality improvement.

MET CS 781 Advanced Health Informatics

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS570) - This course presents the details of information processing in hospitals, hospital information systems (HIS), and more broadly health information systems. It presents the architecture, design, and user requirements of information systems in health care environment. It focuses on Information Technology aspects of Health Informatics specifically addressing the design, development, operation, and management of HIS. The first part of this course covers the introductory concepts including information processing needs, and information management in health care environment. The second part covers detailed description of HIS including hospital process modeling, architecture, quality assessment, and applicable tools. The final part of the course covers management of HIS and related issues and extension of this topic to other health care organizations. The course will have a term project providing students a hands-on experience in design and research of HIS. Prereq: MET CS 580; or instructor's consent.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
D'Amore	Independent	W	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CAS 233

Section E1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
D'Amore	Independent	W	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CAS 233

Required Courses

MET CS 695 Cybersecurity

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METCS625) or instructor's consent - This course introduces fundamental concepts, principles of cybersecurity and their use in the development of security mechanisms and policies. Topics include basic risk assessment and management; basic legal and ethics issues, various cyber attacks, defense methods and tools; security principles, models and components; different crypto protocols, techniques and tools, including symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms, hashing, public key infrastructure, and how they can be used; security threats and defense to hardware, operating systems, networks and applications in modern computing environments. Hands-on labs using current tools are provided and required. Prerequisite: METCS535 or METCS625 or instructor's consent.

Plus one chosen from the following pair:

MET CS 520 Information Structures with Java

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: METCS 200 or 300 or Instructor's Consent. Not recommended for students without a programming background. - This course covers the concepts of object-oriented approach to software design and development using the Java programming language. It includes a detailed discussion of programming concepts starting with the fundamentals of data types, control structures methods, classes, applets, arrays and strings, and proceeding to advanced topics such as inheritance and polymorphism, interfaces, creating user interfaces, exceptions, and streams. Upon completion of this course the students will be able to apply software engineering criteria to design and implement Java applications that are secure, robust, and scalable

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Donald	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PSY B53

Section E1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Donald	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PSY B53

Section O1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Oct 20th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Zhang	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

MET CS 521 Information Structures with Python

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Creativity/Innovation
Critical Thinking
Quantitative Reasoning II

This course covers the concepts of the object-oriented approach to software design and development using Python. It includes a detailed discussion of programming concepts starting with the fundamentals of data types, control structures methods, classes, arrays and strings, and proceeding to advanced topics such as inheritance and polymorphism, creating user interfaces, exceptions and streams. Upon completion of this course students will be able to apply software engineering principles to design and implement Python applications that can be used in with analytics and big data. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Creativity/Innovation, Critical Thinking. Prerequisite: Programming experience in any language. Or Instructor's consent.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Lu	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	KCB 102

Section A2, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Mohan	Independent	T	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PHO 202

Section O1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Oct 20th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Pinsky	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

Section O2, FALL 2025 Oct 28th to Dec 15th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Bond	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

And one more from the following*:

MET CS 625 Business Data Communication and Networks

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Undergraduate Prerequisites: On Campus Prerequisites: MET CS 200 Fundamentals of Information Techno logy. Or instructor^s consent. ; Undergraduate Corequisites: Restrictions: MS CIS only. This course may not be taken in conjunction with CS 425 (undergraduate) or CS 535. Only CS 535 or CS 625 can be c ounted towards degree requirements. - This course presents the foundations of data communications and takes a bottom-up approach to computer networks. The course concludes with an overview of basic network security and management concepts. Prereq: MET CS 200, or instructor's consent. This course may not be taken in conjunction with MET CS 425 (undergraduate) or MET CS 535. Only one of these courses can be counted towards degree requirements.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Arena	Independent	T	12:30:00 PM–03:15:00 PM	CGS 515

Section A2, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Arena	Independent	T	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	SHA 206

Section O1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Oct 20th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Rizinski	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

Section O2, FALL 2025 Oct 28th to Dec 15th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Rizinski	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

MET CS 682 Information Systems Analysis and Design

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Undergraduate Prerequisites: Basic programming knowledge or instructor's consent. - Object-oriented methods of information systems analysis and design for organizations with data- processing needs. System feasibility; requirements analysis; database utilization; Unified Modeling Language; software system architecture, design, and implementation, management; project control; and systems-level testing. Prerequisite: Basic programming knowledge or instructor's consent.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Guadagno	Independent	T	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PSY B55

Section O1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Oct 20th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Williams	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

Section O2, FALL 2025 Oct 28th to Dec 15th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Polnar	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

*MS in Health Informatics students without business data communication and networks experience are recommended to take the course MET CS 625 (the prerequisite for MET CS 695) instead of MET CS 682.

Health Information Management Concentration Requirements

Those pursuing a concentration in Health Information Management must take two additional courses.

Choose one from the following pair:

Concentration Courses

MET AD 605 Operations Management: Business Process Fundamentals

4 credits. Fall and Spring

This course will provide students with the analytical tools to analyze, manage, and improve manufacturing, service, and business processes. Coverage includes various options to lower operational costs and improve responsiveness to customers' needs, including operating system design, product & service design, capacity analysis & buffering, waiting line optimization, and process quality analysis using statistical approaches. Quantitative methods include application of stochastic simulation, analysis of random outcomes, statistical analysis routines (confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, machine learning), system reliability analysis, and statistical process control. The Deming philosophy of management, Lean operations principles, and Six Sigma process improvement methodologies form the underlying foundation of the course coverage.

MET CS 782 IT Strategy and Management

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Undergraduate Prerequisites: Restrictions: Only for MS CIS students. - This course describes and compares contemporary and emerging information technology and its management. Students learn how to identify information technologies of strategic value to their organizations and how to manage their implementation. The course highlights the application of I.T. to business needs. CS 782 is at the advanced Masters (700) level, and it assumes that students understand IT systems at the level of CS 682 Systems Analysis and Design. Students who haven't completed CS 682 should contact their instructor to determine if they are adequately prepared. Prereq: MET CS 682, or instructor's consent.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Arakelian	Independent	R	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	HAR 326

Section O2, FALL 2025 Oct 28th to Dec 15th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Williams	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

And one more from the following:

Concentration Courses

MET AD 642 Project Management

4 credits. Fall and Spring

The course explores modern project management by providing an enterprise- level, experiential view of the discipline focused on connecting projects to the organization's mission, vision, and values. The theme of the course is applying key project management tools and techniques, through case-based group work, which will help students identify, analyze, and develop practical proposals to real-world issues. Groups select, plan, report, and then present on their project's scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality, and communications elements using tools such as the WBS, network diagram, PERT estimate, Gantt chart (including the use of MS Project), risk register, and heat map. Students also gain familiarity with important new concepts in project management: Agile frameworks, actionable sustainability thinking, and Benefits Realization Management, all of which will be important for their success not only in other graduate courses, but as they lead projects for their organizations so as to provide lasting, triple-bottom-line value. The course is aligned with the latest PMBOK' Guide from the Project Management Institute.

MET AD 715 Quantitative and Qualitative Decision-Making

4 credits. Fall and Spring

The purpose of this course is to help improve business problem solving and managerial decision-making through the use of quantitative and qualitative decision-making tools and techniques. This course will provide the student with an overview of how decisions are made to solve management problems in the business environment. It introduces the fundamental concepts and methodologies of the decision-making process, problem-solving, decision analysis, data collection, probability distribution, evaluation, and prediction methods. Students will learn how to apply different quantitative and qualitative analytical tools commonly used in business to provide a depth of understanding and support to various decision-making activities within each subject area of management. Through the use of case studies of decisions made by managers in various production and service industries and a business simulation package specifically prepared for this course, the scope and breadth of decision-making in business will be described.

Section A1, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Dickson	Independent	M	02:30:00 PM–05:15:00 PM	CDS 262

Section A3, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Ritt	Independent	M	02:30:00 PM–05:15:00 PM	CDS 264

Section A4, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Dickson	Independent	T	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	PHO 201

Section A5, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Zlatev	Independent	W	02:30:00 PM–05:15:00 PM	EPC 206

Section A7, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Parzen	Independent	R	12:30:00 PM–03:15:00 PM	FLR 123

Section A8, FALL 2025 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Valath Bhuan Das	Independent	R	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CGS 527

Section O2, FALL 2025 Oct 28th to Dec 15th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Zlatev	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

Dates & Deadlines

View BU MET’s academic calendar for online programs, including important dates and deadlines.

Application Requirements

Learn about application requirements for BU MET graduate degree and certificate programs.

How You Benefit from a
Boston University Education

BU’s Health Informatics master’s degree is the first and only such program in New England accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

Benefit from an average 24:1 student-to-instructor ratio.
Work closely with highly qualified Boston University faculty and industry leaders in computer science, data analytics, medicine, and biomedical engineering.
Courses introduce case studies and real-world projects that ensure you gain in-depth, practical experience with the latest technologies—and you have access to BU MET’s Health Informatics Research Lab (HILab), which focuses on collaborative research and development in health informatics, bioinformatics, and clinical research.
Completion of the CAHIIM-accredited master’s program entitles you to sit for professional certification exams offered through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), such as the Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI™) and the Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA®) exams. Along with demonstrating a high standard of proficiency and professionalism sought by employers, AHIMA certification ensures access to valuable networking resources, opens the door to higher earning potential, and paves the way for long-term leadership opportunities in the field.
BU MET’s Department of Computer Science was established in 1979 and is the longest-running computer science department at BU. Over its four decades, the department has played an important role in the emergence of IT at the University and throughout the region.

All graduate students are automatically considered for merit scholarships during the application process and nominated based on eligibility. Learn more.

Rankings & Accreditations

America’s Top Online Colleges

U.S. News & World Report - Best Online Programs - Grad Information Technology 2025

#10

Ranked #10 in the nation

Graduate with Health Informatics Expertise

Students who complete the Master of Science in Health Informatics, Health Information Management Concentration will be able to demonstrate:

Work on healthcare data, information, and knowledge management and analysis.
Identify and address challenges and opportunities as the American healthcare system transforms into a digital, patient-centered system.
Understand the process of healthcare information system (HCIS) acquisition, development, implementation, and support.
Discuss ethical issues, social and organizational behavior management, and leadership skills.
Grasp major healthcare delivery workflows and understand how HCIS changes the workflows—and how to manage that change.
Understand common algorithms for health applications and IT components in representative clinical processes.
Understand fundamentals of cybersecurity.
Understand legal, security, and privacy issues related to health information management.
Lead health IT initiatives, conduct biomedical research and design, and implement and manage advanced IT solutions.

“Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 29 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.”

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

“BU MET has prepared me well for my next career phase. It facilitated a seamless transition from biology to health informatics and data analytics. I gained not only exposure to the healthcare industry, but also delved into other realms. This gave me a diverse skill set and a broader understanding of various domains. It also gave me the necessary tools to think strategically, logically, and efficiently—skills applicable across different fields.” Read more.

Christel El Hayeck (MET ’23)
Lead Associate, Strategy&
MS, Health Informatics; Concentration, Applied Data Analytics

Advance Your Career

BU MET’s Master of Science in Health Informatics prepares you for a wealth of different roles, such as Chief Medical Information Officer, Clinical Application Developer, Clinical Data Analyst, EHR Application Specialist, EHR System Integration Specialist, Health Informatics Specialist, Health Informatics Data Manager, Health Information Manager/Director, Health Information Technician, Quality Officer, Safety/Privacy Officer, among others.

Recent graduates have found job opportunities and career paths at companies such as:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston Children’s Hospital
Colorado Access
Grand Circle Corporation
HealthEdge
Hyperion Software Corporation
John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County
Jordan Marsh Company
Lifespan
Manhattan Vision Associates
Mantis Robotics
May Institute

Merck KGa/ EMD Group
Millipore Corporation
Modus Media International
Strategy&
Stryker
Suffolk University Sawyer School of Business
TASC
The Faxon Company, Inc
The Guidance Center
Truth Initiative
UMass Emergency Medical Services
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

Take Advantage of Career Resources at BU MET

You will find the support you need in reaching your career goals through MET’s Career Development office, which offers a variety of job-hunting resources, including one-on-one career counseling by appointment for online students. You can also take advantage of tools and resources available online through BU’s Center for Career Development.

Computer Science Faculty

Guanglan Zhang

Associate Professor, Computer Science

Coordinator, Health Informatics Programs

Chair, Computer Science

Shengzhi Zhang

Associate Professor

Associate Chair, Computer Science

Lou Chitkushev

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Associate Professor, Computer Science

Director, Health Informatics & Health Sciences

View All Faculty

Interested in Learning More?

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Online Master of Science in Health Informatics, Health Information Management Concentration

At a Glance

Master the Management of Health Data