Stanford School of Medicine, Clinical Excellence Research Center • Stanford, CA • Hybrid • ~$1,818/Unit (derived)
Stanford University offers one Clinical Informatics program:
- MS
Program Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS in Clinical Informatics Management (MCiM) | $87.3K+ | 1 year (4 quarters) | 48 units |
Stanford’s MCiM was built by the founder of Duke’s MMCi, and it runs the same business-plus-technology model on a tighter clock: 12 months, full-time enrollment, and Friday-Saturday campus sessions every other week instead of monthly. The trade is roughly $17K more tuition than Duke’s master’s and about twice the campus travel.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS in Clinical Informatics Management (MCiM) |
| Format | Hybrid: Friday-Saturday on campus every other week, online coursework between sessions |
| Practicum Hours | 180 hours across quarters 2 to 4 |
| Practicum Placement | Student-sourced; experiential, research, case study, or business plan track |
| RN License Required | No; open to any bachelor’s holder |
| Who It’s For | Working clinicians, technologists, and managers aiming at health tech or health system leadership |
| Distinctive Coursework | Accounting, entrepreneurial finance, biodesign, healthcare operations, year-long bioethics sequence |
| Certification Pathway | AMIA AHIC (degree plus experience); not ABPM board eligibility |
| Tuition | At least $87,260 for the June 2027 cohort (derived); flat quarterly rate |
| Accreditation | WSCUC (institutional); no CAHIIM accreditation cited |
| Start Term | One cohort per year, June (summer quarter) |
| Transfer Credit | None accepted; no electives or substitutions |
MS in Clinical Informatics Management (MCiM)
The estimated tuition for the MS in Clinical Informatics Management at Stanford University is approximately $87,260 or more (48 units at about $1,818/unit, derived from four quarters at the 2026-27 flat rate).
The program can generally be completed in about 12 months, June to June.
MCiM Curriculum
The curriculum is fixed: six business courses, six technology courses, a bioethics course that runs all four quarters, and a three-quarter practicum. Every course is taught only to the MCiM cohort, and all must be taken for a letter grade.
- Bioethical Challenges of New Technology (all four quarters, 4 units total)
- Accounting for Informed Decision-Making
- Beyond the Dashboard: Foundations in Healthcare Statistics
- Principles of Business Strategy
- Marketing Science and Patient Engagement
- Biodesign for Health Technology Innovation
- Entrepreneurial Financial Management
- Modeling Biomedical Systems
- Applied Financial Analysis of Strategic Initiatives (two quarters, 2 units total)
- Data Driven Medicine
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The Stanford Bulletin requires 48 units, above the university’s 45-unit minimum for a master’s. Older bulletin editions listed 45 to 46 units; the current figure governs.
- Quarter 3 carries six courses, the heaviest term, while the practicum is also running.
- No programming course appears in the course list. Technical content centers on statistics, modeling, and data-driven medicine at a management level.
MCiM Practicum and Capstone
- 180 hours of expected engagement across quarters 2, 3, and 4 (about 60 hours per quarter on average).
- The Bulletin lists the practicum course at 6 units, taken over three consecutive quarters, with most of the work in quarter 4.
- Students source and design their own project, alone or in teams.
- Four tracks: experiential learning at an organization with a site supervisor, original research or review, a publishable case study or landscape analysis, or a business plan with a financial model.
- Projects may address U.S. or international health care problems.
The business plan track is the practical differentiator for start-up founders, since few clinical informatics programs accept one as a capstone. The trade-off is that the program does not place students, so a working professional should have a project or employer sponsor in mind before quarter 2. At about 6 hours per week averaged over 30 weeks, the load is manageable until quarter 4 concentrates it. The practicum is not designed around any certification hour requirement.
MCiM Admissions
There is no minimum GPA and no RN or clinical license requirement, but admission runs through two interview stages.
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or international equivalent.
- No stated minimum work experience. Recent cohorts: about half mid-career (3 to 15 years), a quarter early-career (under 3 years), a quarter senior (over 15 years).
- Application: transcripts, CV, essays, recommenders, $125 fee (waivers may be available).
- Selection: committee review, one-way video interview, then Zoom interview.
- Round 1: opens September 15, 2026, due November 9, 2026, decisions January 2027.
- Round 2: opens November 10, 2026, due January 11, 2027, decisions March 2027.
- Knight-Hennessy Scholars applicants must apply by the Round 1 deadline.
- TOEFL or IELTS required unless an exemption applies (U.S. citizen or permanent resident, English first language, English-taught degree, or two years of English-language work or study).
- $1,000 non-refundable enrollment deposit, applied to the first tuition bill.
- Students outside the Bay Area must arrange their own lodging for campus weekends.
Tuition
Stanford charges MCiM a flat quarterly rate for 11 to 18 units, not a per-unit rate. Spread over 48 units, that works out to about $1,818 per unit (derived).
| Quarter | Academic Year Billed | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2027 (Q1) | 2026-27 | $21,815 |
| Autumn 2027 to Spring 2028 (Q2 to Q4) | 2027-28 | Not yet published; $21,815 minimum used |
| Total, June 2027 cohort | $87,260 or more |
Confirmed costs:
- 2026-27 graduate tuition: $21,815 per quarter for 11 to 18 units.
- Program page estimate for the June 2026 cohort: $86,625 ($21,180 summer plus three quarters at $21,815).
- Document fee: $250, one time.
- New student orientation fee: $525, one time.
- Graduate ASSU fee: $69 per quarter.
- Campus Health Service Fee: $281 per quarter, exemption available if living outside the nine-county Bay Area.
- Cardinal Care health insurance: $2,936 per quarter unless waived with comparable coverage.
Be aware that:
- The program’s published $86,625 applies to the cohort that started in June 2026. Applicants now are joining the June 2027 cohort, which pays 2027-28 rates for three of four quarters.
- Stanford raised the graduate rate 3.0% from 2025-26 to 2026-27. A matching increase would put the June 2027 cohort near $89,200 (estimate).
- MCiM offers no departmental scholarships or waivers. Federal financial aid is available.
- Travel and lodging for roughly biweekly campus weekends are not included and can rival fees for out-of-area students.
All-in, a Bay Area student without Cardinal Care should budget about $89,400 at minimum (tuition floor plus fees). Out-of-area students should add a year of biweekly travel. See Stanford’s 2026-27 graduate tuition rates and non-tuition fees.
Why Choose This Clinical Informatics Program?
MCiM fits a Bay Area professional who wants a management credential in health technology within one year and can absorb a full-time course load alongside work.
What the credential buys. The degree is a Stanford MS from the School of Medicine, taught by faculty drawn from medicine, engineering, and business. Graduates target roles such as CMIO, CIO, physician informatics director, health tech consultant, or start-up founder. The business plan practicum and biodesign coursework point squarely at entrepreneurship.
What it costs in time. Stanford enrolls MCiM students full time, at 11 to 18 units per quarter, with no part-time option and no transfer credit. Most students still work full time, so expect evenings and weekends filled for a year. Campus weekends fall about every other week during quarters, roughly twice Duke’s monthly cadence.
Credential value verdict. Strong value for leaders whose next role rewards the Stanford name and a business-heavy curriculum, especially in Bay Area health systems and health tech companies. Weaker value for anyone seeking hands-on analyst skills, an RN-specific nursing informatics credential, or a lower-cost path; Duke’s MMCi teaches a similar model for about $70K with less travel.
Accreditation
MCiM is an MS in the Stanford School of Medicine, housed in the Clinical Excellence Research Center. Stanford does not cite CAHIIM accreditation for it, and no nursing accreditor applies because it is not a nursing credential.
Stanford University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
For certification, AMIA’s AHIC accepts a master’s in health informatics or with an informatics focus plus 4 years of qualifying experience within 6 years at 50% time or more; AMIA decides how each degree is classified. The ANCC informatics nursing credential requires an RN license. The ABPM Clinical Informatics board requires an ACGME fellowship, so MCiM does not confer physician board eligibility.
Compare More Clinical Informatics Programs
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