Department of Health Administration and Health Information, College of Health Professions • Big Rapids, MI • Online • $582/Credit
Ferris State University offers 1 Health Informatics program:
- BS in Health Information Management
Program Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS in Health Information Management | $70.7K for all 125 credits (all U.S. residents) | 4 years (8 semesters) | 124–125 |
Ferris builds two full-time professional practice placements into the degree, a six-week placement in an acute care hospital and a ten-week placement in a health-related organization. Together they total about 640 hours, far more than the 80-hour internships described for Davenport’s BS, but students must find their own sites and may have to relocate.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BS in Health Information Management |
| Format | Online or on campus in Big Rapids |
| Practicum Hours | About 640: 240 (6 weeks) plus 400 (10 weeks), per the 2021-22 handbook |
| Practicum Placement | Student-sourced, coordinator-approved; relocation may be needed |
| RN License Required | No |
| Who It’s For | Students headed for coding, compliance, and HIM management with the RHIA |
| Distinctive Coursework | ICD-10 and CPT coding, reimbursement, quality management, health care finance, supervision |
| Certification Pathway | RHIA exam eligibility at graduation |
| Tuition | $534 (first 55 credits) and $582 per credit for all U.S. residents, plus $5 tech fee (2026-27) |
| Accreditation | CAHIIM, next review 2029-30; HLC institutional |
BS in Health Information Management
The estimated tuition for the BS in Health Information Management at Ferris State University is approximately $70,110 (55 credits at $534 and 70 credits at $582/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about four years; transfer students with a health information technology associate degree finish sooner.
BS Curriculum
The 58-credit major runs from coding and reimbursement to HIM management, followed by a professional support block in informatics, finance, and supervision.
- MRIS 101 Intro to Health Information Systems (4) and MRIS 122 Health Information Concepts (4)
- MRIS 204 and 205 ICD-10 Coding 1 and 2 (4 each); MRIS 211 CPT Coding (3)
- MRIS 210 Fundamentals of Disease Processes (4)
- MRIS 209 Quality Management in Health Care (3)
- MRIS 220 Legal and Ethical Aspects in HIM (3) and MRIS 221 Foundations of Reimbursement (3)
- MRIS 402 Health Information Management Principles (3)
- COHP 300 Health Informatics (3) and COHP 350 Statistics in Health Care (3)
- HCSA 310 Health Care Finance 2 (3), HCSA 336 Health Care Supervisory Practice (3), HCSA 474 Health Care Strategic Applications (4)
- MRIS 293 Professional Practice 1 (6) and MRIS 493 Professional Practice 2 (10)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The catalog’s requirement sections total 124–125 credits, but its suggested semester layout totals 121–122 because it omits one required general education course.
- A grade below C twice in any MRIS or HCSA course leads to dismissal; graduation requires a 2.25 GPA.
BS Practicum and Capstone
- MRIS 345 HIT/HIM Internship Orientation (1).
- MRIS 293 Professional Practice 1 (6 credits): six weeks, 40 hours per week, in an acute care hospital (240 hours).
- MRIS 493 Professional Practice 2 (10 credits): ten weeks, 40 hours per week, in a health-related organization (400 hours).
- Students contact facilities to find placements; the internship coordinator approves sites and contracts.
- Background check required, about $55.
Each placement is full time, so working students must plan for six and then ten weeks away from a regular job. The payoff is substantial hospital and organizational experience before graduation, which helps with first HIM jobs and the RHIA exam. Hour figures come from the 2021-22 handbook, the newest posted.
You Should Know
- The program warns that students may need to relocate to complete a placement.
BS Admissions
The catalog and the program page describe admission differently.
- Catalog, first-year students: 2.70 high school GPA (2.50–2.69 with approval) with ACT 18 or SAT 950, or a 3.0 GPA with ACT 17 or SAT 900.
- Catalog, transfer students: 2.50 college GPA and completion of a health information technology associate degree or related coursework.
- Program page: describes a degree completion program requiring an accredited HIT associate degree and a current RHIT credential. This likely applies to the online completion route, but the sources do not say.
- A grade of C or better in prerequisite courses before the first professional practice.
Tuition
Ferris charges the same rate to every U.S. resident, in person or online: $534 per credit for the first 55 credits and $582 per credit after that.
| Rate (2026-27) | U.S. Residents and Canada | International |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman and sophomore (0–55 credits) | $534 | $872 |
| Junior and senior (56+ credits) | $582 | $928 |
| Student technology fee | $5 per credit | $5 per credit |
- Full degree, 125 credits: about $70,110 tuition, or $70,735 with the technology fee.
- Junior and senior years only (about 70 credits): about $41,090 with the technology fee.
- Rates from the Ferris Business Office tuition page.
Be aware that:
- The catalog’s own tuition page still shows 2025-26 rates ($515 and $563); the Business Office figures are newer.
- Campus students pay a $98 per-semester university services fee; whether online students pay it is not clearly stated.
- Books run about $1,000 per year in the professional sequence, and relocation for placements is extra.
The single national rate makes the online version reasonable for out-of-state students, but placement travel can add real cost.
Why Choose This Health Informatics Program?
Suited to students who can commit to full-time placements and want a practice-heavy route to the RHIA.
Workload feasibility. The 16 credits of professional practice are the defining feature. Students with family or job commitments should plan the placement semesters early, since each runs 40 hours a week.
Outcomes. Ferris reports RHIA first-attempt pass rates of 100% (2021-22), 83% (2022-23), and 60% (2023-24), on small cohorts, and 78% of 2023-24 graduates employed within a year.
Not an informatics master’s. This is an HIM degree. Students wanting analytics or systems design at the graduate level should look at a health informatics master’s instead.
Accreditation
The BS in Health Information Management is accredited by CAHIIM; the directory lists continuing accreditation with the next review in 2029-30.
Ferris State University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Graduates are eligible to sit for AHIMA’s Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) exam. A health information bachelor’s also fits Track 3 of the AMIA Health Informatics Certification, which requires 8 years of informatics work in the past 10 at 50% or more of work time.
Other Health Informatics Schools
See all Michigan health informatics programs, browse the health informatics school directory, or read the health informatics degree guide.