Texas Health Informatics Degree Programs

Health Informatics is a rapidly growing field that bridges the gap between healthcare and technology, and employers in Texas are actively seeking professionals with a diverse range of skills to drive innovation and improve patient care.

Texas healthcare systems are investing heavily in health informatics infrastructure, creating diverse opportunities for professionals with the right combination of clinical knowledge, technical skills, and educational credentials. The market shows strong demand for professionals who can bridge clinical practice with information technology to improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency

• The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has actively developed and updated its State Medicaid Health Information Technology (Health IT) Strategic Plan.
• Organizations like Healthconnect Texas (the health information exchange for Texas) are also crucial players.
• Research has shown a positive association between health IT expenditures and hospital revenue in Texas.

How to Choose the Right Program for You

Texas’s health informatics field benefits from the state’s healthcare industry leadership, growing technology sector, business-friendly environment, and strategic geographic position.

Programs prepare graduates for diverse roles including Clinical Informaticists, Health Information Management Directors, Healthcare Data Analysts, Healthcare Technology Consultants, Research Scientists, and Healthcare Systems Administrators.

Quick Take

Consider your specific interests within health informatics:

Choose Texas Woman’s University for comprehensive undergraduate education with Clinical Applications or Health Studies concentrations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Ideal for students seeking foundational education with access to major healthcare and technology markets.

Select University of Houston for Engineering Technology approach with computational focus.

Perfect for students with technical backgrounds interested in mobile computing, medical imaging, and data mining applications in healthcare.

Consider University of North Texas for hybrid master’s or doctoral programs with strong industry networking.

Excellent for students seeking both academic rigor and professional connections in the Dallas area.

Choose UT Rio Grande Valley for accelerated online programs with HIMSS partnership.

Ideal for working professionals seeking rapid career advancement with industry recognition and border health opportunities.

Select Texas State University for affordable, CAHIIM-accredited education at exceptional value ($17,964 total).

Perfect for students seeking recognized health information management credentials with strong return on investment.

Consider UT Health Science Center at Houston for executive-style doctoral education designed for working professionals.

Ideal for experienced healthcare leaders seeking advanced credentials while maintaining career responsibilities.

Choose UT Southwestern for comprehensive medical center-based education with AMIA alignment.

Excellent for students seeking clinical informatics training with access to world-class healthcare research and practice.

Select UT Arlington for nursing informatics specialization requiring clinical nursing background.

Perfect for practicing nurses seeking to advance into healthcare technology leadership roles.

Consider Texas A&M University-Central Texas for MBA approach with healthcare administration focus.

Ideal for students seeking executive business training combined with healthcare industry specialization.

Read on for all the details.

Program Levels and Educational Pathways

Bachelor’s Level Programs

Texas Woman’s University offers 120-credit programs with concentrations in Clinical Applications and Health Studies, providing hybrid learning formats that combine online flexibility with hands-on campus experiences. These programs leverage the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s robust healthcare and technology sectors for real-world learning opportunities.

Master’s Level Programs

Programs range from 30-63 credit hours with options including clinical informatics, healthcare administration, engineering technology applications, and data analytics. Notable offerings include University of Houston’s Engineering Technology approach with computational health informatics, University of North Texas’s hybrid format with industry networking, UT Rio Grande Valley’s HIMSS-approved online program, Texas State University’s CAHIIM-accredited program at $17,964 total tuition, and UT Southwestern’s comprehensive 10-domain AMIA-aligned curriculum.

Doctoral Programs

University of North Texas offers an Information Science Ph.D. with Health Informatics concentration requiring 48 credit hours including dissertation research. UT Health Science Center at Houston provides a unique Doctorate in Health Informatics (DHI) designed for working professionals, featuring executive-style online courses and translational projects rather than traditional dissertations.

Nursing Informatics Specialization

UT Arlington offers specialized MSN Healthcare Informatics programs requiring undergraduate nursing backgrounds, specifically serving practicing nurses seeking to advance into healthcare technology leadership roles while maintaining their clinical foundation.

MBA and Healthcare Administration Integration

Texas A&M University-Central Texas and UT Dallas offer programs combining business administration with healthcare focus, preparing students for executive roles where informatics knowledge is essential for strategic decision-making.

Admission Requirements and Accessibility

Entrance Exam Policies

Most Texas programs have eliminated or temporarily suspended entrance exam requirements. University of Houston suspended GRE/GMAT requirements until 2023, Texas State University requires no GRE, and most other programs follow similar policies. This trend makes programs more accessible to working professionals and career changers.

GPA Requirements and Academic Standards

Requirements typically range from 2.75-3.0 for most programs, balancing accessibility with academic preparedness. Texas State University requires 2.75 GPA minimum, University of Houston requires 3.0, and various programs provide flexibility for students with different academic backgrounds.

Professional Experience Requirements

Some programs value or require professional experience. UT Health Science Center at Houston requires at least three years of management experience in informatics or healthcare IT for their doctoral program, while other programs welcome career changers and provide foundational training.

Specialized Prerequisites

Nursing informatics programs require BSN degrees and RN licenses, while some programs require specific prerequisite knowledge in areas like statistics, computer science, or healthcare fundamentals.

Cost Analysis: Exceptional Value in Texas

Texas health informatics programs offer outstanding value propositions, enhanced by the state’s favorable tax and cost-of-living environment.

Public University Excellence and Affordability

Texas public universities provide exceptional value through the state university system. Texas State University offers specific pricing at $17,964 total tuition for their 36-credit program, representing outstanding value for CAHIIM-accredited education. UT system schools and other public institutions typically provide excellent education quality at affordable prices for Texas residents.

No State Income Tax Advantage

Texas’s lack of state income tax effectively increases graduate salaries compared to other states, improving return on educational investment. This tax advantage can represent thousands of dollars annually in additional earning power for health informatics professionals.

Program Length and Total Cost Optimization

Programs offer various completion timelines affecting total costs. Texas State University offers 16-month accelerated completion, UT Health Science Center provides four-year executive-style doctoral programs, and various programs offer both full-time and part-time options to minimize opportunity costs.

Financial Aid and Support Options

Multiple programs offer financial aid, scholarships, and unique benefits. UT Health Science Center provides competitive scholarships and in-state tuition for non-residents in their doctoral program, while various institutions offer graduate assistantships and employer tuition reimbursement partnerships.

Program Formats and Scheduling Flexibility

Comprehensive Online Learning

Multiple programs offer fully online formats recognizing Texas’s geographic size and working professional population. University of Houston, UT Rio Grande Valley, Texas State University, Texas A&M University-Central Texas, and others provide complete online education with interactive learning tools and virtual collaboration opportunities.

Hybrid Learning Excellence

Several programs combine online convenience with hands-on campus experiences. Texas Woman’s University, University of North Texas, UT Health Science Center at Houston, and UT Southwestern offer hybrid formats that accommodate working schedules while providing practical experience and networking opportunities.

Executive-Style and Professional-Focused Formats

UT Health Science Center at Houston offers executive-style online courses with cohort learning models specifically designed for working healthcare professionals. This format accommodates demanding professional schedules while maintaining academic rigor and peer networking opportunities.

Multiple Start Dates and Flexible Scheduling

Texas State University offers multiple start dates throughout the year, while various programs provide fall and spring admissions to accommodate different academic calendar preferences and career timing needs.

Specialization Areas and Career Focus

Texas programs reflect the state’s diverse healthcare landscape and provide specialized training for various career trajectories.

Clinical Informatics and Patient Care Applications

Texas Woman’s University offers Clinical Applications concentration, while UT Arlington’s nursing informatics program focuses on EHR applications and clinical data analytics. These specializations prepare students for roles in hospitals, clinics, and healthcare systems focused on improving patient care through technology.

Healthcare Engineering and Technology Applications

University of Houston provides unique Engineering Technology approach with Computational Health Informatics, emphasizing mobile computing, medical imaging, and data mining applications. This technical focus prepares students for roles in healthcare technology development and implementation.

Healthcare Administration and Management Integration

Texas A&M University-Central Texas and UT Dallas offer programs combining healthcare administration with informatics knowledge, preparing students for executive roles in healthcare organizations where technology strategy is essential for organizational success.

Health Information Management and Data Analytics

Texas State University’s CAHIIM-accredited program prepares students for RHIA certification and specialized roles in health information governance, while UT Rio Grande Valley emphasizes database management and healthcare IT applications.

Research and Academic Applications

University of North Texas and UT Health Science Center provide comprehensive research training through doctoral programs, preparing students for academic careers, research leadership, and advanced clinical informatics roles.

Border Health and Multicultural Applications

UT Rio Grande Valley’s location provides unique opportunities for students interested in border health informatics, multicultural healthcare delivery, and addressing health disparities in diverse populations.

Hands-On Experience and Industry Connections

Texas programs leverage the state’s extensive healthcare and technology ecosystem to provide exceptional practical learning opportunities.

Texas Medical Center Access

Houston-area programs benefit from proximity to the world’s largest medical complex, providing unparalleled internship opportunities, research collaborations, and employment prospects with world-renowned healthcare institutions.

Dallas-Fort Worth Healthcare Network

Programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex access major healthcare systems including UT Southwestern, Baylor Scott & White, and Texas Health Resources, providing diverse clinical informatics opportunities and industry partnerships.

Technology Industry Partnerships

Programs throughout Texas benefit from the state’s growing technology sector, with opportunities for internships and collaboration with healthcare technology companies, electronic health record vendors, and emerging health tech startups.

Translational Research Opportunities

UT Health Science Center at Houston emphasizes translational projects that address real-world organizational issues, while various doctoral programs provide access to NIH-funded research and publication opportunities.

Professional Certification Integration

Texas State University prepares students for RHIA certification, UT Rio Grande Valley serves as a HIMSS Approved Education Partner, and various programs integrate preparation for industry certifications including CAHIMS, CHDA, and nursing informatics credentials.

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

Program accreditation ensures educational quality and significantly impacts employment opportunities in Texas’s competitive healthcare market.

CAHIIM Accreditation Excellence

Texas State University maintains CAHIIM (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education) accreditation, ensuring curricula meet industry standards and qualifying graduates for health information management leadership roles.

HIMSS Partnership Recognition

UT Rio Grande Valley serves as a HIMSS Approved Education Partner, indicating alignment with healthcare IT industry standards and providing students with networking opportunities and industry recognition.

Regional Accreditation Standards

All programs operate under Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation, ensuring overall institutional quality and credit transferability throughout the region.

Professional Alignment

Programs align with professional organization standards including American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) competency domains and nursing informatics certification requirements.

Emerging Trends and Future Considerations

Border Health and Telehealth Innovation

Texas’s position on the US-Mexico border creates opportunities for health informatics professionals specializing in cross-border healthcare delivery, telehealth applications, and addressing health disparities in border communities.

Energy Sector Healthcare Applications

Texas’s energy industry leadership creates unique opportunities for occupational health informatics, industrial health monitoring, and environmental health data analysis applications.

Rural Health Technology Solutions

Texas’s large rural population creates demand for telehealth solutions, rural health data analytics, and technology applications addressing healthcare access challenges in underserved areas.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Integration

Texas universities are increasingly incorporating AI and machine learning training, preparing students for next-generation healthcare technology applications and research opportunities.

Texas Job Market Analysis for Health Informatics

The job market for health informatics professionals in Texas is demonstrably strong. Here’s an extensive look at what employers are looking for, organized by desired skillset, along with specific job details:

Key Takeaways for Health Informatics Professionals in Texas

• Clinical Background is Valued: Many roles explicitly require or prefer prior clinical experience, highlighting the importance of understanding healthcare from the front lines.
• Technical Acumen is Essential: Proficiency with EHR systems (especially Epic), data analysis tools (like SQL and Excel), and general IT knowledge is consistently sought after.
• Certifications Boost Opportunities: Certifications such as Epic Certification, CPHIMS, and Informatics Nursing Certification are highly beneficial and often required for more advanced roles.
• Advanced Degrees are a Plus: While not always mandatory, Master’s, graduate, or doctoral degrees in healthcare professions or information management are frequently preferred, indicating a desire for deeper theoretical knowledge and specialized skills.
• Project Management Skills are Growing: As health systems implement and optimize complex IT solutions, the ability to manage projects, coordinate teams, and drive implementations is increasingly important.
• Communication and Liaison Abilities: The need to bridge the gap between clinical and technical teams, explain complex information to diverse stakeholders, and foster relationships is a recurring theme.
• Problem-Solving and Analytical Skills: Troubleshooting system issues, analyzing data for quality improvement, and identifying workflow optimizations are core responsibilities across various roles.

Clinical Expertise & Healthcare Experience

Nursing Informatics Leadership

HCA Healthcare (Richardson, Irving, Prosper) seeks Division Directors of Clinical Informatics requiring bachelor’s degrees with clinical degrees preferred and master’s degrees in health informatics preferred. These positions demand 3-5 years of acute care hospital experience plus 2+ years in clinical/healthcare informatics. Candidates must hold current RN licenses and possess Meditech experience. These roles focus on EHR optimization, workflow redesign, and leading implementation of clinical technology across multiple facilities.

Houston Methodist (Houston) offers Senior Director Informatics and CNIO positions requiring master’s degrees in nursing, healthcare informatics, business administration, or healthcare administration. They seek candidates with 10 years of IT or nursing experience including 5 years of people management and 3 years of informatics experience. These executive roles involve strategic liaison work for health IT efforts and coordinating with administrative teams, clinical leaders, and IT departments.

Texas Nursing Services (Dallas) provides Nursing Informatics Executive positions with salaries ranging $134,000-$200,000. Requirements include active Texas RN license, master’s degree in nursing or health informatics, national informatics certification within 6 months, and 5+ years of acute care clinical informatics leadership. Strong Meditech expertise and multi-site project leadership experience are essential.

Nursing Informatics Specialists

University Health System (San Antonio) seeks Clinical Informatics Specialists requiring graduate degrees from accredited healthcare programs with 5 years of clinical practice experience and current Texas RN licenses. These roles support clinicians by integrating clinical, computer, and information sciences for data management supporting clinical practice, administration, education, and research.

South Texas Spine & Surgical Hospital (San Antonio) offers RN Informatics Specialist positions requiring BSN degrees, current Texas RN licenses, knowledge of Meditech modules (preferably PCS or ORM), 2-4 years of clinical information systems experience, and 3+ years of hospital work experience. These specialists implement and maintain Meditech clinical modules while coordinating with non-clinical modules.

UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) provides Clinical Informatics Nurse Specialist positions in Women’s Services requiring bachelor’s degrees, active RN licenses, and 3-5 years of Epic implementation/optimization experience. These roles focus on developing clinical training for ambulatory staff and ensuring competency with electronic documentation.

Technical Systems Analysis & Epic Expertise

Epic Systems Analysts

Harris Health System (Bellaire) offers Epic Clinical Systems Analyst II positions in Clinical Case Management with salaries ranging $79,206-$102,960 annually. These roles require clinical information systems experience and focus on supporting the Epic EHR system for case management functions.

Baylor Scott & White Health (Frisco) seeks Clinical Informatics Managers requiring 4+ years of clinical environment experience and Epic certification or CPHIMS from HIMSS or Informatics Nursing Certification from ANCC. These positions serve as primary EHR and HIT implementation resources, coordinating with Information Systems and managing User Acceptance Testing.

Clinical Systems Analysis

North Texas Medical Center (Gainesville) provides Clinical Informatics Analyst positions requiring high school diplomas with bachelor’s degrees preferred (clinical degrees preferred), 3-5 years of acute care hospital experience, and large project facilitation experience including health technology implementation. These analysts focus on standardization, utilization, integration, and optimization of clinical information systems.

CHRISTUS Health System (Irving, Beaumont) offers Clinical Informatics Systems Analyst II positions requiring bachelor’s degrees or 4 years of clinical/technical application experience, 3-5 years of clinical information systems experience, and Epic certification preferred. These roles provide medium to high complexity application support for acute and non-acute care clinical applications across multi-regional healthcare systems.

Specialized Technical Roles

Data Analytics & SQL Expertise

Community First Health Plans (San Antonio) seeks Informatics Analysts for Clinical Care Advance requiring minimum 3 years of Cognizant Clinical Care Advance system experience, bachelor’s degrees in information management or clinical fields, and extensive SQL and SQL Server knowledge. These specialists focus on system conversion, mapping, and application execution while providing project management support.

Pharmacy Informatics

Harris Health System (Bellaire) offers Director of Pharmacy Informatics positions with salaries ranging $155,521-$206,065 annually, requiring advanced pharmacy degrees and specialized informatics experience.

University Hospital (San Antonio) provides Pharmacy Informatics & Analytics Manager positions requiring Pharm.D. or Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from ACPE-accredited schools, minimum 5 years of health system pharmacy experience, and Texas pharmacy licensure. These roles oversee pharmacy operations and information technology programs in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Research & Academic Positions

Clinical Informatics Research

UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) offers Faculty Clinical Informatics Research Scientist positions requiring M.D. or Ph.D. preparation with health informatics training. These roles participate in all research phases from study design and grant writing to data analysis and manuscript writing, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams in the neurosciences.

Program Coordination

UTHealth Houston provides Program Coordinator positions for the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics requiring bachelor’s degrees or relevant experience, 3 years of related experience, and knowledge of MS Office and SPSS or statistics software. These coordinators provide overall design, execution, and management of public education and outreach programs.

Compensation Patterns

Entry to Mid-Level Positions: $79,000-$103,000

• Epic Clinical Systems Analyst II (Harris Health System)

Management Level: $134,000-$200,000

• Nursing Informatics Executive (Texas Nursing Services)

Director Level: $155,000-$206,000

• Director of Pharmacy Informatics (Harris Health System)

Executive Level: Compensation varies based on organization size and scope

Cross-Disciplinary Integration

Health informatics roles in Texas demonstrate significant overlap with:

• Healthcare Administration: Multiple positions require business knowledge and management experience
• Quality & Patient Safety: Many roles involve regulatory compliance, meaningful use standards, and quality improvement initiatives
• Project Management: Large-scale EHR implementations and system optimizations require strong project leadership
• Data Science: SQL expertise and analytics capabilities are increasingly valued
• Clinical Practice: Most positions prefer or require active clinical licenses and hands-on healthcare experience

Educational Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree Minimum: Most positions require bachelor’s degrees, with clinical degrees strongly preferred

Master’s Degree Preferred: Senior and executive roles increasingly require master’s degrees in:

• Health Informatics
• Nursing
• Healthcare Administration
• Business Administration
• Information Management

Doctoral Preparation: Research positions require M.D. or Ph.D. degrees with specialized health informatics training

Professional Certifications: Many employers require or prefer:

• Epic Certification
• CPHIMS (Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems)
• ANCC Informatics Nursing Certification
• Active clinical licenses (RN, PharmD, etc.)