Purdue Global Master of Health Informatics

Purdue Global offers a fully online Master of Health Informatics for students who want to connect health care, information systems, data analytics, policy, and leadership. The general program requires 48 quarter credits, while the optional health information management concentration expands the degree to 56 quarter credits.

Quick Facts

• Location: West Lafayette, Indiana; delivered online

• Degree: Master of Health Informatics

• Credits: 48 quarter credits; 56 with the health information management concentration

• Format: 100% online

• Program length: About 1.5 years on average

• Tuition: $420 per quarter credit; about $20,160 for 48 credits before fees

• Indiana resident rate: 10% graduate tuition reduction

• Concentration: Health Information Management

• Final requirement: Master’s capstone in health informatics

• Institutional accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

Program Overview

The online Master of Health Informatics at Purdue Global focuses on the use of technology and information to improve clinical, financial, and public health outcomes. Students study health information systems, clinical terminologies, database design, analytics, project management, law and ethics, leadership, and systems implementation.

The curriculum uses an interprofessional approach and ends with a practice-focused capstone. Purdue Global states that students can finish in about 1.5 years on average, with an estimated weekly effort of 15 hours per course. Actual completion time depends on course load, transfer credit, breaks, and course availability.

Students may complete the 48-credit general degree or add a 16-credit health information management concentration. The concentration replaces the general elective requirement and raises the full degree requirement to 56 quarter credits.

Curriculum and Concentration

The official degree plan requires 40 quarter credits of core coursework plus 8 to 16 credits of electives. Purdue Global notes that one semester credit equals 1.5 quarter credits, so applicants should account for the quarter-credit system when comparing this degree with other programs.

Required core courses

• Leadership and Management in Health Care

• Health Informatics

• Health Information Applications and Systems

• Database Design and SQL

• Clinical Terminologies, Vocabularies, and Information Standards

• Project Management of Health Information Systems

• Health Care Data Analytics

• Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Information

• Information Systems Design and Implementation

• Master’s Capstone in Health Informatics

These ten four-credit courses form the 40-credit core. General-program students then complete eight credits of approved health informatics electives for a total of 48 quarter credits.

Health Information Management concentration

The optional concentration requires four courses: Health Care Compliance, Organizational Development and Management for Health Information, Revenue Cycle Management, and Protection of Health Information. These 16 credits bring the degree total to 56 quarter credits.

The concentration may appeal to students who want added preparation in compliance, privacy, revenue cycle operations, and health information governance. Students who want the shortest route can stay with the general 48-credit degree and choose two electives.

Admissions

Applicants need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Purdue Global requires an official transcript that confirms degree completion, although applicants may submit an unofficial copy during the application process.

The public program page does not list a required undergraduate major or a program-specific minimum GPA. Applicants should review the university’s current graduate admissions requirements and ask an advisor whether their prior coursework or professional background creates any added requirements. Purdue Global offers multiple start dates during the year.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Purdue Global lists standard graduate tuition of $420 per quarter credit for this program. Based on that rate, estimated base tuition is:

• General 48-credit program: About $20,160

• 56-credit HIM concentration: About $23,520

• Indiana resident general program: About $18,144 after the 10% tuition reduction

• Indiana resident HIM concentration: About $21,168 after the 10% tuition reduction

These estimates cover tuition only. Purdue Global lists a resource fee and notes that graduate books and instructional materials are generally not included in tuition. Rates, fees, discounts, transfer credits, and financial aid can change the final cost.

Active-duty military students may qualify for a lower graduate rate, and veterans and military spouses may receive separate reductions. Students should use Purdue Global’s tuition information and financial aid process to confirm the rate that applies to them.

Online Learning and Time Commitment

The program is delivered fully online. Purdue Global reports an average completion time of 1.5 years and an estimated 15 hours of weekly effort for each course. The site lists 12 courses for the 48-credit degree and 14 courses for the 56-credit concentration.

This format may suit working professionals who need remote access and frequent start dates. Students should ask how many courses they must take each term to match the stated completion time and whether live attendance is required for any activities.

Accreditation and Certification Preparation

Purdue Global holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. The university states that the degree can help students prepare for the CAHIMS or CPHIMS certification exams, but degree completion does not automatically grant certification.

Students may also choose a five-course sequence that can lead to Purdue Global’s Digital Health Leader micro-credential and the CAHIIM-accredited Digital Health Leader certificate. CAHIIM accreditation applies to that certificate sequence; Purdue Global’s published materials do not describe the full Master of Health Informatics degree itself as CAHIIM-accredited.

Career Preparation

The curriculum develops skills in health data analysis, database design, clinical vocabularies, information standards, systems selection and implementation, privacy, project management, and organizational leadership. The capstone gives students a chance to apply those skills to a practical health informatics issue.

Potential roles include health informatics specialist, clinical informatics analyst, health care data analyst, health information systems manager, implementation specialist, and informatics project manager. Job eligibility and advancement depend on prior experience, technical depth, location, and any professional credentials an employer requires.

Who May Find This Program a Good Fit?

Purdue Global may fit students who want a fully online health informatics degree with a direct 48-credit route and an optional health information management concentration. It may be especially relevant for health care professionals moving into data or systems work and IT professionals who want to enter the health sector.

The program also stands out for its frequent start dates, stated 1.5-year average completion time, and reduced tuition for Indiana residents. Students who prefer semester credits should compare workloads carefully because Purdue Global uses quarter credits. Applicants seeking a CAHIIM-accredited master’s should also note that the published CAHIIM accreditation applies to the Digital Health Leader certificate, not the full MHI.

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