Best Master Degree Programs in Health Information Management and Informatics: HIMDegree.com tracks 48 matching CAHIIM-accredited programs at 46 institutions across 30 states, 45 with institution-documented online delivery and 15 campus capable for a placed practicum. The 25 highest scoring institutions are ranked below, each linked directly to its official program page. Programs are scored with our seven-factor Program Quality Index: curriculum rigor (18%), practicum and internship requirements (17%), faculty credentials (15%), accreditation status (15%), technology and software training (15%), career outcomes (10%), and cost value (10%). Every input is published by the institution or its accreditor, so scores are reproducible. Our 2026 survey of 1,127 graduates found 91% employed within six months and 87% of employers requiring RHIA or RHIT. Last reviewed August 2026.
The master degree in this field is worth it for a specific reason or it is not worth it at all. Valid reasons: you are moving into informatics, analytics, or a director track that names the credential. Invalid reason: you are hoping it substitutes for the RHIA you never sat for. It does not, and it costs roughly twenty times more.
The ranking
One entry per institution, ordered by Program Quality Index score. Where an institution runs several matching programs we show its strongest. Every program below holds CAHIIM accreditation, and the full method is published on our methodology page.
Filter all 48 matching accredited programs
The ranking above shows the top institutions. This table holds every matching program in our database. All are CAHIIM-accredited.
Showing all 48 programs.
| Score | Institution | Program | Level | Location | Delivery | CAHIIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.2 | Loma Linda University | Health Informatics | Master | Loma Linda, CA | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 85.2 | University of Washington | Health Informatics | Master | Seattle, WA | Campus Based | Initial |
| 83.6 | State University of New York at Oswego | Health Informatics | Master | Oswego, NY | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 83.6 | University Of Pittsburgh | Health Informatics | Master | Pittsburgh, PA | Online | Initial |
| 83.2 | Grand Canyon University | Health Informatics | Master | Phoenix, AZ | Online | Initial |
| 82.6 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Health Informatics | Master | Columbia, SC | Campus Based, Online | Continuing |
| 81.6 | Marshall University | Health Informatics | Master | Huntington, WV | Campus Based | Initial |
| 81.6 | University of Minnesota | Health Informatics | Master | Minneapolis, MN | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 81.6 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Health Informatics | Master | Columbia, MO | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 81.6 | University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus | Health Information Management | Master | San Juan, PR | Campus Based | Continuing |
| 81.6 | University of Texas - Houston | Health Informatics | Master | Houston, TX | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 81.2 | Indiana University | Health Informatics | Master | Indianapolis, IN | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 80.6 | George Mason University Health Informatics | Health Informatics | Master | Fairfax, VA | Campus Based, Online | Continuing |
| 80.6 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Health Informatics | Master | Chicago, IL | Online | Continuing |
| 79.6 | Kent State University | Health Informatics | Master | Kent, OH | Online | Initial |
| 79.6 | Medical University of South Carolina | Health Informatics | Master | Charleston, SC | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 79.6 | University of Mississippi Medical Center | Health Informatics | Master | Jackson, MS | Online | Initial |
| 79.2 | East Carolina University | Health Informatics | Master | Greenville, NC | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 79.2 | The College of St. Scholastica | Health Information Management | Master | Duluth, MN | Online | Continuing |
| 78.6 | Oregon Health & Science University | Health Informatics | Master | Portland, OR | Online | Continuing |
| 78.2 | CUNY School of Professional Studies | Health Information Management | Master | New York, NY | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 77.6 | Boston University | Health Informatics | Master | Boston, MA | Campus Based, Online | Initial |
| 77.6 | Dakota State University | Health Information Management | Master | Madison, SD | Online | Initial |
| 77.6 | Temple University | Health Informatics | Master | Philadelphia, PA | Online | Initial |
| 77.6 | University of Cincinnati | Health Informatics | Master | Cincinnati, OH | Online | Initial |
| 77.6 | University of South Florida | Health Informatics | Master | Tampa, FL | Online | Initial |
| 77.2 | The College of St. Scholastica | Health Informatics | Master | Duluth, MN | Online | Initial |
| 77.2 | University of Central Florida | Health Informatics | Master | Orlando, FL | Online | Initial |
| 77.2 | University of Kansas Medical Center | Health Informatics | Master | Kansas City, KS | Online | Initial |
| 76.2 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | Health Information Management | Master | Weatherford, OK | Online | Initial |
| 76.2 | William Carey University | Health Information Management | Master | Hattiesburg, MS | Online | Initial |
| 76.0 | Davenport University | Health Information Management | Master | Grand Rapids, MI | Online | Continuing |
| 76.0 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Health Information Management | Master | Adelphi, MD | Online | Continuing |
| 75.6 | Adelphi University | Health Informatics | Master | Garden City, NY | Online | Initial |
| 75.6 | Johns Hopkins University | Health Informatics | Master | Baltimore, MD | Online | Initial |
| 75.6 | The University of Scranton | Health Informatics | Master | Scranton, PA | Online | Initial |
| 75.6 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Health Informatics | Master | Birmingham, AL | Online | Initial |
| 74.2 | Rutgers University | Health Information Management | Master | Piscataway, NJ | Online | Initial |
| 74.2 | Southern New Hampshire University | Health Information Management | Master | Manchester, NH | Online | Initial |
| 74.0 | Louisiana Tech University | Health Informatics | Master | Ruston, LA | Online | Initial |
| 73.6 | Florida International University | Health Informatics | Master | Miami, FL | Online | Initial |
| 73.6 | Nova Southeastern University | Health Informatics | Master | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Online | Initial |
| 73.6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Health Informatics | Master | Edwardsville, IL | Online | Initial |
| 72.2 | Texas State University | Health Information Management | Master | Round Rock, TX | Online | Initial |
| 71.6 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Health Information Management | Master | Chicago, IL | Online | Initial |
| 71.6 | University of Tennessee Health Science Center | Health Information Management | Master | Memphis, TN | Online | Continuing |
| 69.6 | Vanderbilt University School of Medicine | Health Informatics | Master | Nashville, TN | Online | Initial |
| 68.6 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Health Information Management | Master | Lowell, MA | Online | Initial |
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Loma Linda University · California
- Location
- Loma Linda, CA
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Debra Hamada
- Director credentials
- EdD, MA, RHIA
- Next review
- 2030-2031
Master · On campus
Health Informatics
University of Washington · Washington
- Location
- Seattle, WA
- Delivery
- Campus Based
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Karima Lalani
- Director credentials
- PhD, MBA, RHIA, FACHE
- Next review
- 2027-2028
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
State University of New York at Oswego · New York
- Location
- Oswego, NY
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Isabelle Bichindaritz
- Director credentials
- PhD, CPHIIMS
- Next review
- 2031-2032
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University Of Pittsburgh · Pennsylvania
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Dilhari Dealmeida
- Director credentials
- PhD, RHIA
- Next review
- 2032-2033
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Grand Canyon University · Arizona
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Pamela Hess
- Director credentials
- DBA, MA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS
- Next review
- 2033-2034
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of South Carolina - Columbia · South Carolina
- Location
- Columbia, SC
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Continuing
- Program director
- Robert Brookshire
- Director credentials
- Ph.D.
- Next review
- 2026-2027
Master · On campus
Health Informatics
Marshall University · West Virginia
- Location
- Huntington, WV
- Delivery
- Campus Based
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Alberto Coustasse
- Director credentials
- Dr.PH, MD, MBA, MPH
- Next review
- 2032-2033
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of Minnesota · Minnesota
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Constantin Aliferis
- Director credentials
- MD, PhD, FACMI
- Next review
- 2029-2030
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of Missouri - Columbia · Missouri
- Location
- Columbia, MO
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Fares Alahdab
- Director credentials
- MD, MS, MSc, FAHA
- Next review
- 2029-2030
Master · On campus
Health Information Management
University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus · Puerto Rico
- Location
- San Juan, PR
- Delivery
- Campus Based
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Continuing
- Program director
- Amarilis Rivas
- Director credentials
- Ed.D., RHIA
- Next review
- 2029-2030
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of Texas - Houston · Texas
- Location
- Houston, TX
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Susan Fenton
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2029-2030
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Indiana University · Indiana
- Location
- Indianapolis, IN
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Saptarshi Purkayastha
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2029-2030
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
George Mason University Health Informatics · Virginia
- Location
- Fairfax, VA
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Continuing
- Program director
- Janusz Wojtusiak
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2027-2028
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of Illinois at Chicago · Illinois
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Continuing
- Program director
- Kal Pasupathy
- Director credentials
- PhD, FAMIA
- Next review
- 2030-2031
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Kent State University · Ohio
- Location
- Kent, OH
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Meghan Harper
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2030-2031
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Medical University of South Carolina · South Carolina
- Location
- Charleston, SC
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Abby Kazley
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2027-2028
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of Mississippi Medical Center · Mississippi
- Location
- Jackson, MS
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Lisa Morton
- Director credentials
- PhD, MLIS, RHIA
- Next review
- 2026-2027
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
East Carolina University · North Carolina
- Location
- Greenville, NC
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Robert Campbell
- Director credentials
- Ed.D., CPHIMS, FHIR Proficient
- Next review
- 2027-2028
Master · Online available
Health Information Management
The College of St. Scholastica · Minnesota
- Location
- Duluth, MN
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Continuing
- Program director
- Katie Kerr
- Director credentials
- EdD, RHIA
- Next review
- 2032-2033
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Oregon Health & Science University · Oregon
- Location
- Portland, OR
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Continuing
- Program director
- William Hersh
- Director credentials
- MD
- Next review
- 2030-2031
Master · Online available
Health Information Management
CUNY School of Professional Studies · New York
- Location
- New York, NY
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Memory Ndanga
- Director credentials
- PhD, RHIA
- Next review
- 2030-2031
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Boston University · Massachusetts
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Delivery
- Campus Based, Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Lou Chitkushev
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2027-2028
Master · Online available
Health Information Management
Dakota State University · South Dakota
- Location
- Madison, SD
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Renae Spohn
- Director credentials
- PhD, MBA, RHIA, CPHQ, CPHI, FAHIMA, FNAHQ
- Next review
- 2027-2028
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
Temple University · Pennsylvania
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Bari Dzomba
- Director credentials
- PhD
- Next review
- 2032-2033
Institution does not publish a direct program page
Master · Online available
Health Informatics
University of Cincinnati · Ohio
- Location
- Cincinnati, OH
- Delivery
- Online
- Accreditation
- CAHIIM Initial
- Program director
- Victoria Wangia-Anderson
- Director credentials
- PhD, FHIMSS, CHDA
- Next review
- 2029-2030
Can you get a health information management master degree online?
Yes, and online is now the default rather than the exception. The overwhelming majority of accredited master programs in this field are documented by their institutions as fully online, because the student population is working professionals. Our database flags the delivery format each institution publishes for each program.
Is a master in health information management worth it?
It depends on what you are buying. Our 2026 survey put median starting salary for master graduates at $85,000 against $75,000 for bachelor graduates. That $10,000 gap is real, but it is an average across people who mostly already had experience. If the degree moves you from records management into informatics or analytics, it pays for itself quickly. If you are using it to escape a job you could have escaped with a CHDA and a SQL course, you are overpaying by about $40,000.
MS in Health Informatics or MS in Health Information Management?
Informatics leans technical: systems, data, interoperability, analytics. HIM leans governance and management: compliance, revenue integrity, department leadership. Read the actual course list rather than the degree title, because several institutions use the names close to interchangeably and the curricula diverge more than the titles suggest.
Do you need an RHIA before a master degree?
Not formally, and many programs admit students from nursing, IT, and business backgrounds. But the graduates who get the most out of these programs are the ones who already hold RHIA or RHIT, because the coursework assumes you understand how a health record is actually built and governed. Coming in without that, you will spend the first semester catching up on vocabulary.
How we scored these programs
The HIM Program Quality Index 2026 distributes 100 points across seven factors. Every factor is derived from information the institution or CAHIIM publishes, which means any score here is reproducible and any disagreement with it can be specific rather than vague.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum rigor | 18% | Breadth and depth of the published curriculum across coding, data, law, and systems coursework, judged from what the institution documents. |
| Practicum and internship requirements | 17% | Whether supervised professional practice experience is required, and how substantial the institution documents it to be. |
| Faculty credentials | 15% | Credential stack of the named program director, weighted for doctoral qualification, RHIA, and AHIMA fellowship. |
| Program accreditation status | 15% | CAHIIM accreditation maturity, using status and the length of the next review cycle as the signal. |
| Technology and software training | 15% | Documented instruction in EHR systems, analytics tooling, databases, and health information exchange. |
| Career outcomes and placement | 10% | Credential eligibility produced by the degree and the strength of the regional employer pipeline. |
| Cost value | 10% | Public and community college delivery treated as the affordability proxy, since net price varies by residency and aid. |
Why CAHIIM accreditation is the floor, not the recommendation
Every program on this page is CAHIIM-accredited, and that is a precondition rather than a distinction. Accreditation is what makes you eligible to sit for RHIA or RHIT, and our 2026 survey found 87% of employers required one of those credentials. There is no experience-based alternative route to either exam, which means a non-accredited program closes the credential path permanently.
What accreditation does not tell you is whether the practicum is well organized, whether the certification pass rate is good, or whether the program teaches any data skills. Those differences between accredited programs are large, and they are what our index is built to detect. Our full accreditation guide explains how to verify a program and how to read its accreditation status.
What this index does not measure
This is the section most ranking sites omit, which is why we lead with it. The index does not capture teaching quality, graduate salaries, admission selectivity, financial aid generosity, or job placement rates. It cannot, because those are either unpublished, self-reported by the institution, or both.
It also does not price the program. Cost is the single largest variable in whether this degree pays off, and it varies by residency, aid, and year in ways a national score cannot represent. Get the actual number from the institution and weight it more heavily than anything on this page.
How to use this list properly
Treat it as a starting shortlist rather than a verdict. The next steps decide the outcome, and they involve talking to people rather than reading rankings.
- Confirm CAHIIM accreditation with the accreditor directly, not from the program's marketing page.
- Ask who arranges the practicum. A program that leaves you to find your own site is a materially different product.
- Ask where recent students were placed and how many were hired by their placement site.
- Ask for the program's certification pass rate, and treat reluctance to discuss it as an answer.
- Count the required courses that involve hands-on data work. Fewer than three in 2026 is a warning.
- Compare total net cost after aid, not sticker price. Accredited programs confer identical eligibility.
What this means for you
A ranking narrows a shortlist. It does not make the decision, and in this field the gap between those two things is wider than usual, because two CAHIIM-accredited programs at the same level confer identical exam eligibility. The exam does not know where you studied, and neither does the applicant tracking system that screens you.
That has a direct consequence for how you should weight what you have just read. Score differences of a few points between accredited programs are far less important than whether a program arranges your practicum, what it costs you after aid, and whether it teaches you to work with data. Our index weights practicum at 17% and cost value at 10% precisely because those are the factors that move outcomes, and it weights institutional prestige at zero because it does not.
On compensation, use two reference points rather than one. The federal figure for the occupation most graduates enter, Medical Records Specialists (SOC 29-2072), is a national median of $51,140 per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. That number blends entry clerical roles with credentialed specialists and excludes management, so it understates a credentialed career. Our own 2026 survey of 1,127 graduates found median starting salaries of $62,000 for accredited associate graduates and $75,000 for bachelor graduates. Both are accurate; they measure different populations.
The single highest-value action available to most readers of this page is not choosing a better-ranked program. It is committing now to sit the certification exam within six months of graduating, because 87% of employers require RHIA or RHIT and the filter is automatic. See our full research findings for the evidence behind that.
Related rankings
Best HIM Certificate Programs
Short accredited credentials in health information, digital health, clinical documentation, and credentialing. The fastest route into the field, and the easiest one to misuse.
RankingBest Associate in HIM Programs
The two-year accredited degree that makes you eligible for the RHIT exam. This is the largest category in the field by a wide margin.
RankingBest Bachelor in HIM Programs
The four-year accredited degree behind RHIA eligibility, and the credential most HIM management postings name directly.
RankingBest Doctorate in HIM and Health Informatics Programs
Research and executive doctorates in health informatics, biomedical informatics, and health data science.
RankingBest HIM Programs
The flagship ranking. Every accredited health information management degree in our database, scored and ordered.
RankingBest Health Informatics Programs
Accredited health informatics degrees and digital health credentials, concentrated at the graduate level and delivered mostly online.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get a health information management master degree online?
Yes, and online is now the default rather than the exception. The overwhelming majority of accredited master programs in this field are documented by their institutions as fully online, because the student population is working professionals. Our database flags the delivery format each institution publishes for each program.
Is a master in health information management worth it?
It depends on what you are buying. Our 2026 survey put median starting salary for master graduates at $85,000 against $75,000 for bachelor graduates. That $10,000 gap is real, but it is an average across people who mostly already had experience. If the degree moves you from records management into informatics or analytics, it pays for itself quickly. If you are using it to escape a job you could have escaped with a CHDA and a SQL course, you are overpaying by about $40,000.
MS in Health Informatics or MS in Health Information Management?
Informatics leans technical: systems, data, interoperability, analytics. HIM leans governance and management: compliance, revenue integrity, department leadership. Read the actual course list rather than the degree title, because several institutions use the names close to interchangeably and the curricula diverge more than the titles suggest.
Do you need an RHIA before a master degree?
Not formally, and many programs admit students from nursing, IT, and business backgrounds. But the graduates who get the most out of these programs are the ones who already hold RHIA or RHIT, because the coursework assumes you understand how a health record is actually built and governed. Coming in without that, you will spend the first semester catching up on vocabulary.
How did you choose these programs?
Every program in our database is CAHIIM-accredited and scored with our seven-factor Program Quality Index, using only attributes published by institutions or their accreditor. We list one entry per institution so a single large department does not fill the ranking.
Does a higher score mean I will get a better job?
No. The index measures documented program characteristics, not graduate outcomes. It is a research tool for narrowing a shortlist, and it should be followed by contacting programs directly and asking about practicum placement and certification pass rates.
Why is a program I expected to see missing?
Our database covers CAHIIM-accredited programs, so non-accredited programs do not appear by design. A program may also rank lower if the institution does not publish director credentials or delivery detail, which the index treats as a weaker signal.
Is CAHIIM accreditation really necessary?
For certification, yes, and it is the one decision that cannot be corrected later. Graduating from a CAHIIM-accredited program is the only route to RHIA or RHIT eligibility, with no experience-based alternative. Our 2026 survey found 87% of employers required one of those credentials.