Arkansas Tech University offers a 35-credit Master of Science in Health Informatics that students may complete online. The program combines healthcare delivery, information technology, data, privacy, policy, leadership, and research. Its low published graduate tuition makes it one of the more affordable graduate health informatics options in the region.
Arkansas Tech MS in Health Informatics: Quick Facts
| Degree | Master of Science in Health Informatics |
|---|---|
| Location | Russellville, Arkansas |
| Format | Online |
| Credits | 35 |
| Length | Not published; pacing depends on course load |
| Curriculum | 29 credits of core and required study plus 6 elective credits |
| Estimated tuition and online fees | About $14,990 at 2026–2027 rates |
| Graduate tuition | $333.66 per credit for in-state and out-of-state students |
| Minimum GPA | 2.5 cumulative or 3.0 across the final 30 undergraduate credits |
| Prerequisites | Health information management and computer programming coursework or comparable experience |
| Application fee | $40 |
| Priority deadlines | March 1 for fall and October 1 for spring |
Program Overview
Arkansas Tech’s MSHI uses a multidisciplinary curriculum to connect healthcare operations with information technology. Students study how organizations collect, manage, protect, and use health information while also building skills in databases, analytics, policy, and leadership.
The program is housed within the LeMoyne Smith School of Business. Arkansas Tech states that the degree may be completed online, and an eligible fully online student can receive waivers for several campus-based fees.
See the official Arkansas Tech MSHI catalog page for current degree requirements and course availability.
Curriculum
Students complete at least 35 graduate credits. The degree includes 29 credits of core and required study plus six credits of approved electives.
- Research in HIM introduces research methods and includes applied work connected with healthcare facilities or agencies.
- Emerging Trends in Health Information Technology examines new technologies and regulatory developments.
- Ethical Leadership applies ethical and organizational principles to leadership decisions.
- Security and Privacy in Health Informatics covers legal, organizational, and consumer issues involving health data.
- Health Care Policy reviews current healthcare trends and related legal, ethical, and policy questions.
- Introduction to Information Technology and Systems provides a foundation in IT concepts and systems.
- Database Systems develops knowledge of database structure and management.
- Advanced Biostatistics supports the analysis and interpretation of health data.
Students also complete a three-credit research project and a three-credit elective within the required portion of the degree. The final six elective credits may come from health informatics, information technology, or other courses approved by the program director.
Research Project and Electives
The applied research project gives students a defined way to connect their coursework with a health informatics problem. This requirement may appeal to students who want a portfolio-ready project rather than a thesis.
Listed elective options include Decision Support Systems, Emerging Trends, Information Systems Resource Management, and Developing and Administering Web Sites. Arkansas Tech notes that additional electives may be available with approval.
Online Format
Arkansas Tech identifies the MSHI as a program that may be completed online. The catalog does not list a campus residency requirement.
The university does not publish a fixed completion schedule on the program page. A 35-credit degree can often fit into about two years of steady part-time enrollment, but students should confirm course sequencing and expected completion time with the program director before planning around that estimate.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet the Graduate College admission standard. Unconditional graduate admission requires a bachelor’s degree from an institutionally accredited college and either a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA or a 3.0 GPA across the final 30 undergraduate credits. An earned graduate degree can also satisfy the academic standard.
The MSHI adds two background requirements. Applicants need prior study or experience comparable to Introduction to Health Information Management and a three-credit computer programming course. The program committee can determine whether previous coursework or relevant work experience satisfies either requirement.
Applicants must submit a letter of intent that explains their interests, goals, and reasons for applying. The program director must approve admission.
Students who lack the GPA or prerequisite background may receive conditional admission. The committee may require undergraduate or graduate coursework completed with a grade of B or better, and students admitted because of GPA must earn a 3.0 across their first 12 graduate credits.
Arkansas Tech lists March 1 as the priority deadline for fall admission and October 1 for spring admission. Later applications may be accepted until two weeks before enrollment, but priority deadlines provide the best chance for admission and assistantship consideration.
Tuition and Estimated Cost
Arkansas Tech lists 2026–2027 graduate tuition of $333.66 per credit for both in-state and out-of-state students. Base tuition for 35 credits is about $11,678.
Fully online students in qualified programs do not pay the public safety, student recreation and union, or student activity fees when they have no physical campus presence. Adding the remaining required per-credit fees and the $10 online or mixed-technology fee produces an estimated rate of about $428.29 per credit.
At that rate, estimated tuition and mandatory online fees total about $14,990 for 35 credits. The estimate excludes the $40 application fee, books, possible course-specific fees, and future rate increases. Students should confirm whether the MSHI qualifies for all online fee waivers and review the university’s current charges before enrolling.
Check the official Arkansas Tech tuition and fees page for current rates.
Accreditation
Arkansas Tech University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university’s undergraduate Health Information Management program holds CAHIIM accreditation, but Arkansas Tech does not state that the MS in Health Informatics has separate CAHIIM programmatic accreditation.
Prospective students who need a CAHIIM-accredited graduate program for a specific career or certification goal should confirm the current status directly with Arkansas Tech and CAHIIM.
Who Is This Program Best For?
Arkansas Tech may fit students who want an affordable online degree that balances healthcare knowledge with technical and management subjects. The shared graduate tuition rate is especially valuable for students who live outside Arkansas.
The program also makes room for applicants who developed health information management or programming knowledge through work. The committee can evaluate comparable experience instead of requiring every applicant to hold a specific undergraduate major.
Students who want a formal specialization, a fixed accelerated calendar, or a published employment-outcomes report may prefer a program that provides those features. Arkansas Tech offers elective flexibility, but it does not advertise named tracks.
The Verdict
Arkansas Tech offers a practical 35-credit online health informatics master’s degree at a comparatively low cost. Its strongest features are equal graduate tuition for residents and nonresidents, a compact curriculum, and coursework that covers databases, security, policy, leadership, and research.
The main limits are the lack of a published completion schedule, named concentrations, and clear graduate-level CAHIIM accreditation. Even so, the estimated cost of about $14,990 makes the program a strong value for students who meet its health information management and programming prerequisites.
Compare Arkansas Tech with other health informatics programs in Arkansas and fully online options.
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock - Little Rock
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Little Rock