FAQ

What is Biomedical Informatics?

Medical Informatics is the discipline that focuses on the acquisition, storage, and use of information in health and biomedicine. See our What is Biomedical Informatics? web page for more information.

What types of jobs do people with biomedical informatics degrees have?

Individuals trained in biomedical informatics are capable of assuming a wide variety of jobs in academic, industry, health care settings, and other locations where expertise at the interface between information technology (IT) and health/biomedicine is required.

The OHSU Informatics Program

What educational programs are available at OHSU?

We offer a variety of programs tailored to different careers in the field, including:

If I take classes online, how much time should I spend on the course?

We generally advise our incoming students to plan on spending between 10 and 15 hours per week/per course on coursework. This includes reviewing the lecture, reading assignments, quizzes, exams, etc. Students working full-time should take one or two classes per term.

How long will it take to complete a program?

Those applying to the PhD program should plan to spend a minimum of 4-5 years in the program. The Master’s program can be completed in 2 years for full-time students. Students completing the Master’s program on a part-time basis are allowed 6 years to complete the program. Graduate certificate students are able to successfully finish the program in 2-3 years as most certificate students are full-time working professionals and generally take one class per term.

What types of jobs do your graduates get?

The type of job an individual gets depends heavily on their prior background. Those who are already health care providers (e.g., physicians, nurses, and pharmacists) are likely to get different jobs than those who are not. Our program offers training to both types of individuals. Graduates of the programs have obtained jobs within academia, large healthcare organizations, a medical device manufacturing firm, medical software companies and in clinical care. As the health care IT field is a growth industry, jobs are likely to be available, if not plentiful.

How much is Tuition and fees?

The tuition and fee schedules can be found on the OHSU Tuition and Fees Schedule. We also list approximate tuition and fees on our Program Costs & Financial Aid page.

Applying

How do I apply for the program?

See our Admissions Information page to download application forms for each program.

Do I have to apply for the [fill in the blank] program before I apply to a higher program?

No. All of our programs require a bachelor's degree for entry, but they are each discrete units and there is not a mandated order that you must complete them in. As an example, some students end up liking the 10x10 program so much that they use this already completed coursework to continue in our Certificate program. Although students are always welcome to do it this way, it is not required. If you already know that you want to enter directly into the Certificate program, without doing 10x10, we encourage you to do so.

When are the application materials due to OHSU?

Please see all deadlines for application on the Admissions Information page.

Do you accept applications for non-Fall term admissions?

The Graduate Certificate Program accepts applications on a rolling basis, i.e., every term. The Master's program-Clinical Informatics track accepts applications for fall, winter and spring terms (see dates above). The Master's program-Bioinformatics track and the PhD program accept applications for fall term only. The Fellowship program accepts applicants for the beginning of the “medical” year, i.e., July 1. In extremely rare circumstances, we will accept applicants at other times.

What are the prerequisites for admission?

The prerequisites depend on which program you wish to enroll in. The prerequisites for all programs can be found on the Admissions Information page.

Is the GRE required?

Effective 10/12/2020 the GRE will be waived for the PhD application for July 1, 2021 admissions.  If you have GRE scores, you are welcome to submit the scores with your application packet.

What are the minimum GRE scores?

Effective 10/12/2020 the GRE will be waived for the PhD application for July 1, 2021 admission.  The OHSU School of Medicine Graduate Council requires minimum scores of Verbal 153 (500 under the previous scoring system), Quantitative 148 (600 under the previous scoring system), and Analytical Writing 4.5. Applicants with scores below those levels require special review by the council. GRE scores should be sent to college code 4865 (Oregon Hlth Sci U Sch Medicine). Some tests still list 4865  as "University of Oregon School of Medicine," the former name of the OHSU School of Medicine."

Can MCAT scores replace the GRE?

No, if you do not have a prior doctoral degree from an accredited US institution you must take the GRE exam.

I won't be taking the GRE until after the application deadline. Will this affect my application?

The admissions committee will not review an application until it is complete, but you are advised to submit the rest of your application as soon as possible. Once we receive your test scores, the committee will review your application. Admission is granted on a space available basis, therefore it is best to have your application completed as early as possible.

What is the minimum TOEFL score accepted?

You must have a minimum score of 600 written, 250 computer-based, or 100 internet-based in order to be considered for acceptance into the program.

Can I enter the program as a part-time student?

All but the Ph.D. and Fellowship programs accept part-time students. All degree requirements must be completed within five years of matriculation.

Can I transfer in credits?

Graduate credits may be transferred from another accredited institution for use in completing the requirements for the Master's or PhD degrees. The credits must be from formal coursework, not from research or independent study. The number of transferable credit hours shall not exceed 3 for the graduate certificate program, 16 for the Master's degree, and 45 for the PhD degree. Only those courses in which the student's performance was satisfactory (A or B grade) will be acceptable for transfer. Graduate credit toward certificate, Master's and PhD degree requirements shall be granted only for coursework completed within the last 5 years.

What does it cost to complete the program?

The tuition and fee schedules can be found on the OHSU Tuition and Fees Schedule . We also list approximate tuition and fees on our Program Costs & Financial Aid page. 

Is Financial Aid available?

Information on financial aid is available from the Office of Financial Aid. Students in the graduate certificate program are not eligible for financial aid through OHSU.