Accredited Online Health Information Management Degree Programs
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The health information technology and management field is witnessing rapid growth, and it’s only expected to increase over the coming years. By illustration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2022) reported that positions for health information technicians were expected to grow 7 percent between 2021 and 2031, and those for medical and health services managers are expected to grow 28 percent in that timeframe (BLS 2022). Notably, the projected growth percentages for medical and health services managers were more than five times the average anticipated growth among all U.S. occupations in that same decade (5 percent).
While some aspiring health information management professionals pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree on campus, others turn to distance-based programs. Online health information management degrees can be convenient for working professionals; military personnel, who cannot break free from their rigorous schedule; and those in more remote locations, who cannot commute to a campus that offers this type of education. Online programs generally combine web-based coursework with in-person intensives completed either through limited campus visitation or training facilities close to a student’s home.
This comprehensive guide covers online health information management (HIM) programs at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels, including the expected coursework and tuition costs.
Admissions Requirements for Online Health Information Management Degree Programs
While admissions requirements differ by program, there are some commonalities. Online HIM programs typically require candidates to submit the following:
- Completed application and fee
- Proof of a high school diploma (or a bachelor’s degree for master’s level candidates)
- Personal statement or essay
- Proof of health insurance or immunizations
- Test scores (e.g., SAT, TOEFL for non-native speakers of English)
HIM Curriculum
Although the curriculum for an online health information management degree varies, a majority of HIM programs cover the following topics at length:
- Medical terminology
- Healthcare delivery systems
- Healthcare data management
- Healthcare quality management
- Coding and classification systems
- Compliance and risk management
- Communication and healthcare technology
- Pathophysiology and pharmacology
- Anatomy and physiology
Accredited Online HIM Associate Degrees
The following programs are all CAHIIM-accredited. Reference the last section of this guide for information about accreditation. Please note that at the associate degree level, many programs are in “health information technology.”
Sullivan University has campuses across Kentucky in Louisville, Lexington, Fort Knox, and Louisa and offers a 92-credit-hour online associate program in health information management, which takes approximately 18 months to complete.
Courses include anatomy and physiology; computer applications; information literacy; medical terminology; pathophysiology and pharmacology; ICD-10-CM coding; healthcare statistics; and more.
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Duration: 18 to 24 months
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $395 per credit
The SBCC has three campuses in and around Santa Barbara, California, and provides a 53-credit online associate of science (AS) in health information technology.
Courses include coding; health information statistics; introduction to management; medical insurance and reimbursement methodologies; and legal aspects of healthcare, among others. Graduates from this program are eligible to earn the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
- Location: Santa Barbara, CA
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $319 per credit
Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus provides an online associate’s degree in HIM. Courses include healthcare delivery systems, data management, and analysis, among others. While all courses are online, the program requires a 40-hour practicum.
In addition, the courses are not self-paced, meaning students must attend live virtual lectures and submit assignments by specific deadlines each week. Finally, admission to this 92-credit program is competitive; only 35 students are accepted each year.
- Location: Portland, OR
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $12,000 total
Hutchinson Community College of Hutchinson, Kansas, provides an online AAS in health information management. It includes coursework in medical terminology; legal and ethical issues in healthcare; quality improvement in healthcare; CPT coding; health statistics; pathophysiology; and reimbursement methodologies, among others.
In addition, students in this program can take advantage of Hutchinson Community College’s agreement with the AHIMA Virtual Lab Academy – an Internet-based, practical, and participative HIM work environment featuring multiple software applications, which is essential for preparing for on-site learning experiences.
- Location: Hutchinson, KS
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $124 per credit (residents); $155 per credit (non-residents)
Other CAHIIM-accredited online associate degrees in health information management and technology are available from:
Accredited Online HIM Bachelor’s Degrees
The following programs are all accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
The UW provides a 61-credit, online bachelor of science (BS) degree in health information management and technology with instruction in human resource management; financial and organizational leadership; and strategic planning, among other subjects. The school also offers a health information track focusing on data analysis; programming and data structures; data security; and information and communication technologies.
This is a bachelor’s completion degree meaning students enter with transfer credit. The UW Health Information Management and Technology program has been named an Approved Education Partner and Academic Organizational Affiliate of HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management System Society).
- Location: Multiple campuses across Wisconsin
- Duration: Two to three years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $450 per credit
Southern New Hampshire University
Students at Southern New Hampshire University based in Manchester, New Hampshire, can pursue an online bachelor of science (BS) degree in health information management. Students in this 120-credit program study medical terminology; the management of health information service; healthcare quality management; healthcare data management; coding and classification systems; and a HIM capstone course, among other topics. Tuition discounts are available for active-duty military members and their spouses.
- Location: Manchester, NH
- Duration: Four to five years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $330 per credit
The University of Cincinnati offers a 100 percent online bachelor of science degree in health information management. Aspiring students may submit applications three times throughout the year, and the program comprises six semesters of full-time study.
Courses in the 52-credit program include health data management; health information systems; issues in legal aspects and healthcare delivery; reimbursement systems; and healthcare statistics and research methods. Notably, students are also required to participate in a health information technology practicum.
- Location: Cincinnati, OH
- Duration: Four to five years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $4,999 per semester (residents); $5,179 per semester (non-residents)
Herzing University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, offers an online bachelor’s degree in health information management. The curriculum covers health data management and healthcare management; health informatics and information systems; compliance and risk management; procedural & diagnostic coding, compliance, and reimbursement.
Students can choose an associate’s or bachelor’s degree path and have access to state-of-the-art virtual applications to gain practical experience and enhance their didactic learning.
- Location: Milwaukee, WI
- Duration: 20 to 36 months
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $495 per credit
University of Illinois–Chicago
Through the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, students can pursue an online BS degree in health information management. Courses include medical sciences and pathophysiology; management and business practices; alternative health records; health data structures and management; financial management; and coding and reimbursement systems, among many others.
In addition, all students are required to participate in a clinical practicum in their final year. The length of the program is four years for full-time students (or five years for those studying part-time) and requires 63 credit hours.
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Duration: Four to five years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $5,589 per semester (residents); $13,100 per semester (non-residents)
St. Joseph’s College of Standish, Maine, offers an online BS in health information management. It includes instruction on administering computer information systems; analyzing patient data; and maintaining compliance with administrative, legal, and ethical standards. Students can take classes part- or full-time and, upon graduating, are eligible to earn RHIA and AHIMA credentials.
- Location: Standish, ME
- Duration: Four to five years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $378 per credit
Other CAHIIM-accredited online bachelor’s degrees in health information management are available from:
- Augusta University (bachelor of health information administration [HIA] degree)
- Charter Oak State College (bachelor’s HIM degree)
- Clarkson College (bachelor’s HIA degree)
- CUNY School of Professional Studies (bachelor’s HIM degree)
- Davenport University (bachelor’s HIM degree)
- Fisher College (associate’s HIT degree)
- Parker University (bachelor’s HIM degree)
- Rasmussen College (associate HIT and bachelor’s HIM degrees)
- Stephens College (bachelor’s HIA degree and post-bachelor’s certificate programs)
- Weber State University (associate and bachelor’s HIM degree and certificate programs)
- Western Kentucky University (online bachelor’s HIM degrees)
Accredited Online HIM Master’s Degrees
The following programs are all CAHIIM-accredited. Please note that at the master’s degree level, some programs are in “health informatics.”
University of Maryland Global Campus
The UMGC in the Washington, D.C. area provides an online master’s degree in health information management & technology. This 36-credit program features instruction in health data management; the foundations of information security and assurance; research methods for healthcare managers; financial management for healthcare organizations; the legal aspects of healthcare administration; and relational database systems, among others.
- Location: Adelphi, MD
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $524 per credit (residents); $659 per credit (non-residents); $480 per credit (military)
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center
The UTHSC of Memphis offers a 61-credit online master’s degree in health informatics and information management. Classes include organization and administration; management affiliation; clinical foundations of health information management; reimbursement methodologies in healthcare; information technologies and systems; and quality management in healthcare services, among other subjects.
Graduates from this program have a 100 percent pass rate on the RHIA exam and go on to work in healthcare organizations, including the numerous healthcare facilities in Memphis and other areas.
- Location: Memphis, TN
- Duration: Two to three years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $9,144 per year (residents); $10,044 per year (non-residents)
East Carolina University of Greenville, South Carolina, offers an online master of science (MS) degree in health informatics and information management. Classes include training in electronic health records; database systems in healthcare; health information privacy and security; health data structures; evaluation methods in health informatics; and eHealthcare information systems, among other topics.
The GRE and GMAT are not required for admission, and students in this program have a 100 percent job placement rate.
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Duration: Two to three years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $263.83 per credit (residents); $994.33 per credit (non-residents)
Boston University has an online MS in computer information systems with a concentration in health informatics. This program features 40 credits of classes such as business data communication and networks; database design and implementation for business; information systems analysis and design; IT strategy and management; and training in programming languages such as Java and Python.
Graduates from this program are eligible to sit for the Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI) offered by AHIMA.
- Location: Boston, MA
- Duration: 18-24 months
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $30,525 per semester
The College of St. Scholastica of Duluth, Minnesota, offers an online MS in health information management. The 40-credit program features coursework in IT management ethics; IT project management; database methods; medical vocabulary and classification systems; healthcare data analytics; assessing healthcare quality; and strategic management in health, among other topics. Graduates from this program are eligible to sit for the RHIA exam.
- Location: Duluth, MN
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: CAHIIM
- Tuition: $658 per credit
Other CAHIIM-accredited online master’s degrees in health information management or informatics are available from:
Program Accreditation
Finally, aspiring health information management professionals are strongly encouraged to seek out accredited educational programs. Accreditation is a quality assurance process where an established, independent body evaluates programs and institutions. The predominant accreditation organization for HIM programs is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), which is nationally recognized. As of October 2022, there were 302 accredited online health information programs at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels.
Enrolling in an accredited program can impact a student’s ability to receive financial aid; transfer credits; enroll in graduate school; or achieve credentialing in one’s field. In fact, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) requires that candidates for its certifications (e.g., Registered Health Information Technician or RHIT) have graduated from a CAHIIM-accredited program or the equivalent.
