An online bachelor’s degree in healthcare informatics program may provide students with the skills and training needed to combine business principles with healthcare. Students enrolled in these four-year programs may learn how to implement healthcare data to enhance patient care. Coursework within these programs may include a handful of general education requirements along with electives and core courses, such as healthcare compliance and coding, medical terminology, and project management.

Graduates may either pursue entry-level employment or further their education and enroll in a master’s degree program in healthcare informatics or related field. Graduates of bachelor’s degree programs may find employment opportunities in hospitals, physicians’ offices, insurance companies, long-term care facilities, and healthcare agencies.

Program Overview

• Prerequisite: High School Diploma or GED
• Program Length: Four years to complete
• Post-Grad Options: Entry-Level Employment or Master’s / Doctoral Program
• Projected Employment Growth: 21% (2010-2020)*

Program Coursework

The curriculum within an online baccalaureate-level program in healthcare informatics may include several general education requirements alongside major-specific courses and electives. In these four-year programs, students may study healthcare, information technology, and health information management. Core healthcare informatics courses may include the following:

• Healthcare Data
• Pharmacology
• Medical Terminology
• Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
• Healthcare Compliance and Coding
• Project Management
• Leadership and Management

Career Options

Graduates of online bachelor’s-level programs in healthcare informatics may find career opportunities at hospitals, nursing care facilities, insurance companies, and physicians’ offices. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities for those pursuing careers as medical records and health information technicians are expected to increase by 21% from 2010-2020.*

Possible careers include:

• Compliance Officer
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Health Information Manager
• Clinical Information Specialist
• Database Administrator

Continuing Education

Graduates of online bachelor’s degree programs in healthcare informatics may continue their education and enroll in a master’s-level degree program. These graduate-level programs may expand upon curriculum from baccalaureate degree programs, and students may learn how to capture, analyze, and share data for healthcare settings. Employers may only require potential candidates to have at least an associate degree or post-secondary certificate at minimum. Select employers may require individuals to have certification, which may include the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR).

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook