Graduate Studies in Health Care Informatics

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Health Care Informatics

Roger L. Davis, Vice Provost of Health Affairs

Tom Campbell, Interim Dean, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Beth Breeden, Director, Graduate Studies in Health Care Informatics

Core Faculty

Elizabeth Breeden, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Kevin Clauson, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Program Foundations

The Master of Science in Health Care Informatics (MHCI) is a 42-hour interdisciplinary program which includes courses from health sciences, business management, and information technology. Health care informatics is a growing and emerging discipline which evaluates the application of biomedical informatics methods and techniques utilized in the provision of health care services. Also included is the vital role HCI plays in enhancing the quality of care, reducing health care costs and addressing health issues. An important extension of this program is the Certificate in Health Care Informatics. This is a 15-hour program of advanced study in health care informatics and is comprised of five courses of the MHCI program.

• The ideal student has a passion for understanding how information, technology and data analytics can be used to change and enhance health care delivery and outcomes.

• Faculty are not only leaders in their field but also work with individual students to offer personalized attention not often found at other institutions.

• The alternating weekend program is designed to meet the needs of working students.

• Multidisciplinary training provides the ability to communicate effectively with clinicians, administrators, business leaders and IT professionals and to understand the challenges of each role.

• Students develop competencies in blockchain, data/predictive analytics, clinical decision support, information security, project management, and much more.

• Career options are unlimited for professionals with this expertise and include such areas as health system pharmacy, hospital corporations, academia, community, managed care, regulatory and government, vendor, legal, consulting, entrepreneurial, clinical research and the pharmaceutical industry.

Minimum Credits

The Master of Science in Health Care Informatics requires completion of 42 semester hours. The Certificate in Health Care Informatics requires completion of 15 semester hours. This requirement does not include hours accumulated to satisfy academic deficiencies or prerequisites. Alternating weekend classes are offered Friday evenings and Saturdays, allowing the highest quality educational experience without disrupting one’s professional career.

Projects

Individual and group projects are a required component of most graduate classes. Most group projects are facilitated with a combination of on-line and in-person meetings, emails and phone calls. As part of the health care informatics core curriculum, the student will complete a capstone project which can be designed to support items such as an employer’s strategic initiative or an entrepreneurial opportunity. Each student will work with a mentor to define the capstone and advance through the process of completing the requirements of this project.

Admission

Admission to the program is based on a combination of many factors, including undergraduate and/or graduate academic record, professional experience, on campus interview and references. The admissions committee also considers your essay and interview in the admissions process.

Eligible students

Hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree or equivalent and one pre-requisite course in statistics.

Application Process

• Application fee. A non-refundable $50 application fee must be submitted online with credit card or by check before the application is evaluated by the admissions committee. 
• Coursework or demonstrated competency in medical terminology, statistics and PC literacy (evidenced through work experience as it appears on the resume or coursework as it appears on the transcript). 
• Two letters of recommendation. The references selected need to be individuals who are able to comment on your academic or professional abilities as well as your interpersonal skills.
• Personal statement of goals and purpose for obtaining the degree. Consider including such information as:
  • How the university can assist your personal and career goals
  • Why you are seeking a degree in Health Care Informatics
• Resume
• Official transcripts from each institution attended. Please allow up to 4 weeks for transcript delivery.
• Health Form. Each applicant must submit a completed health form signed by a health care provider. (To print a copy of the health form, visit www.lipscomb.edu/healthcenter/ forms.) This form must be submitted directly to Lipscomb’s Health Center.
• FERPA. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act affords students certain rights of access to educational records; even if you are independent of your parents, you must submit this form prior to enrollment.
• TOEFL. The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required for international students. (See section titled International Students for more information.)
• On-Campus interview. An on-site interview is required for admission to Lipscomb University Health Care Informatics program. Interviews are conducted by invitation only. The Health Care Informatics Admissions Committee will evaluate each application for competitiveness and request an interview with those determined to be qualified applicants. 

All application items should be submitted to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences no later than 90 days before the beginning of the semester or term in which the student plans to enroll.
Forms should be mailed to: College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Graduate Studies in Health Care Informatics, Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204-3951.

Transfer and Waiver of Courses

Although all graduate credit hours may be transferred from another accredited institution, a maximum of six hours will be counted toward a master’s degree in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The program director or appropriate faculty member of the graduate program will evaluate the course(s) being proposed for transfer and make a determination of suitability. No course with a grade below a “B” will be considered for transfer.

Documentation

Students are required to provide satisfactory documentation of personal identification for off-site learning experiences required in many programs of graduate study at Lipscomb University. Failure to provide proper credentials will result in failure to complete the desired course of study. For complete policy, see section entitled Required Documentation for Off-Site Learning Experiences in the opening section of this catalog.

Student Classifications

Students are admitted to graduate courses in one of five categories:

1. Graduate Student: one who has satisfied all admissions requirements. (Average of 2.75 on undergraduate work, GRE acceptable scores.) A student with an incomplete admission file will be accepted to the program at the discretion of the program director but will be placed on an Academic Hold which will prevent registration for the following semester. Once the proper admissions documents have been received, the hold will be removed and the student will be allowed to register for the following semester.

2. Conditionally Admitted Student: one who has been admitted conditionally, at the discretion of the program director, without satisfying all admission requirements. Students admitted with the following criteria may be required to complete a minimum of nine hours of graduate work with a grade of “B” or above.

a. From an unaccredited school or with a substandard GPA or GRE score.

b. A transfer student with a graduate GPA between 2.50 and 2.99. The transfer student must be in good standing at the previous institution attended.

c. A student who has not completed a bachelor’s degree program. The transfer student must be in good standing at the previous institution attended.

3. Non-Degree Student: one who has been admitted to graduate studies and has met all admission requirements except GPA or GRE. The student may take up to nine semester hours or graduate credit. Those hours may be applied toward a master’s degree if the student makes a grade of “B” or better in the courses taken for credit and if all admission requirements (GPA and entrance test score) are met and the student is formally admitted to a graduate program as a degree-seeking student.

4. Visiting Student: one who is currently enrolled as a student in good standing at the post bachelor’s level at another graduate school, wishes to take courses at Lipscomb and desires to have transcript evidence of course work done at Lipscomb provided for the school of primary enrollment.

5. Probationary Student: one who has been readmitted to a graduate program following academic suspension from the program. Admission to a program does not imply admission to candidacy for the master’s degree. Only those students who meet the requirements for “graduate student” described above are eligible for candidacy.

Academic Policies

Course Load

A student enrolled for six hours is considered a full-time student. A student enrolled for less than six hours is considered a part-time student. No student will be permitted to enroll for more than 12 hours per semester without special approval from the director of the graduate program.

Academic Standing

1. Good Academic Standing: To remain in good academic standing, the MHCI or Certificate in HCI student must maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA and a 3.00 GPA on the most recent 12 credit hours of MHCI or Certificate in HCI work.

2. Probation: Should the student’s cumulative graduate GPA fall below 3.00, he or she will be placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation will not be allowed to enroll for more than six hours during any period during which the probation applies. The probationary student is required to achieve a 3.00 cumulative GPA by the time the student has completed the next nine hours of course work. A course(s) may be repeated to achieve the requisite GPA. If the requisite GPA is attained, the academic probation status will be removed.

3. Suspension: If the requisite GPA is not attained, the student will be suspended from graduate studies at Lipscomb for the following semester, after which the student may apply for readmission. The student may be required to appear before the graduate committee. Failing grades will provide no credit toward the degree but will be included in figuring scholarship level, unless replaced with a higher grade by repeating the course(s). A 3.00 GPA must be maintained to be eligible for financial assistance.

4. Appeals: Appeals to suspension decisions should be made in writing to the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Appeals must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Monday of the week before classes begin for the term during which the student wishes to be readmitted. M. S. in Health Care Informatics Degree Completion Requirements

Residency

No period of formal residency is required for a degree in the MHCI program.

Statute of Limitations

All requirements for a degree in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences must be completed within a five-year period from the time of initial matriculation.

Candidacy

Admission to a program does not imply admission to candidacy for the master’s degree. During the course of pursuing a degree, the student must be admitted to “candidacy.” For admission to candidacy the student must satisfy the following:

1. Complete all required undergraduate deficiencies if admitted on condition.

2. Complete at least twelve hours of graduate work.

3. Maintain a 3.00 GPA on all MHCI course work taken toward the requirements for the degree with no incomplete grades.

4. File a degree plan/application for candidacy in the graduate program office which meets all requirements and is approved by the administrator of the graduate program and the dean of the college. The degree plan must be completed during the second semester of graduate work in the program. After admission to candidacy and approval of the degree plan, any changes in the degree plan must be approved by the administrator of the graduate program and the dean of the college. The application or candidacy must be completed before the beginning of the student’s last semester in the program. No student will be allowed to graduate in the same semester in which the application for candidacy is completed.

Minimum GPA

The minimum cumulative grade-point average on all graduate education programs is 3.00 for all graduate courses taken for graduate credit while pursuing the degree. No grade below a “C” is acceptable. Such grades will not apply toward degree completion.

Graduation

Students must register for GN 999X the semester in which all course work will be completed for graduation. Students who do not file their intent to graduate form in the registrar’s office by the end of the first week of their last semester may be delayed in graduating. Graduate students receiving degrees are hooded during the May and Dec. commencement exercises.

Appeals

Any exceptions to the above stated requirements would require approval by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs in collaboration with the Dean of the College and the Program Director.

Financial Information

Tuition and Fees for 2019-20

Master of Science in Health Care Informatics (MHCI)

Required Courses (42 Hours)

HCI 5003        Decision Support Systems (3)
HCI 5013        Information Systems Management (3)
HCI 5033        Project Management (3)
HCI 5103        Introduction to Health Care Informatics (3)
HCI 5123        Ethical and Legal Issues in Health Care Informatics (3)
HCI 5133        Health Care IT Vendor Management (3)
HCI 5153        Consumer Health Informatics (3)
HCI 5203        Leadership and Organizational Behavior (3)
HCI 5213        Operations in Health Care Organizations (3)
HCI 5253        Contemporary Issues in Health Care (3)
HCI 5903        Capstone Project (3)
ISEC 5113      Introduction to Information Security (3)
MITM 5023     Data and Knowledge Management (3)
MITM 5213     Predictive Analytics and Data Mining (3)

Certificate of Graduate Studies in Health Care Informatics

Required Courses (15 Hours) - Select five courses from the list below:

HCI 5003        Decision Support Systems (3)
HCI 5013        Information Systems Management (3)
HCI 5033        Project Management (3)
HCI 5103        Introduction to Health Care Informatics (3)
HCI 5123        Ethical and Legal Issues in Health Care Informatics (3)
HCI 5133        Health Care IT Vendor Management (3)
HCI 5153        Consumer Health Informatics (3)
HCI 5203        Leadership and Organizational Behavior (3)
HCI 5213        Operations in Health Care Organizations (3)
HCI 5253        Contemporary Issues in Health Care (3)
ISEC 5113      Introduction to Information Security (3)
MITM 5023     Data and Knowledge Management (3)
MITM 5213     Predictive Analytics and Data Mining (3)

Please visit www.lipscomb.edu/cphs/mhci for the most current information regarding the HCI programs. You may also contact us by email at healthcareinformatics@lipscomb.edu or by phone at 615.966.7160 or 800.333.4358 ext. 7160.

Program of Study Requirements

• Health Care Informatics Certificate /Pharm.D.

• Health Care Informatics M.S./ Pharm.D.

(Applied behavior analysis, biomolecular science, engineering management, exercise and nutrition science, health care informatics, information security, informatics and analytics, information technology management, clinical mental health counseling, psychology, software engineering and sustainability)

• Health Care Informatics, M.S.

• Health Care Informatics, Certificate

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