About the Program
Health Care Information Systems (HCIS) entails a wide array of skills needed to use and support computer systems used by hospitals, clinics, and health systems to provide care to the sick and injured. The field calls for professionals with knowledge of the health care industry, network administration, database administration, data querying and analysis, and support of clinical information systems, including the electronic medical record (EMR).
Graduates will be qualified to take a leadership role in the information systems services of a health care organization, a health data analysis team, or an entrepreneurial venture in the health care industry. All courses specified in the major must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. A minor is not required to complete this degree program.
Career Opportunities
Health Care Information Systems (HCIS) graduates have a variety of health care career opportunities as leaders in public and private sectors. Below are a few examples:
- Hospitals
- Aging Services
- Physician Groups
- Emergency Medical Services
- Clinics
Career Outlook
Health care is a growing field that enables people to make a good living. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in May 2020 the median annual wage was $104,280. Employment is projected to grow 32 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Health Care Information Systems (HCIS) Major
The Health Care Information Systems (HCIS) Major requires the following courses and electives. In addition to the courses listed below, many courses will require prerequisite courses prior to registration.
Summary of Major Requirements
Required Core Courses: 54 Credits
Required Elective Courses: 9 Credits
Total for Major: 63 Credits
Course Information
- CIS 2010 – Foundations of Information Systems (Credits: 3)
- CIS 2110 – Structured Problem Solving in Information Systems (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3030 – Business Web Page Development (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3060 – Database Management Systems (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3230 – Telecommunication Systems and Networking (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3460 – Data Warehousing and Mining (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3500 – Information Systems Security (Credits: 3)
- CIS 4030 – Web Site Administration (Credits: 3)
AND
- (27 semester hours from the health care management curriculum)
- HCM 3030 – Health Care Jurisprudence (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3150 – Health Care Organization and Management (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3400 – Human Resources Management in Health Care (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3500 – Health Care Research Methods (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3600 – Health Information Systems (Credits: 3)
- HCM 4030 – Financial Management in Health Care (Credits: 3)
- HCM 4150 – Electronic Medical Record Applications and Support (Credits: 3)
- HCM 4300 – Strategic Management in Health Care (Credits: 3)
- HCM 4350 – Health Care Information Systems Applications (Credits: 3)
- CIS 4920 – Health Care Information Systems Internship (Credits: 3)
OR - HCM 4920 – Health Care Information Systems Internship (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3050 – Fundamentals of Systems Analysis and Design (Credits: 3)
- CIS 3145 – Business Application Development (Credits: 3)
- CIS 4060 – Advanced Database Management Systems (Credits: 3)
- CIS 4260 – Database Administration (Credits: 3)
- CIS 4280 – Network Installation and Administration (Credits: 3)
- CIS 4370 – Data Science and Big Data Analytics (Credits: 3)
- HCM 2500 – Health Care Management Foundations, Professionalism, and Applications (Credits: 3)
- HCM 3200 – Managing Quality in Health Care (Credits: 2)
- HCM 3550 – Leadership in Health Care (Credits: 1)
- HCM 3800 – Long-Term Care: Managing Across the Continuum (Credits: 3)
Accreditation
Academic Accreditation is an assurance of the quality of an academic program. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, including Colorado and 18 other states. The mission of the HLC is to serve the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning. For more information, please visit the Higher Learning Commission.
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Mailing Address
Department of Health Professions
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Campus Box 33, PO Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
