MSc/PGDip/PGCert Health Informatics (UCL/UoM Joint Award)
Year of entry: 2025
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Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Science, PGDip, PGCert
- Duration
- 1yr FT, 2-5yr PT
- Entry requirements
-
We require an honours degree (minimum upper second class) from a UK university or overseas equivalent in:
- computer science
- health services research
- biological sciences
- statistics
- pharmacy
- nursing
- medicine
Students who do not meet these requirements but have appropriate professional experience will also be considered.
Applications from candidates who don't meet usual admissions criteria are also reviewed by the Dean of Students at UCL.
- Number of places/applicants
- 80
- How to apply
To apply for a course you will need to complete and submit an online application form at UCL.
Course options
Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Y | Y | N | N |
Course overview
Health Informatics is the study of how information and information technology can transform the organisation and delivery of healthcare. This joint course with University College London (UCL) has been designed to prepare students for leadership roles and develop a health informatics workforce that is equipped to address present and future challenges in healthcare.
You will learn about:
- the different types of information systems and technologies that are used in healthcare;
- how they are commissioned, designed, implemented and introduced into use;
- how the data that the are used to capture can drive improvements in care.
Open days
The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses. On this day, you will find out more about the course and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have. For more information, see Open days .
Fees
Please see information the UCL MSc Health Informatics page for details of course fees.
Additional expenses
Additional costs include:
- the cost of travel to and from Manchester or London (depending on the module location and where you are based);
- accommodation costs.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
- Contact name
- Teaching Administration
- Telephone
- ihi.education@ucl.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught-degrees/health-informatics-msc
- School/Faculty
-
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require an honours degree (minimum upper second class) from a UK university or overseas equivalent in:
- computer science
- health services research
- biological sciences
- statistics
- pharmacy
- nursing
- medicine
Students who do not meet these requirements but have appropriate professional experience will also be considered.
Applications from candidates who don't meet usual admissions criteria are also reviewed by the Dean of Students at UCL.
English language
English language test validity
Application and selection
How to apply
Course details
Course description
This course focuses on how information and information technology are used in the organisation and delivery of healthcare.
Our MSc in Health Informatics (jointly awarded by The University of Manchester and UCL) offers an innovative and exciting training in a uniquely challenging and important field.
Our blended learning MSc will equip you with the skills to work in this exciting field by providing:
- a unique combination of personal learning, theoretical challenge and practical application;
- blended approach which combines face-to-face contact and distance learning, harnessing the advantages of both across two campus;
- flexible study allowing you to complete the programme full-time in one year, or flexibly over up to five years;
- engagement with leading thinkers in the field across the UK and internationally;
- participation in a thriving network of academics, clinicians and informatics professionals.
Our programme is suitable for health professionals currently in work or graduate students.
The University of Manchester and UCL are uniquely placed to provide the health informatics training required for a modern health service.
You will have access to the largest UK health informatics faculty, including researchers who develop and apply solutions in a range of healthcare settings and direct national programmes in research education/training.
In 2020 we have written a new textbook Developing Medical Apps and Health Interventions and have published core competencies for clinical informaticians across the UK with the Faculty of Clinical Informatics.
Both institutions sit in two of the largest regional health economies in the UK, hosting the greatest concentration of digital-led NHS programmes. A team of six professors and 13 senior academics contribute to the programme, alongside NHS and industry professionals.
PhD with integrated master's
If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.
You can also visit this page for examples of projects related to integrated master's courses.
Aims
The programme aims to:
- provide you with the skills to manage healthcare systems;
- provide you with an understanding of the healthcare system, from treatment of individuals to the wider population;
- emphasise the importance of informatics in patient driven healthcare;
- embed key health informatics principles, concepts and skills in students' working practices;
- combine leadership and transferable skills with technical skills training.
Special features
The programme is delivered via blended learning, which combines online learning and short three day sessions on campus either at UCL or The University of Manchester.
Each taught module is delivered largely online over eight or nine weeks with a short block of intensive face-to-face teaching. The online element includes video lectures, podcasts, written material as well as interactive exercises and discussions. The face-to-face teaching includes lectures, seminars, problem-based workshops and experiential learning.
The programme is designed for students in full-time wok who already have a first-degree in a relevant discipline. We accept applications from people with a wide range of qualifications, and we consider professional experience if students do not have a relevant first degree. Students who wish to study full-time can take the programme in one year but should be aware that they will be taking modules that are largely delivered online.
The programme will encourage intellectual curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. It will teach transferable skills for lifelong learning and cultivate reflective practice. The content reflects the changing needs of healthcare.
We see learning and teaching as collaborative 'knowledge construction', which recognises the contribution of all stakeholders (academic staff, service users and carers, and students).
This is demonstrated in the programme through contributions made by these stakeholders, providing case-studies, examples, invited seminars and participation in group work.
We will promote translational thinking so that informatics knowledge, know-how, skills and understanding are applied to new health challenges to ensure that informatics is embedded as an enabler of change.
The structure of the programme ensures that you will share this knowledge with each other and learn to work in teams.
Teaching and learning
Programme delivery
Most of taught modules are delivered online over eight or nine weeks with a short block of intensive face-to-face teaching.
The online element includes:
- video lectures
- podcasts
- written material
- exercises
- discussions.
The face-to-face teaching includes:
- lectures
- seminars
- experiential learning.
Whilst the majority of this programme is delivered online, students will typically be required to spend three days on campus for every module. For half the modules, the face-to-face teaching will be at UCL, for the other half it will be at the University of Manchester. Students will also be asked to attend a separate induction day based at UCL at the start of the year.
The types of assessment on this programme may include:
- coursework
- examination
- presentations
- research project.
Each 15-credit module equates to around 150 learning hours. This is spread out over the whole period of the module which typically runs over 9 weeks. This includes the time you spend in taught sessions, independent study, group work and assessment.
We offer:
- A Postgraduate Diploma: made up of four compulsory modules (60 credits) and four optional modules (60 credits). The duration is either one year (full-time study), two years (part-time study) or up to five years (flexible study).
- A Postgraduate Certificate: made up of four compulsory modules (60 credits). The duration is either one year (full-time study), two years (part-time study) or up to five years (flexible study).
Coursework and assessment
Course content for year 1
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits for an MSc.
Full-time students will be required to take four compulsory modules (60 credits); four optional modules (60 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits). Part-time students will be required to take four core modules in Year 1, and four further modules in Year 2.
Core units:
- Essentials of Informatics for Healthcare Systems;
- Health Information Systems and Technologies;
- Standards and Interoperability;
- Principles of Health Data Analytics.
Course content for year 2
Optional units:
- Usable Health Systems Design;
- Personalised Health Informatics;
- Decision Support Systems;
- Patient Safety;
- Learning Health Systems;
- Modern Information Engineering;
- Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.
Optional units have been organised into themes from those that explore more technical topics health informatics (Modern Information Engineering), those that are more focussed on understanding organisations (Patient Safety).
At no point are choices restricted to a single theme.
All students undertaking an MSc will undertake an independent research project in a report form of a journal article of up to 6,000 words.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Health Information Systems | IIDS61001 | 15 | Mandatory |
Standards & Interoperability | IIDS61102 | 15 | Mandatory |
Modern Information Engineering | IIDS61301 | 15 | Mandatory |
Essentials Informatics for Healthcare Systems (UCL) | IIDS62001 | 15 | Mandatory |
Principles of Health Data Analytics (UCL) | IIDS62102 | 15 | Mandatory |
Standards & Interoperability | IIDS61102 | 15 | Optional |
Usable System Design | IIDS61201 | 15 | Optional |
Modern Information Engineering | IIDS61301 | 15 | Optional |
Decision Support Systems | IIDS61402 | 15 | Optional |
Decision Support Systems | IIDS61412 | 15 | Optional |
Displaying 10 of 13 course units | |||
Display all course units |
Course collaborators
This is a joint course with the University College London (UCL) Institute of Health Informatics
Facilities
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
All graduates of this course will be prepared for technical and management roles leading the digital transformation of healthcare. Graduates of the course have gone on to leadership roles in the NHS and other healthcare organisations here and overseas.
Some of our graduates have moved into roles in industry in pharmaceutical companies or consulting organisations. Others have gone on to further study, taking on PhDs or fellowships while others have launched their own businesses.
Health Informatics is a subject of growing importance, with exciting career development prospects for clinicians, managers, administrators and technologists.