MS & PhD FAQ

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BHI Program Overview

What makes a strong candidate for your program?

Motivated students with evidence of critical thinking and research skills, solid academic performance, and research interests that align well with our faculty, are ideal candidates.

What type of background do your students have?

Our students come from diverse backgrounds, including biological and health sciences, information and computer science, engineering, as well clinical and public health practice. See bios for our current student trainees and alumni to get a better sense of the range of their academic backgrounds and experiences.

What types of careers do your graduates have?

The majority of our graduates go on to various careers in academic or research settings—in universities, health care, government, and private industry. Many of our PhD graduates have obtained positions as faculty or research scientists. MS graduates have obtained positions as project managers and specialists in design, implementation, and evaluation of informatics applications in pharmaceutical companies, research and development divisions in information technology companies, private and public healthcare organizations, foundations, and medical centers.

I’m interested in computational biology. Would I be a fit with your program?

Our program includes bioinformatics from a translational perspective (i.e., how to improve health care with bioinformatics tools). If you have a research interest that aligns with that of our core faculty, in addition to working with that faculty member, you may work with faculty outside of our department, and take electives from other departments such as Computer Science & Engineering to meet your interests. If you are interested in in-depth training in computational biology, you may also want to consider UW’s Synthetic Biology program or Computational Molecular Biology program. We encourage you to explore the available options to determine the best fit for you.

I have a master’s degree. Can my credits be transferred for the PhD degree?

If you enter our program with an appropriate master’s degree from an accredited institution, 30 credits may be transferable with approval of the program. Although you may apply credits to the program, most coursework is specific to our program and cannot be waived.

 

Program Format

Is it possible to work full time while working on the MS degree? Can I enroll in the program part time?

It is possible to work full time while working on the MS degree if you are able to have a flexible work schedule, as the core courses that take place during the first year usually take place in the morning or afternoon. During each quarter during the first year (except for summer), two to three core courses are required; these courses usually are about 1.5-2 hours in length and meet twice a week, for 4-5 credits each (1 credit is generally equivalent to 3 hours of work). You may see our course catalog for links to our course time schedules. With prior program approval, a student may enroll in the MS program part time, and would be expected to complete the program within three years.

Can any portion of the program be done online?

Our research-focused MS and PhD programs are fully residential. We do have the Online Master of Science in Clinical Informatics & Patient Centered Technologies (CIPCT) program, which is offered jointly through the University of Washington School of Nursing and School of Medicine. For more information about the CIPCT program, including curriculum, tuition, and application requirements and procedures, please visit the CIPCT website. For questions regarding the program please contact the CIPCT program office or call 866-931-1687.

What is the difference between the various master’s programs in informatics at the UW?

• Our Biomedical and Health Informatics (BHI) MS program, offered by the School of Medicine, is research focused, highly multidisciplinary, and covers a broad range of subareas within the field, including clinical informatics, translational bioinformatics, public health informatics, and consumer health informatics. It is geared towards students who want to pursue a research interest in one of these areas. The program requires completing and presenting a thesis, and prepares students for careers in research, development, and evaluation. It is a fully residential program at the UW Seattle campus.
• The Online Master of Science in Clinical Informatics & Patient-Centered Technologies (CIPCT) program, offered jointly by the School of Medicine and School of Nursing, is geared towards clinicians and focuses on the implementation, management, and evaluation of informatics tools in clinical settings to improve patient care. The program is offered through online courses and one weekend session on campus per year. Graduates obtain positions as informatics specialists and analysts.
• The Master of Health Informatics and Health Information Management (MHIHIM) program, offered by the School of Public Health, is focused on leadership development, informatics and information management to design enterprise information systems. It requires completion of a capstone field project and prepares students for health care management and technology roles. Offered in a hybrid format with monthly on-site classes (in Bellevue) and weekly webinars, it is designed for healthcare, information technology, and business professionals. Graduates obtain positions as application support specialists, population health data analysts, and privacy program managers.
• The MS in Information Management, offered by the Information School, is not specific to the health care or biomedical fields.

Please contact the individual programs directly for additional information.

What if I have more questions? May I visit the department and meet with an adviser or faculty member?

Due to time constraints, we regret that we are not able to accommodate individual visits to provide general advising or tours for prospective applicants.  If you have general questions about the graduate program or the admissions process that are not answered on our website, the best method to contact us is by email at bhigradp@uw.edu.

If you have questions related to our faculty members and their research, you are welcome to contact them directly, mentioning that you are a prospective student. Please note that many of our faculty members have joint appointments with other departments and are located in different locations across the main UW campus and our administrative office in South Lake Union. Those who are located near UW are welcome to attend our quarterly research colloquia, which are open to the public.  In addition, applicants who are admitted to the program will be invited to attend virtual visit days in early March.

 

Application 

What guidelines do you have for the personal statement?

The personal statement should highlight why you chose our program, your career goals, and potential research interests. There are no restrictions in page length; however, on average they are no longer than five pages. Read more detailed instructions about the personal statement on our application information page.

When will I hear back about a decision?

The admissions committee conducts interviews with a select number of applicants in late January. Accepted students will be notified in February and invited to attend virtual visit days in early March. All other applicants will be notified by approximately mid-April.

 

Prerequisites

Do all prerequisites need to be completed before I can apply?

If you are missing any prerequisites, you may still apply, but they must be completed prior to enrollment should you be admitted. In the “Complete Prerequisites” portion of the online application, please indicate when, where, and what course you plan to complete to fulfill the requirement. Transcripts or official course certificates must be submitted upon completion.  Work experience will not substitute for course work.

What types of courses fulfill the biology, math, and computer programming requirements?

• Biology prerequisite: May be any course in biology including those in the clinical or health sciences, biomedicine, or public health. Courses in environmental science would not apply.
• Computer programming prerequisite: May be in any programming language (e.g., Java, C, C++, Python, Visual Basic, Visual C++); query languages such as SQL would not count. It does not matter what the specific programming language is, but rather that applicants have been exposed to a course that teaches how to program (including symbols, algorithmic thinking, coding).
• Math prerequisite: Should be an advanced-level math course, in calculus or above or statistics

All prerequisite courses may be taken online, at a community college, or any other accredited higher education institution. If any courses are taking through an online course such as Coursera, course certificates must be official and ID-certified.

 

GRE Scores

Do I need to take the GRE?

The GRE is optional for this year’s admission cycle. If you wish to submit GRE scores (or GMAT, MCAT, or DAT scores), the following points may answer your questions.

• I have/will be finishing a master’s degree and my GRE scores have expired — should I retake the test? If your test scores are older than 5 years and you wish to submit test scores, you should retake the test. Please take the test well in advance of the December 1 admission deadline so your scores arrive in time to be included in your application.
• Do you have a cutoff or minimum score for the the GRE? We do not have a cutoff or minimum score. If you are submitting scores that you feel are low, you may may highlight in your personal statement the circumstances affecting your scores and how this would not relate to your future performance.
• ETS sent my GRE scores to the UW, but my application says they haven’t been received? After your application is submitted, it will take several business days for the Graduate School to link your test scores with your application. The name and birth date on your application must exactly match the information on your scores. If the scores do not appear on your application after several business days, please email the BIME Department at bhigradp@uw.edu.

 

Grad Point Average (GPA)

I have a low GPA. Can I still apply?

The Graduate School requires applicants to have a 3.0 minimum GPA. The admissions committee considers all components of the application as a whole, including the personal statement, CV, recommendation letters, and individual course grades in addition to cumulative GPAs. If you are worried about how your GPA may impact your chances of admission, you may highlight in your personal statement the circumstances for any areas of low performance and how this would not relate to your future performance.

 

International Students and English Proficiency Requirement

What can substitute for the TOEFL?

The BIME Department only accepts TOEFL test scores even though the UW Graduate School allows UW graduate programs to accept TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo test scores. Work experience will not serve as a substitute for a TOEFL score.

I will be finishing a bachelor’s/master’s degree at a U.S. institution this spring — do I need to take the TOEFL?