Healthcare is one of the largest parts of the US economy. US healthcare spending grew 3.9% in 2017, reaching $3.5 trillion ($10,739 per person) and accounting for 17.9% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. As over 95% of healthcare organizations have adopted electronic health record systems, more and more people will have their medical records in an electronic format. In addition, information technologies such as Web 2.0 and wearable devices are revolutionizing how people engage in their healthcare. It is expected that information technologies will significantly improve health outcomes and reduce care costs. According to a recent report by BurningGlass, “demand for health informatics workers is projected to grow at twice the rate of employment overall, but there is strong evidence that the nation already faces a shortage of qualified workers in this field.” FSU School of Information Certificate in Health Informatics prepares individuals for the burgeoning field of health IT by educating students in management of health information through the use of technology. Students will be able to work with technologies to optimize acquisition, retrieval, and use of health information to facilitate healthcare delivery and health decision‐making for both clinicians and general health consumers. The Health Informatics Certificate is a highly interdisciplinary program that prepares the next generation of health informatics leaders.
The School of Information offers graduate-level certificate programs to allow students to master technical aspects in specialized areas of study. Certificates are open to degree- and non-degree seeking students who:
- Provide proof of Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally-accredited college or university.
- Have a minimum earned grade point average of 3.0 or higher on all upper-division undergraduate course work toward a bachelor’s degree, or a minimum 3.0 GPA on an earned master’s degree
or
Are currently enrolled as a graduate student in good standing at The Florida State University.
Admission and completion of a graduate-level certificate program does not guarantee admission to a master’s or specialist degree program. Students may, however, apply up to 12 semester hours of credit earned toward the master’s or specialist degree with approval.
Graduate Certificate Application
Submit the online iSchool Certificate Application prior to completion of the 2nd course required for a certificate.
NOTE: All applicants must be currently enrolled as a graduate student in good standing at Florida State University or be admitted as a degree seeking or non-degree seeking student.
Non-Degree seeking students should be able to self-enroll in most online graduate courses offered by the School of Information when the non-degree seeking student enrollment appointment opens if admitted by the FSU Office of Admissions. Core courses are restricted to students pursuing a master’s or specialist degree in the School of Information, but may be requested on a space-available basis. All requests for enrollment in any of the following courses (LIS 5020, LIS 5203, LIS 5271, LIS 5275, LIS 5408, LIS5411, LIS 5487, or LIS 5703) can be sent directly to iSchool Student Services at ischooladvising@admin.fsu.edu. Each request will be reviewed and accommodated on a space available basis when the non-degree seeking enrollment appointment opens and a confirmation email will be sent indicating a final determination.
To earn a certificate, students must:
- Apply and be approved to pursue a certificate program prior to completion of the 2nd course required for a certificate. See the Certificate Admissions tab for more information on how to apply.
- Complete the required number of credit hours of course work from the approved list of courses on each individual certificate program section.
- Earn a grade of “B” or higher in EACH OF THE COURSES completed for a certificate.
- Submit the online iSchool Graduate Certificate Completion Request Form requesting completion of the certificate at the beginning of the term in which the requirements for the certificate will be complete.
Courses used to satisfy one certificate may not be used to satisfy another certificate. Students must request completion of the certificate BEFORE completion of the master’s or specialist degree has been earned. Certificates cannot be awarded or posted once the degree-seeking program has been completed.
Be sure to check and see if a course has any pre-requisites by visiting the course descriptions page.
Certificate Requirements (12 credits)
Required: LIS 5418 Introduction to Health Informatics (3 credits)
Required*: LIS 5419 Consumer Health Informatics (3 credits)
Take a total of 6 credit hours from the following courses. For more information about the courses listed below, see the graduate course descriptions.
LIS 5255 Information, Technology, and Older Adults (3 credits)
LIS 5631 Health Information Sources (3 credits)
LIS 5751 Computers as Persuasive Technology (3 credits)
LIS 5765 Data Mining and Analytics (3 credits)
LIS 5788 Health Information Systems and Management (3 credits)
*If this certificate is posted to a student record prior to the summer 2024 semester, this course is not required for certificate completion but can be taken as an elective. All other certificate completion requirements must be met in order for a student to earn this certificate, including completion of 12 credit hours of approved coursework above.
