Master’s Degree Curriculum

All required courses must be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of the Journal Clubs, Biomedical Informatics Colloquiums and some Independent and/or Research Studies (to be determined by faculty advisors). A minimum grade of “B” is required in all graduate courses. The Master’s committee may waive course requirements that have been satisfied through prior university-level study, in accordance with the Committee on Graduate Studies guidelines. A trainee must comply with the regulations of the University of Pittsburgh (https://www.citi.pitt.edu/),  as well as those regulations established by the biomedical informatics faculty. We expect that the average full time trainee will complete the degree in two years.

Up to 6 credits – grade “B” or better – from another institution or another department within the University of Pittsburgh can be considered for transfer towards the Biomedical Informatics Master’s degree. Acceptance of transfer credit must be discussed between the trainee and the advisor, and approved by Chair of Curriculum Committee.

The Master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics requires at least 36 credits that include 18 credits of required coursework, 1 credit of journal club, 3 credits of research, and 14 or more credits from additional courses, independent study, etc.

  • Foundations (15 required credits)
  • Research Skills (4 required credits)
  • Research (3 credits)
  • Elective Courses (14 or more credits)

Additional Requirements

  • Biomedical Informatics Colloquium (0 credit): The colloquium will showcase presentations from DBMI researchers and invited speakers from across campus and beyond. It will meet weekly for one hour during the Fall and Spring terms. Minimum 75% attendance is required of all trainees.
  • Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research: This Web-based set of instructions and evaluation modules may be accessed at http://www.ctsi.pitt.edu/RCR/index.shtml.
  • Attendance at and participation in the Department Biomedical Informatics’ invited lectures, symposia, conferences, etc, e.g., and the Annual Training Program Retreat.

Foundations

(15 required credits)

BIOINF 2070 Foundations of Biomedical Informatics 1 (3 credits)
BIOINF 2071 Foundations of Biomedical Informatics 2 (3 credits)
BIOINF 2118 Statistical Foundations of Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)
CS 1501 Algorithm Implementation (3 credits)
CS 2710 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)

Research Skills

(4 Required Credits)

BIOINF 2032 Biomedical Informatics Journal Club (1 credit)
BIOINF 2134 Publication and Presentation in Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)

Research

(3 Credits)

BIOINF 2480 MS Research Project (3 credits) 

Elective Courses

(14 or more credits)

BIOINF 2016 Foundations of Translational Bioinformatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2018 Introduction to R Programming for Scientific Research (3 credits)
BIOINF 2021 Human-Computer Interaction and Evaluation (3 credits)
BIOINF 2103 Design & Analysis of Biomarker Study (3 credits)
BIOINF 2117 Applied Clinical Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2124 Principles of Global Health Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2125 Informatics and Industry (1 credit)
BIOINF 2129 Internship in Global Health Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2990 Master’s Independent Study

Proposed 2-Year Masters Schedule for Biomedical Informatics Courses 

YEAR 1

Fall – Year 1 Spring – Year 1 Summer – Year 1
BIOINF 2070 Foundations of Biomedical Informatics 1 (3 credits) BIOINF 2071 Foundations of Biomedical Informatics 2 (3 credits) BIOINF 2480 MS Research Project (3 credits)
BIOINF 2032 Biomedical Informatics Journal Club (1 credit) BIOINF 2118 Statistical Foundations of Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)
CS 1501 Algorithm Implementation (3 credits) Elective course(s) or BIOINF 2990 independent study
BIOINF 2105 Artificial Intelligence for Biomedical Informatics (3 credits) Milestone: Nominate Masters Committee

YEAR 2

Fall – Year 2 Spring – Year 2
BIOINF 2134 Publication and Presentation in Biomedical Informatics (3 credits) Elective courses(s) BIOINF 2990 Independent Study
Elective courses(s) or BIOINF 2990 Independent Study
Milestone: Propose Masters Research Project Milestone: Masters Research Project Defense