University of the Potomac offers a 36-credit Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics that students can complete online or on campus in a hybrid format at its Falls Church, Virginia, branch campus. The program combines business and management, health profession, and information technology courses and does not require a capstone or thesis.
Quick Facts
| School | University of the Potomac |
| Location | Falls Church, Virginia (campus); headquartered in Washington, DC |
| Degree | Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics (MSHI) |
| Credits | 36 credits (12 three-credit courses) |
| Format | Online (asynchronous) or on campus in a hybrid format; eight-week sessions |
| Typical Length | About 2 years at the standard full-time graduate load; shorter with approval to take two courses per session |
| Estimated Tuition | $16,200 tuition ($450 per credit × 36); about $18,200 with technology, registration, and graduation fees |
| Admissions | Bachelor’s degree, two letters of recommendation, an essay, and an admissions interview |
| Transfer Credit | Up to 15 graduate credits with a grade of B or better |
| Other Informatics Degrees | BS in Healthcare Information Management |
Program Overview
The University of the Potomac Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics is designed to prepare students to coordinate an organization’s healthcare informatics and information management needs. The program page lists both online and on-campus study, with campus locations in Washington, DC, and Virginia.
University of the Potomac is a private institution headquartered in Washington, DC. Its Virginia branch campus is located at 7799 Leesburg Pike in Falls Church, near Tysons Corner, and is certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to operate in the state. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
The curriculum is split evenly across three areas: business and management, health profession, and information technology. This makes it a management-oriented informatics degree rather than a programming or clinical informatics program.
Curriculum
According to the 2026 University of the Potomac course catalog, students complete four courses in each of three areas. Every course carries three credits, for a total of 36.
Business and management (12 credits):
- MGMT610 Executive Leadership
- BUS560 Management and Information Systems
- MGMT615 Health Informatics Project Design and Management
- HLTH625 Health Care Communications Technology and Telematics
Health profession (12 credits):
- HLTH605 American Health Care Systems
- HLTH645 Legal and Regulatory Environment for Health Care and Informatics
- HLTH650 Health Quality and Safety
- HLTH655 Research Methods and Data Analytics for Health Informatics
Information technology (12 credits):
- HLTH600 Healthcare Informatics, Analytics and Technology
- MCAP520 Enterprise Data Management and Administration
- DACS640 Data Integration, Warehousing, Provenance, and Analysis
- HLTH635 Health Data Structures
Course descriptions cover electronic health records, telemedicine, health record content and documentation requirements, quality improvement and patient safety, and healthcare law and regulation. The IT courses address enterprise databases, data warehousing, and the extract-transform-load process.
The catalog does not list a capstone, thesis, practicum, or comprehensive exam for this degree. The closest project-focused course is MGMT615, which covers planning, designing, and managing health informatics projects. There are no concentrations. Graduate students must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to graduate, and core courses with grades below B- must be repeated.
Admissions Requirements
All applicants complete an application, an admissions interview (in person or online), and submit a valid photo ID and official transcripts from every college attended. Master’s applicants also need a four-year bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent.
Graduate applicants submit two letters of recommendation from a direct supervisor or university faculty member, plus one essay on their preparation for graduate study. The program page notes that the recommendation requirement may be waived for students bringing master’s-level transfer credits. The catalog does not state a minimum undergraduate GPA or a GRE requirement for this degree.
Students may transfer up to 15 graduate credits earned with a B or better within the last 10 years at an accredited institution. Prospective students should confirm current requirements and start dates with University of the Potomac before applying.
Tuition, Fees, and Funding
The 2026 catalog and the university’s tuition and fees page list master’s tuition of $450 per credit for domestic students, whether they study on campus or online. At that rate, 36 credits × $450 = $16,200 in tuition. The same rate applies at the Virginia and DC campuses, and there is no separate in-state rate.
The university also charges a graduate technology fee of $150 per three-credit course. Across 12 courses, that adds $1,800. With the one-time $100 registration fee and the $100 graduation fee, the estimated direct cost is $16,200 + $1,800 + $100 + $100 = $18,200.
International students on F-1 visas studying on campus pay $900 per credit, or $32,400 in tuition for 36 credits. International students enrolled only in online programs pay the domestic rate. Transfer credit lowers the total; a student who transfers the maximum 15 credits would pay tuition on 21 credits, or $9,450.
These estimates exclude books and supplies, the application fee, payment-plan and late fees, and living costs. The university states that it can change tuition and fees at any time, and the rate above comes from the 2026 catalog, so students starting in 2027 should confirm the current rate. Federal financial aid, university scholarships, and alternative student loans may be available through the University of the Potomac financial aid office.
Online and Hybrid Format and Time to Completion
University of the Potomac teaches courses in two modes. Online courses are asynchronous, so students log in and complete work on their own schedule within weekly attendance periods. On-campus courses run in a hybrid format, combining scheduled classroom meetings at the Falls Church or Washington, DC, campus with online work.
The Virginia campus has an active MSHI enrollment. The catalog reports 47 students in the program at the Falls Church campus during 2024–2025, including 29 Virginia residents.
The academic year is divided into 16-week semesters, each made up of two eight-week sessions. The standard full-time graduate load is one course per session, or six credits per semester. At that pace, the 12 courses take six semesters, or about two years, which matches the program page’s typical timeline.
Graduate students who have completed one semester with strong grades may request permission to take a second course in a session, which shortens the timeline. Satisfactory academic progress rules allow up to one and a half times the program length in attempted credits.
Career Preparation
The program’s learning outcomes focus on applying informatics methods to healthcare problems, using health information technology, understanding legal and ethical issues, and supporting quality improvement through health information systems. The coursework may support roles in health information systems coordination, informatics project management, data management, and healthcare operations.
Graduates may pursue work in hospitals, physician groups, insurers, government agencies, and health technology firms, including employers in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, area. Career results will depend on prior experience, technical skills, and employer requirements. The degree does not lead to clinical licensure, and the program does not promise a specific job, salary, or professional credential.
Who Is This Program For?
This program may fit working adults in Northern Virginia who want an informatics master’s priced at $450 per credit with the choice of online study or hybrid classes in Falls Church. The eight-week, one-course-at-a-time structure and the lack of a capstone may suit students who want a steady, predictable workload.
Students who want deep training in programming, clinical informatics, or research, or who want a supervised capstone project with a healthcare organization, should compare other options. Applicants may also want to review the university’s MSCHE accreditation record, which shows accreditation reaffirmed in March 2025 with a follow-up report due in March 2027.
Related Health Informatics Programs
- ECPI University - Virginia Beach
- George Mason University - Fairfax
- Liberty University - Lynchburg
- Norfolk State University - Norfolk
- Virginia Commonwealth University (Nursing Informatics) - Richmond