Department of Biomedical Informatics, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine • Salt Lake City, UT • Online with live classes • $1,093–$2,193/Credit (derived)
The University of Utah offers 1 Clinical Informatics program:
- MS
Program Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS in Biomedical Informatics, Applied Clinical Informatics Emphasis | $35.5K in-state / $71.3K out-of-state | 2 years (5 terms, incl. summer) | 32.5–35.5 |
Utah’s Applied Clinical Informatics emphasis puts a technical core (Python, clinical database design, Stata-based statistics) into a fully remote format, unlike Penn’s weekly in-person MCI. Billing is anchored to a fixed charge per term, so when you take the practicum changes the bill as much as how many credits you take.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS in Biomedical Informatics, Applied Clinical Informatics Emphasis |
| Format | Online with live classes: remote real-time plus asynchronous courses each semester |
| Practicum Hours | 135–179 hours (3 credits) or 180–240 hours (4 credits) |
| Practicum Placement | Student-sourced with program help; industry, faculty, or research lab; employer allowed if suitable |
| RN License Required | No; any bachelor’s accepted |
| Who It’s For | Health care, IT, and computer science professionals wanting applied technical informatics skills |
| Distinctive Coursework | Python programming, clinical database design, LOINC/SNOMED standards, clinical decision support, systems architecture |
| Certification Pathway | Informatics-focused degree for AMIA AHIC Track 1; work experience still required |
| Tuition | About $35.5K in-state, $71.3K out-of-state (2026-27, derived) |
| Accreditation | NWCCU institutional; no CAHIIM accreditation claimed |
| Start Term | Fall only; priority deadline January 15, final deadline February 15 |
| Enrollment Restrictions | F-1 and J-1 visa holders cannot declare this emphasis |
MS in Biomedical Informatics, Applied Clinical Informatics Emphasis
The estimated tuition for the MS in Biomedical Informatics, Applied Clinical Informatics Emphasis at the University of Utah is approximately $35,517 in-state or $71,278 out-of-state (32.5 credits over five terms, derived from 2026-27 Biomedical Informatics rates).
The program can generally be completed in about two years, or three years part-time.
MS Curriculum
The emphasis follows a fixed two-year sequence. Year one builds technical skills: Python and git, database design, and statistics in Stata. Year two shifts to applied practice: decision support, human factors, systems implementation, and architecture. A 0.5-credit industry business seminar runs every fall and spring.
- BMI 6018 Intro to Programming for Biomedical Data Science (3)
- BMI 6010 Foundations of Healthcare Informatics (2)
- BMI 6203 Clinical Database Design (2)
- BMI 6103 Health Systems Improvement (2)
- BMI 6105 Statistics for Biomedical Informatics (3)
- BMI 6120 Standards in Biomedical Informatics (2)
- BMI 6300 Clinical Decision Support (3)
- BMI 6804 Systems Analysis and Implementation (3)
- BMI 6102 Human Systems Interactions (2)
- BMI 6440 Clinical Information Systems Architecture (2), BMI 6305 Principles of Leadership (1.5), BMI 6975 Capstone (1)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Required courses total 28.5 credits. Add one elective (1+ credit) and a 3–4 credit practicum for 32.5–35.5 credits. The catalog lists 32.
- Recommended electives: Generative AI in Healthcare (1), Biomedical Data Wrangling and Quality (2), or Epidemiology in Community Health Practice (3).
- The program page lists an elective slot in both spring terms. The handbook and catalog require only one, placed in year-one spring.
- Python is taught in BMI 6018, but the handbook expects all students to arrive with foundational Python. The admissions page applies that expectation only to the other two emphases. Admitted students get prep materials about three months before fall.
MS Practicum and Capstone
- Practicum (BMI 7902): 3 or 4 credits, registered in one term. 3 credits = 135–179 hours; 4 credits = 180–240 hours.
- Three types: industry-sponsored, department faculty project, or research lab.
- Students find their own site and mentor, with help from the MS program. The handbook lists an employer as an option “if suitable.”
- Timing: any term from the second through fourth semester, once BMI 6120 is underway. Most students complete it the summer between years.
- An approval form signed by mentors is due two weeks before the term starts. Mid-term and final evaluations plus monthly hour logs are required.
- Capstone: an oral presentation of the practicum project to a three-faculty supervisory committee in the final semester.
A 3-credit summer practicum works out to roughly 11–15 hours per week over a 12-week term (our estimate). That is manageable alongside a job, but placement is your job to arrange, so start networking through the business seminar in year one. No placement is guaranteed.
You Should Know
- Whether the capstone presentation can be given remotely is not clearly stated.
- New-student orientation is held the week before classes. Whether remote students must attend in person is not clearly stated.
MS Admissions
Admission is open to any bachelor’s holder, with no clinical license required.
- Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a regionally accredited school; minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (optional low-GPA statement).
- RN license: not required. Clinical experience: not required, though health care experience is recommended.
- No GRE or GMAT. No formal course prerequisites; statistics knowledge expected.
- Personal statement (1–3 pages), CV, three professional or academic recommendations, all transcripts.
- Fall start only. Applications open September 1; priority deadline January 15; final deadline February 15. No fee waivers.
- Transfer: up to 6 outside credits; up to 15 total prior credits including non-matriculated Utah coursework.
- Time limit: four consecutive calendar years.
- F-1 and J-1 students may take these courses but cannot declare this emphasis.
Tuition
Utah does not publish a single per-credit rate. Biomedical Informatics students pay a fixed charge each term plus a per-credit charge, both including a department differential. That works out to about $1,093 per credit in-state and $2,193 out-of-state for the typical plan (derived).
| Component (per term, 2026-27) | In-State | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-hour tuition | $1,075.50 | $3,830.64 |
| BMI zero-hour differential | $2,471.80 | $2,471.80 |
| Per-credit tuition | $332.86 | $1,171.51 |
| BMI per-credit differential | $214.23 | $214.23 |
| Fixed per term + per credit | $3,547.30 + $547.09 | $6,302.44 + $1,385.74 |
| Term (typical plan) | Credits | In-State | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Fall | 9.5 | $8,745 | $19,467 |
| Year 1 Spring (1-credit elective) | 6.5 | $7,103 | $15,310 |
| Summer (3-credit practicum) | 3 | $5,189 | $5,189 |
| Year 2 Fall | 8.5 | $8,198 | $18,081 |
| Year 2 Spring | 5 | $6,283 | $13,231 |
| Total | 32.5 | $35,517 | $71,278 |
- Rates from the 2026-27 Biomedical Informatics tuition schedules. Summer is billed at the resident rate per the schedule’s summer note.
- Mandatory fees: about $425–$505 per term, roughly $2,350 over five terms (our calculation).
- Estimated tuition plus fees: about $37,900 in-state, $73,600 out-of-state.
- Taking the practicum in year-two fall instead of summer drops a term: about $31,970 in-state, $70,250 out-of-state.
- Maximum plan (3-credit elective, 4-credit practicum, 35.5 credits): about $37,160 in-state, $74,600 out-of-state.
- No Biomedical Informatics program fee appears on the university’s program fee list.
Be aware that:
- ⚠️ The general graduate rate table (zero-hour $1,075.50, $332.86 per credit) omits the BMI differential. Using it would understate in-state tuition by about $19,300. The Biomedical Informatics schedule is the correct one and is used here.
- The bursar’s summer note exempts “other graduate programs that charge nonresident rates during Summer” without naming them. If a nonresident summer rate applies, out-of-state tuition rises to about $76,550.
- Each extra fall or spring term adds the fixed charge again: $3,547 in-state, $6,302 out-of-state. The three-year part-time plan costs more than the two-year plan.
- The MS handbook includes a DBMI Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) request form. Residents of WICHE states may qualify for a reduced rate, which can be up to 150% of resident tuition; check the program in WICHE’s WRGP Savings Finder.
- The program is non-funded: no assistantships or scholarships at admission.
- Card payments carry a 3% service fee from July 1, 2026; e-check payments are free.
In-state students pay about half what Vanderbilt charges for its remote MS. Out-of-state students without WRGP pay close to Vanderbilt’s price, so the residency and WRGP question decides the value case. Plan the practicum term early, since it moves the bill by up to $3,500.
Why Choose This Clinical Informatics Program?
This program suits working professionals who want hands-on technical skills without relocating, especially Utah and western residents who can pay resident-level tuition.
Pathway selection. Your choices inside the program shape cost and workload. A summer practicum keeps fall and spring lighter but adds a billed term. A fall practicum saves money but stacks 11.5 credits on one semester. Part-time pacing lowers each term’s load and raises the total bill.
Technical depth, remote. Python, database design, standards mapping, and Stata statistics are required, not optional. That suits IT and data staff moving toward clinical work and clinicians willing to learn code. Applicants seeking a management or leadership degree will find only one 1.5-credit leadership course.
Who should look elsewhere. Students who need a placed practicum, F-1 or J-1 students wanting this emphasis, and anyone requiring CAHIIM accreditation. Physicians seeking ABPM board eligibility need an ACGME fellowship, not this degree.
Accreditation
The program’s pages make no claim of CAHIIM accreditation, and none is assumed here. The MS sits in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, founded in 1964 and described by the department as the first biomedical informatics department in the U.S.
The University of Utah is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
An informatics-focused master’s from an accredited university fits Track 1 of the AMIA Health Informatics Certification. AHIC still requires 4 years of qualifying work in the past 6 at 50% or more of work time, or 6 of 8 years at 20–49%. ABPM Clinical Informatics board certification requires an ACGME fellowship and is not a degree outcome.
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