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Health Informatics MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Health informatics is the study of how information and information technology can transform the organisation and delivery of healthcare. This joint programme with the University of Manchester has been designed to develop a health informatics workforce, in the UK and internationally, able to address today's challenges and prepare for tomorrow's. We equip our students for leadership roles delivering change in healthcare.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2022/23)
£12,900
£6,450
University of Manchester Dual Award

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)
£29,400
£14,700
University of Manchester Dual Award

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 academic year
2 academic years
5 academic years
Programme starts
September 2022
Applications accepted
All applicants: 18 Oct 2021 – 31 Mar 2022

Applications open

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Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. A relevant Master’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution is desirable.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

You will learn about healthcare policy and strategy as it relates to informatics and about the design and implementation of the wide variety of digital systems used in delivering healthcare today. You will be able to tackle the technical details behind different approaches to engineering and implementing these systems as well understanding how to engender change. You will also acquire skills in analysing and presenting data.

Who this course is for

The programme is designed for students in full-time work who already have a first degree in a relevant discipline. We do accept applications from people with a wide range of qualifications, and we do consider professional experience if students do not have a relevant first degree. Students who wish to study full time can take the programme in one year, but should be aware that they will be taking modules that are largely delivered online.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The programme is delivered through a collaboration between UCL and the University of Manchester, the two largest teams in this field in the UK.

The programme is supported by the NHS graduate management training scheme and a wide range of other employers. You will join a cohort with a diverse mix of educational and technical backgrounds, and this shared experience is one of the strengths of the programme.

The programme is delivered through a mix of face-to-face teaching and online learning, designed to fit into your working life. Assignments are often relevant to students' working lives and many students complete a dissertation in their place of work.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The programme encourages intellectual curiosity and critical thinking. It teaches transferable skills for lifelong learning and cultivates reflective practice. Through the development of these skills, you will rapidly have an impact in your workplace. The content is designed by staff working at the forefront of change and reflects the latest thinking on healthcare. You will develop as an individual and as a team member. We work closely with healthcare organisations and other employers to ensure the informatics knowledge, know-how, skills and understanding we deliver are relevant and valued.

Employability

You will be prepared for technical and management roles leading the digital transformation of healthcare. Graduates of the programme have gone on to leadership roles in the NHS and other healthcare organisations here and overseas. Some of our graduates have moved into roles in industry in pharmaceutical companies or consulting organisations. Others have gone on to further study, taking on PhDs or fellowships while others have launched their own businesses.

Teaching and learning

Each taught module is delivered largely online over eight or nine weeks with a short block of intensive face-to-face teaching. The online element includes video lectures, podcasts, written material as well as exercises and discussions. The face-to-face teaching includes lectures, seminars and experiential learning. Students will be required to spend 3 days per module on campus. The rest of the learning will be delivered online. For half the modules, the 3-day element of face-to-face teaching will be at UCL, for the other, it will be at the University of Manchester. Students will also be asked to attend a separate induction day based at UCL at the start of the year. The types of assessment on this programme may include coursework, examination, presentations and research project.

The programme is delivered via blended learning. As such, you will be required to attend three days of face-to-face classes per module. The rest of the module will be taught online in the Virtual Learning Environment. Please note some modules are taught through UCL and some through the University of Manchester (UoM).

A Postgraduate Diploma, four compulsory modules (60 credits), four optional modules (60 credits), full-time one year, part-time two years or flexible study up to five years, is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate, four compulsory modules (60 credits), full-time one year, part-time two years or flexible study up to five years, is offered.

Modules

Full-time

As a full-time student, you will study 8 taught modules plus a dissertation. Five compulsory modules and 4 optional modules.

Compulsory Modules

  • Essentials of Informatics for Healthcare Systems (CHME0035) - UCL
  • Health Information Systems and Technologies (XMCH0001) - UoM
  • Principles of Health Data Analytics (CHME0001) - UCL
  • Standards and Interoperability (XMCH0002) - UoM
  • Dissertation (CHME0023) - UCL

Optional Modules

  • Personal Health Informatics (CHME0036) - UCL
  • Digital Transformation Project (CHME0027) - UCL
  • Learning Health Systems (CHME0010) - UCL
  • Patient Safety (CHEM0037) - UCL
  • Decision Support Systems (XMCH0005) - UoM
  • Modern Information Engineering (XMCH0003) - UoM
  • Usable Systems Design (XMCH004) - UoM

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change

Dissertation

All students undertake an independent research project

which culminates in a report in the form of a journal article of up to 6,000 words (60 credits).

Examples of past projects:

  • The National Early Warning Score 2 as a Predictive Tool for Adverse Events in Cardiac Postoperative Patients
  • An Evaluation of Electronic Clinical Infection Disease (elCID) Open Source Software Implemented in an NHS Hospital
  • Reviewing Mental Health App Reviews: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Exploratory Study
Part-time

As a part-time student you will study 8 taught modules plus a dissertation over two years. Five compulsory modules and 4 optional modules.

Compulsory Modules

Year One

  • Essentials of Informatics for Healthcare Systems (CHME0035) - UCL
  • Health Information Systems and Technologies (XMCH0001) - UoM
  • Principles of Health Data Analytics (CHME0001) - UCL
  • Standards and Interoperability (XMCH0002) - UoM

Year Two

  • Dissertation (CHME0023) - UCL

Optional Modules

Year One - choose one optional module

  • Personal Health Informatics (CHME0036) - UCL
  • Digital Transformation Project (CHME0027) - UCL
  • Learning Health Systems (CHME0010) - UCL
  • Patient Safety (CHEM0037) - UCL
  • Decision Support Systems (XMCH0005) - UoM
  • Usable Systems Design (XMCH004) - UoM

Year Two - choose 3 optional modules

  • Personal Health Informatics (CHME0036) - UCL
  • Digital Transformation Project (CHME0027) - UCL
  • Learning Health Systems (CHME0010) - UCL
  • Patient Safety (CHEM0037) - UCL
  • Decision Support Systems (XMCH0005) - UoM
  • Modern Information Engineering (XMCH0003) - UoM
  • Usable Systems Design (XMCH004) - UoM

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Some of our blended modules run in Term 3 and reassessment in these modules may result in your award being delayed.

Dissertation

All students undertake an independent research project

which culminates in a report in the form of a journal article of up to 6,000 words (60 credits).

Examples of past projects:

  • The National Early Warning Score 2 as a Predictive Tool for Adverse Events in Cardiac Postoperative Patients
  • An Evaluation of Electronic Clinical Infection Disease (elCID) Open Source Software Implemented in an NHS Hospital
  • Reviewing Mental Health App Reviews: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Exploratory Study
Flexible

As a modular/flexible student you will study 8 taught modules plus a dissertation. Five compulsory modules and 4 optional modules. These are studied over two to five years.

Compulsory Modules

Year One

  • Essentials of Informatics for Healthcare Systems (CHME0035) - UCL
  • Health Information Systems and Technologies (XMCH0001) - UoM
  • Principles of Health Data Analytics (CHME0001) - UCL
  • Standards and Interoperability (XMCH0002) - UoM

Final year

  • Dissertation (CHME0023) - UCL

Optional Modules

Years Two to Five

  • Personal Health Informatics (CHME0036) - UCL
  • Digital Transformation Project (CHME0027) - UCL
  • Learning Health Systems (CHME0010) - UCL
  • Patient Safety (CHEM0037) - UCL
  • Decision Support Systems (XMCH0005) - UoM
  • Modern Information Engineering (XMCH0003) - UoM
  • Usable Systems Design (XMCH004) - UoM

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Dissertation

All students undertake an independent research project

which culminates in a report in the form of a journal article of up to 6,000 words (60 credits).

Examples of past projects:

  • The National Early Warning Score 2 as a Predictive Tool for Adverse Events in Cardiac Postoperative Patients
  • An Evaluation of Electronic Clinical Infection Disease (elCID) Open Source Software Implemented in an NHS Hospital
  • Reviewing Mental Health App Reviews: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Exploratory Study

Compulsory modules







Optional modules






Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Health Informatics. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Health Informatics. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Health Informatics.

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Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2022/23) £12,900 £6,450
Tuition fees (2022/23) £29,400 £14,700

University of Manchester Dual Award

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Additional costs include

  • the cost of travel to and from Manchester or London (depending on the module location)
  • accommodation costs

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Health Informatics at graduate level
  • why you want to study Health Informatics at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible. The programme may remain open if places are still available after 31 March 2022 and will be closed as soon as it is full or by 30 June 2022.

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Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of Health Informatics Department
Institute of Health Informatics Department

ihi-courses@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

This page was last updated 28 Sep 2021