Marshall University offers a 33-credit Master of Science in Health Informatics through its Lewis College of Business in Huntington, West Virginia. The CAHIIM-accredited program combines health care management, electronic health records, database, and analytics coursework with a required 400-hour supervised internship.
Quick Facts
| School | Marshall University |
| Location | Huntington, West Virginia |
| Degree | Master of Science in Health Informatics |
| Credits | 33 credit hours, including a 3-credit practicum |
| Format | Campus-based evening program in Huntington; some courses have synchronous or asynchronous online sections |
| Typical Length | About 2 years at three courses per semester; some students finish in 18 months |
| Estimated Tuition | About $19,355 for West Virginia residents at 2026–27 College of Business rates |
| Admissions | 2.5 undergraduate GPA; no GRE or GMAT required |
| Accreditation | CAHIIM continuing accreditation through 2032; AACSB through the Lewis College of Business |
Program Overview
The Marshall University Master of Science in Health Informatics is an interdisciplinary graduate program focused on the design, adoption, and use of information technology in health care delivery, management, and planning. It is administered by the Lewis College of Business, and its courses draw on health care administration, management information systems, statistics, and engineering management.
The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) granted the program seven years of continuing accreditation in May 2025, with the next review cycle listed for 2032–33. Marshall describes it as the only graduate-level health informatics program in West Virginia. The degree also falls under the college’s AACSB accreditation.
Marshall states that the program qualifies as a STEM-designated degree under U.S. Department of Homeland Security rules, which may matter to international students planning to use Optional Practical Training (OPT) after graduation.
Curriculum and Practicum
The 2026–27 graduate catalog lists 33 credit hours: ten required 3-credit courses plus one project management course chosen from two options. There are no concentrations or thesis option.
- Health care management: The Health Care System (HCA 600) and Management of Medical Technology (HCA 656).
- Health informatics: The Role of EHR and PHR (HIN 605), Introduction to Health Informatics (HIN 610), Legal Health and Informatics (HIN 620), and Advanced Health Informatics (HIN 664).
- Data and analytics: Database Management (MIS 623), Data Warehousing (MIS 624), and Biostatistics (STA 518).
- Project management choice: Project Management (EM 660) or Business Systems Project Management (MIS 670).
- Practicum: Health Informatics Practicum (HIN 650).
The practicum requires at least 400 hours in an educationally directed health informatics internship at a site approved by the program director. Placements may be in academic, government, or health care industry settings. The university’s course schedule lists HIN 605 and HCA 656, each with a minimum grade of C, as prerequisites for the practicum, and practicum sections appear in fall, spring, and summer terms.
Program pages list advisory board members from regional employers such as Marshall Health Network, Vandalia Health, the Cabell Health Department, and the West Virginia Hospital Association.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants apply through Marshall’s Graduate Admissions Office and need a bachelor’s degree with an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. The GRE and GMAT are not required. The program director may admit a limited number of applicants provisionally, including some who fall below the GPA standard but show other evidence that they can succeed.
The program does not publish separate prerequisite courses or a program-specific deadline. It follows the university’s graduate deadlines: August 1 for fall, December 1 for spring, and May 1 for summer. Applicants who need a student visa face earlier dates of June 15, October 15, and March 15. Programs without their own deadline review applications on a rolling basis, and the graduate application fee is $40.
Because several core courses are offered only once a year, applicants should ask which entry term fits the course sequence. Applicants should confirm current requirements, deadlines, and start terms with Marshall University’s Graduate Admissions Office and the Lewis College of Business before applying.
Tuition, Fees, and Funding
Marshall’s 2026–27 graduate tuition and fee schedule lists per-credit rates made up of university tuition, university fees of $85.50, and a College of Business program fee. The estimates below use the College of Business rows and assume all 33 credits are billed per credit at 2026–27 rates.
- West Virginia residents: $463.00 tuition + $85.50 fees + $38.00 college fee = $586.50 per credit. $586.50 × 33 = $19,354.50.
- Metro rate: $802.50 + $85.50 + $58.50 = $946.50 per credit. $946.50 × 33 = $31,234.50.
- Nonresidents: $1,146.50 + $85.50 + $60.00 = $1,292.00 per credit. $1,292.00 × 33 = $42,636.00.
The metro rate applies to residents of listed counties in Kentucky and Ohio near Huntington. Full-time charges are capped at the 9-credit level each semester, so a student taking more than 9 credits in a term may pay less than the per-credit estimate.
These figures exclude the $40 application fee, a $50 per-credit e-delivery fee that Marshall charges for course sections designated 100% online, textbooks, parking, housing, travel to internship sites, and future rate changes. Marshall does not publish a separate program-level cost estimate for this degree.
The program participates in the Health Science and Technology Academy (HSTA) tuition waiver for West Virginia students who completed HSTA. The College of Business also lists graduate assistantship positions, and students can apply for federal aid through Marshall’s financial aid office.
Campus Format and Time to Completion
CAHIIM lists the program’s content delivery as campus based. The 2026 schedules show most program courses meeting one evening a week, usually from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. HIN 605, HIN 610, HIN 620, MIS 623, and MIS 624 were scheduled in person in the business school building in Huntington.
Other courses have online options. HCA 600, HCA 656, and HIN 664 had synchronous online sections that meet at set times, and STA 518, EM 660, and MIS 670 have been offered in asynchronous or HyFlex formats in some terms. Students should still plan on regular travel to Huntington for required courses.
Marshall states that students taking three courses per semester can graduate in two years and that some finish in 18 months. Its CAHIIM outcome data report time to completion of 24 months or less for recent graduates. Part-time students take longer, and the dual-degree plan of study spreads the same 33 credits across four years.
Career Preparation
Marshall points graduates toward roles in hospitals and clinics, health information systems companies, government agencies, and insurers. Examples it gives include health informatics specialist, clinical informatics specialist, health informatics consultant, data analyst, application developer, and project manager.
The program publishes outcome data for CAHIIM. For 2023–24, it reported an 87.5% graduation rate and 70% of graduates employed or continuing their education. The required internship gives students supervised work experience before graduation.
Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine also offers a dual MD and MS in Health Informatics. Students who enter the MD program starting in fall 2026 can complete the 33-credit MS alongside medical school within four years, including the practicum.
Career fit depends on each student’s prior clinical, technical, or business experience. The program does not promise a specific job title, salary, or professional credential.
Who Is This Program For?
Marshall may fit West Virginia residents and students in the nearby Kentucky and Ohio metro counties who want an accredited, relatively low-cost health informatics master’s with evening classes and a required internship. It may also suit international students who want a STEM-designated degree and applicants whose GPA is near the 2.5 minimum.
Students who need a fully online program, cannot travel to Huntington for evening classes, or want a thesis, research track, or specialization should compare other options. Applicants who want deeper programming or data science coursework should review the course list closely.
Related Health Informatics Programs
- American Public University - Charles Town