25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Health Informatics Degree Programs [2024 Guide]
By Joy Miller
Edited by Briana Sukert
Updated on September 25, 2024
If you’re looking for high-paying jobs in specialized, in-demand fields, a health informatics bachelor’s degree might be just what you need to get started with a lucrative career.
It can prepare you for multiple types of work, and if you choose an online program, your studies can be completed right at home.
Editorial Listing ShortCode:
Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.
Augusta University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Colorado Technical University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Davenport University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
East Carolina University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Ferris State is accredited by Higher Learning Commission.
Franklin is fully-accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Grand Canyon University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Indiana University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
King University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Louisiana Tech University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Oregon Institute of Technology is regionally accredited by Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Purdue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Rasmussen College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Southern New Hampshire University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.
The University of Central Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
The University of Mississippi is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The University of South Carolina is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The University of Southern Indiana is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
The University of Toledo is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Weber State is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Western Kentucky University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Also known as “health information systems” or “health information technology,” health informatics is a tech-based field that’s devoted to the data of the medical industry. From patient records to hospital insurance forms, it can cover all of the administrative processes of a 21st century healthcare business.
As you might expect from a field that uses a lot of IT, business is booming. The world grows more digital by the day, and there’s an increasing demand for professionals who understand computer systems and networks.
Just how much demand is there? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare jobs are estimated to grow by 15 percent in the next decade. This includes analysts, informaticists and record keepers as well as doctors and nurses. It translates to a total of 2.4 million new jobs.
There are several ways that you can earn a healthcare informatics bachelor’s degree:
Different universities have different programs, so if you’re seeking a very specific degree, make sure that your school has it in the catalogue. They rarely offer all of these options at once.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) reports that the average Health informatics bachelor degree salary is $63,000 per year for nonmanagerial positions. This is just an average, however, and some jobs pay better than others.
As for the type of work that you’ll do, it depends on your interests. You can take an informatics degree and apply it to just about every sub-field of healthcare, including finance, administration, insurance, marketing and human resources.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some careers that you might consider with an informatics degree include:
| Careers | Annual Median Salary |
| Compliance Director | $116,350 |
| Health Information Management (HIM) Director | $104,280 |
| Clinical Data Manager | $98,230 |
| Software Applications Analyst | $96,040 |
| Information Systems (IS) Analyst | $93,730 |
| Data Analyst in Hospitals | $85,190 |
| Project Management Specialist | $77,420 |
| Revenue Cycle Manager | $66,130 |
| Health Informatics Specialist in Hospitals | $46,880 |
| Medical Coder | $43,890 |
There are many more, so don’t feel limited by the suggestions on this list. A health informatics bachelor’s degree can open doors in a variety of medical, technical and clinical fields.
In addition, pursuing a traditional or online master’s in health informatics would most likely see an increase in the average annual salary.
There’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to an informatics degree. Every school is different, especially since they classify healthcare informatics under various names and categories. A health information systems degree might not have the same prerequisites as a healthcare administration degree with an informatics concentration.
In a broad sense, however, many healthcare informatics programs cover the same topics:
If you’re looking at online schools, you should also be aware that some informatics degrees have a face-to-face component. For example, you might need to complete an internship or capstone project in your final year. Talk to your college to see if their program is truly 100 percent online.
Which college has the best program for a healthcare informatics degree? It depends on what you’re looking for as a prospective student. The right choice for you might not be the right choice for someone else, so instead of having a rigid, inflexible set of criteria, approach the decision while keeping various things in mind.
You might also want to look at things like tuition rates, acceptance rates, credit requirements and teacher-to-student ratios.
Before you can get started with a bachelor’s degree in health informatics, you’ll need to be accepted by a college. This process can take anywhere from weeks to months, so don’t wait. Gather all of the necessary documents, including:
You’ll also want to check out the admissions deadlines of your chosen school. Some colleges have rolling admissions where they accept students year round, but it’s much more common for there to be set schedules for upcoming semesters.
You’ve probably heard warnings about unaccredited schools, but you might be wondering what they are and why they matter.
Accreditation is a way for colleges to prove that they meet the educational standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Education. It’s a voluntary process, but if they don’t do it, they aren’t eligible to receive federal financial aid like FAFSA. This means that you can’t use it, either.
Another danger of unaccredited colleges is that they might not be recognized by employers, state boards, licensing programs or scholarship agencies. You’ll also have trouble transferring credits from an unaccredited school to an accredited one.
All things considered, it’s worth the effort of doing a little research and making sure that your university is accredited. There are three kinds in total:
If you aren’t sure whether your school holds any of these accreditations, plug it into the searchable database at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Professional organizations are a great way to connect with others in your field. Many of them even have student memberships so that you can take advantage of their resources without having to pay full price.
Here are just a few names that might interest you as a student pursuing a health information technology degree:
In addition to these IT groups, you might also be interested in organizations devoted to healthcare administration or healthcare management. They usually welcome informatics specialists within the healthcare field.
A certification in health informatics can be a big help to your career. It isn’t a requirement, but it can prove your readiness for jobs that need special skills or work experiences, and it can add a little something to your resume when you’re competing against other job seekers.
Here are just a few certifications that can complement a bachelor’s degree in health informatics:
For more information on these certifications, contact the organizations that issue them.
With the rising cost of college, financial aid is a necessity for many students. The good news is that you’ll have plenty of options when it comes to assistance.
The first step is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It’s a one-stop application that will determine your eligibility for several types of aid, including:
In addition to federal grants and loans, you might also qualify for state-based grants and loans. These are usually limited to state residents, so even if you’re attending an online university, you’ll need to live in the state where they’re offered.
Last but not least, consider scholarships to help you fund your college education. You don’t have to be an honor roll student to apply. There are many “need-based” scholarships for low-income students of all GPAs, and you can also find scholarships meant specifically for a bachelor’s in healthcare informatics.
You might also look for information technology scholarships that accept healthcare informatics as a viable area of study.
You’ll have several options for a degree in healthcare informatics, including:
You can also look for something like a health information systems degree if you already have a specialized area of focus.
Since it’s an administrative field, most health informatics jobs will put you behind a desk. However, you’ll have plenty of choices for where that desk is and what you do with it.
For example, if you’re good with numbers, you might pursue a finance-related career in risk management or revenue cycles. If you’re comfortable working with large amounts of information, you might become a data analyst. If you’re highly efficient in office settings, you might become an administrator or department director.
There are even creative jobs for health informatics specialists. You might become a software developer or content marketer who works in the healthcare industry and creates, sells or distributes new products.
Everyone has their own definition of a “good” major, but the study of health informatics can definitely pay off. It’s a fast-growing field with a lot of opportunity, especially for those who have a multidisciplinary interest in things like business, healthcare, administration, computer science and technology.
A healthcare informatics degree can allow you to study all of these things at once.
A health informatics bachelor degree salary starts at $63,000 per year on average, according to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The exact size of your paycheck will depend on your job, location and credentials.
For example, if you’ve been certified as a healthcare systems technician, you might make more money than someone without that designation.
There are many affordable online programs for healthcare informatics. In fact, when you get your degree online, you can often avoid student fees that don’t apply to distance learners. For example, you won’t need to pay for housing or parking.
Another thing to consider is residency rates. Some universities will charge in-state rates for online students regardless of where they actually live, so that’s an additional way to save.
It typically takes four years to get a bachelor’s degree. This is assuming that you’re a full-time student who attends school year round.
If you want to speed up your graduation date, look into accelerated programs that will allow you to earn a bachelor’s degree in three years or less. They offer things like evening and summer classes to help you earn credits faster.
If you’re interested in getting a master’s degree someday, you might also consider a dual degree program that will combine your bachelor’s and master’s studies into a single, five-year program.
A bachelor’s degree usually requires 120 credits to graduate. Since colleges charge by the credit, the cost of your degree will depend on how expensive the credits are when multiplied by 120.
However, the trick to choosing a high-value degree program is to consider the overall worth of the degree rather than just its cost. How much is tuition? How much is the average salary for the career that you’re considering? What will be your return on investment (ROI) after five years of working?
If you’re curious about the intersection of healthcare and technology, consider a healthcare informatics bachelor’s degree.
Not only can it prepare you for work in a dynamic, ever-changing field, but thanks to the growing demand for computer-savvy healthcare administrators, it can offer many career possibilities for the future.
Ready to take the next step? Click “Find My Program” to match your goals.
Take our quiz and we'll do the homework for you! Compare your school matches and apply to your top choice today.
