Community Health & Sustainability

At the local, national and regional level, our healthcare system confronts new challenges in coping with the many changes in technology, information systems, financing and management. For many health industry professionals seeking career advancement, a master’s degree is often now required.  Moreover, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of medical and health services managers is predicted to grow faster than average through 2018.

The Health Informatics and Management (HI&M) Program primarily enrolls mid-career professionals working somewhere within the U.S. healthcare system.  Many students complete one of three four-course Graduate Certificate Programs before seeking admission to the Master’s Degree Program, and the certificate courses are then accepted as credits toward the M.S. degree.

UMass Lowell is one of the largest accredited online education providers in New England.  As developed under a blended learning grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and its Sloan-C initiative, the program offers graduate studies in a new blended format that offers the "best of both worlds" - combining face-to-face and online classes - providing a more accessible program of study for busy healthcare professionals.

• Official transcript indicating graduation from an accredited baccalaureate institution; 
• Three letters of recommendation addressing academic ability and professional performance;
• A page-length Statement of Purpose indicating career plans, interests and objectives in pursuing a graduate degree; 
• Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  If a student completes a Certificate program with a grade point average of 3.5 or better, GRE scores are not required.
• TOEFL scores must be submitted if the applicant is a citizen of a non-English speaking country and has never earned an academic degree in the United States.  (Minimum 600 paper-based, 250 computer-based, or 100 Internet-based); and
• A personal interview (either in-person or via phone). 

Although a background in health is not required for admission to the Program, applicants with significant health-related work experience are given preference when program capacity is limited.  For applicants without health-related work or educational experience, one’s academic and professional history is important.

Applications can be submitted and evaluated at any time.  We mevertheless recommend that applicants seeking admission for the Fall semester have applications complete by May 15, and suggest that applicants seeking admission for the Spring semester have applications complete by December 15.

Thirty-six credits (11 three-credit courses plus a three-credit Capstone Project) are required to obtain the Master’s degree. The specifice coure requirements are indicated below, separately for Health Informatics and Health Management.  Some course substitutions may be allowed based on prior academic and work experience.

Health Management students are required to take the following nine (9) courses:

32.502       Organizational Behavior in Healthcare 
32.506       Quantitative Methods in Healthcare Management
32.607       Healthcare Information Systems
                (or 32.531 Health Informatics)
32.511       Healthcare Finance
32.512       Operations Analysis and Quality Improvement
32.514       Healthcare Management
32.616       Law and Ethics in Healthcare
32.625       Health Policy
32.733       Capstone Project

Health Management students additionally take three (3) of the following courses as electives: 
32.515       Applied Health Economics 
32.527       Planning and Marketing in Healthcare 
32.626       Leadership in Healthcare 
32.627       Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health
32.632       Health Information Systems Planning
32.633       Healthcare Database Design 
32.634       Healthcare Database Development
32.635       Healthcare Project Management
32.638       Strategic Planning in Healthcare and HIT

Health Informatics students are required to take the following six (6) courses:

32.502       Organizational Behavior in Healthcare 
32.511       Healthcare Finance
32.512       Operations Analysis and Quality Improvement
32.514       Healthcare Management
32.616       Law and Ethics in Healthcare
32.733       Capstone Project

Health Informatics students additionally take six (6) of the following Health Informatics courses: 
32.531       Health Informatics
32.607       Healthcare Information Systems
32.632       Health Information Systems Planning
32.633       Healthcare Database Design 
32.634       Healthcare Database Development
32.635       Healthcare Project Management
32.638       Strategic Planning in Healthcare and Health Information Technology

Capstone Project Requirement

Near the end of one’s Master’s Degree program, students register for Capstone Project and complete an independent study under faculty supervision. The Capstone Project applies concepts and skills learned in the program.  It involves research and development, and culminates in a substantial (30 pages or more) business-type report.  Many working professionals develop projects related to work assignments.  Students are also required to present their Capstone Projects to students, faculty and alumni at a semester-end student recognition event.

As an alternative to the Capstone Project, a student may choose to write a Master’s Thesis, but this involves conforming to more formal University-wide requirements. This alternative involves much higher standards of scholarship and review, including oversight by a three-person thesis committee.  A thesis is developed consistent with UML guidelines.

For program-specific questions contact: