Iowa Health Informatics Degree Programs

Drake University offers an online MS in Health Informatics and Analytics designed for clinicians, administrators, and IT professionals. The program integrates informatics and analytics to prepare students for collaboration with data scientists and statisticians in healthcare settings. A joint option is available for Drake pharmacy and health sciences students. Career paths include health informatics specialist, clinical data analyst, and healthcare IT consultant. Reported salaries range from $75,000 to $150,000, with health IT job growth at 13% and demand expected to quadruple or increase twelvefold over the next decade. Applicants should contact Drake to confirm standardized entrance exam requirements for this master's program.

• Salaries average between $75k-$150k
• Online program delivery
• Health IT job growth 13%
• Growing demand 4-12 times

The University of Iowa's MS in Informatics with a Health Informatics cognate is a 31-credit interdisciplinary program designed for both health professionals and computer science graduates. Students complete 19 semester hours of core informatics coursework shared with the PhD program, complemented by 12 hours of electives such as epidemiology, health data analytics, and bioinformatics. The curriculum bridges computing and health sciences, preparing graduates for careers in health informatics, clinical data analysis, and health IT leadership. Through data-driven solutions, students learn to improve patient care, support clinical decision-making, and advance public health initiatives. The program fosters collaboration across diverse fields, ensuring a strong computational foundation alongside health science knowledge.

• 31 total credit hours
• Interdisciplinary health-computing curriculum
• Flexible for diverse academic backgrounds
• Core courses shared with PhD program
• Electives in health data analytics and bioinformatics

The University of Iowa offers a dual MS in Informatics (Health Informatics) and PharmD degree for pharmacy students. This non-thesis program integrates 19 core informatics hours with 6 health informatics hours and 9 cross-counted PharmD hours. Coursework covers health information exchange, electronic prescribing, and medication management. Applications require letters of reference and completion of 120 semester hours. Graduates pursue careers as clinical informaticists, health IT managers, or decision support specialists, leveraging technology to enhance pharmacotherapy and patient care. The curriculum emphasizes electronic health records and medication safety, preparing students for roles such as health informatics specialists. This distinctive dual degree equips pharmacy students with advanced skills in health informatics and technology-driven care.

• Dual degree with College of Pharmacy
• Non-thesis MS option
• Areas: health information exchange
• Areas: electronic prescribing
• Areas: medication management
• Core courses shared with PhD
• Application requires letters of reference
• Open to students with 120 s.h. completed

The University of Iowa's PhD in Informatics with a health informatics concentration is a research-intensive program for students exploring computational solutions in healthcare. Students complete 72 semester hours, including 19 hours of core informatics courses and additional coursework selected with their committee. The program includes qualifying, comprehensive, and proposal exams, followed by a dissertation defense. Graduates are prepared for careers in academic teaching, industrial research, and government laboratories. Health informatics is one of five concentration options, allowing students to apply computational methods to improve healthcare delivery, clinical decision-making, and patient outcomes. The customizable curriculum, guided by faculty experts, bridges information science and healthcare for original research.

• 5 concentration options
• 72 total credit hours
• Thesis required
• Prepares for research and teaching careers
• Qualifying, comprehensive, and proposal exams
• 19 hours of core courses
• For academic, industrial, government labs