MSc/PGDip/PGCert Health Informatics (UCL/UoM Joint Award)

Year of entry: 2020

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) 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.

Full entry requirements

Number of places/applicants
60
How to apply

To apply for a course you will need to complete and submit an online application form at UCL.

Please complete the online form here .

Course options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
MSc Y Y N N
PGDip Y Y N N

Attend an open day

Course overview

Healthcare services around the world are being challenged to achieve an extraordinary transformation under extreme pressures, and digitisation is seen as an essential component for success.

National initiatives in the UK are addressing key informatics challenges such as:

  • patient-focused systems;
  • integration of systems;
  • using data to drive improvements.

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, and how the data that they are used to capture can drive improvements in care.

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MSc Health Informatics Joint Degree: UCL and University of Manchester

Open days

You can find out more about this course and what it is like to study on the programme by visiting UCL or The University of Manchester on a university open day .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2020, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • MSc (full-time)
    UK/EU students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
    International students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
  • MSc (part-time)
    UK/EU students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
    International students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
  • PGDip (full-time)
    UK/EU students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
    International students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
  • PGDip (part-time)
    UK/EU students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract
    International students (per annum): Fees paid via block contract

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
Ms Tanya Harbinson, Education Manager
Telephone
+44 203 549 5299
Email
Website
https://www.ucl.ac.uk
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) 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

Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of an approved qualification in English Language or achieve a level of no less than 7.0 IELTS.

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Application and selection

How to apply

To apply for a course you will need to complete and submit an online application form at UCL.

Please complete the online form here .

Course details

Course description

This programme focuses on how information and information technology are used in the organisation and delivery of healthcare.

Our MSc in Health Informatics (jointly awarded by UCL and The University of Manchester) 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.

UCL and The University of Manchester 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 in UK, including researchers who develop and apply solutions in a range of healthcare settings.

Both institutions sit in two of the largest regional health economies in the UK, hosting the greatest concentration of NHS global digital exemplar programmes. Six professors and 13 senior academics contribute to the programme, alongside NHS and industry professionals.

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 - 3 day - sessions on campus either at UCL or The University of Manchester.

Though designed to suit students in full- time work, it is also offered to students who register as full-time and complete all elements of the programme in a single academic year.

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

This programme is mostly delivered online with 3 day problem-based face-to-face workshops on campus hosted either at The University of Manchester or UCL.

Coursework and assessment

You will use a number of assessed and non-assessed activities to develop key skills and expand your knowledge base. There is a mix of assessment: written assignments, exam, group work and other activities such as moderated discussion boards.

Course content for year 1

A ll units are available for full-time students in Year 1. Full-time students will be required to take the four core modules and four optional modules, as outlined below.

The first year of the programme for part-time students consists of four core modules:

  • Essentials of Informatics for Healthcare Systems;
  • Health Information Systems;
  • Standards and Interoperability;
  • Principles of Health Data Analytics.

Course content for year 2

Part-time students would then be required to take four modules from the following six:

  • Usable Health Systems Design;
  • Citizen Driven Informatics;
  • Decision Support Systems;
  • Patient Safety and Clinical Risk;
  • Learning Health Systems;
  • Modern Information Engineering.

The second year modules 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 and Clinical Risk).

At no point are choices restricted to a single theme.

Facilities

The University of Manchester offers extensive library and online services to help you get the most out of your studies.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

UK graduates go on to a variety of roles, mainly in the management of information and information technology in the healthcare sector, either working for the NHS or for companies selling IT or related services to the NHS.

International students often take up similar roles overseas.

Health Informatics is a subject of growing importance, with exciting career development prospects for clinicians, managers, administrators and technologists, as the NHS Careers in Health Informatics website demonstrates.

Existing health informatics graduates have gone on to take up senior positions in the NHS, 18% get Band 8 jobs on graduating.

Associated organisations

Health e-Research Centre

Connected Health Cities