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Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

Ph.D. Plan of Study

The Ph.D. in Informatics with a Health Informatics specialization is a 90-credit-hour program that integrates knowledge from informatics, healthcare, health information technology and other disciplines to analyze and protect patient data, increase healthcare efficiencies and produce higher quality patient care.

The program includes core courses, research rotations, your choice of minor, qualifying examinations and a dissertation.

Core A – Foundations of Informatics (12 cr.)

  • INFO I501 Introduction to Informatics (3 cr.)
  • INFO I530 Foundations of Health Informatics (3 cr.)
  • INFO I575 Informatics Research Design (3 cr.)
  • INFO I600 Professionalism and Pedagogy in Informatics (3 cr.)

Core B – Health Domain (15 cr.)

  • INFO I511 Laboratory Information Management Systems for Health and Life Sciences (3 cr.)
  • INFO I535 Clinical Information Systems (3 cr.)
  • INFO I581 Health Informatics Standards and Terminology (3 cr.)
  • INFO I617 Informatics in Life Sciences and Chemistry (3 cr.)
  • GRAD 652 Intro to Biostatistics II (3 cr.)

Seminar Courses (6 cr.)

  • INFO I667 Seminar in Health Informatics I (3 cr.)
  • INFO I668 Seminar in Health Informatics II (3 cr.)

Independent Study/Rotation (6 cr.)

May be taken twice

  • INFO I790 Independent Study/Rotation (3 cr.)

Electives (9 cr.)

  • INFO I512 Scientific Data Management (3 cr.)
  • INFO I601 Introduction to Complex Systems (3 cr.)
  • INFO I605 Social Foundations of Informatics (3 cr.)
  • INFO I611 Mathematical Foundations (3 cr.)
  • INFO I641 Business of Health Informatics (3 cr.)
  • INFO I642 Clinical Decision Support (3 cr.)
  • INFO I643 Natural Language Processing (3 cr.)
  • INFO I543 Usability and Evaluative Methods in Interactive Design (3 cr.)
  • INFO I563 Psychology of HCI (3 cr.)
  • GRAD 660 Clinical Research Methods (3 cr.)
  • GRAD 661 Clinical Trials (3 cr.)

Minor (15 cr.)

You must complete a minor of graduate-level courses within a domain appropriate to your choice of specialization/research area.

Qualifying Examinations

  1. Written Exam – You must successfully complete a written qualifying examination by the end of the program’s second year. The exam is established by faculty and covers subject matter taken in the program’s core courses. The exam may be retaken once.
  2. Oral Exam – An oral examination takes place within weeks after successful completion of the written exam. You must pass both the written and oral exam before passing on to Ph.D. candidacy. The oral exam is based on the student’s response to the written exam and core course material. The exam may be retaken once.

Dissertation

A dissertation is a written elaboration of original research that makes creative contributions to your chosen area of specialization. Students will enroll multiple times in INFO 890 Thesis Readings and Research (1-12 cr.) as you work to complete your dissertation. All requirements must be completed within seven years of passing the qualifying exams. The dissertation process includes the following components:

  1. Proposal – This is an in-depth oral review undertaken by students who have made significant process in their research. The proposal will be defended at a public colloquium. You must complete the proposal within one year of passing the qualifying exams.
  2. Defense – You must defend your dissertation in an open seminar scheduled when doctoral research is almost complete.

Please refer to the IUPUI Graduate School Bulletin for more details on the dissertation process.