Distance Education MS in Biomedical Informatics

The Biomedical Informatics program offers a Honors Cooperative Program (HCP), a part-time, distance education Masters program. The HCP MS program is designed for working professionals, generally those employed in biomedical informatics or related fields. Other candidates may also apply. Note that the HCP MS is a regular MS degree awarded by Stanford University.

Students receive course content and interact via the Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD). It is highly recommended that candidates start by reviewing the information about this program on the Stanford Online website, especially their HCP student handbook. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider starting as a Non-Degree Option student (either a single course, or a three course certificate). Taking at least one of the BMI core courses before applying is recommended but not required.

Currently all of the curriculum content is available for fully-remote access. HCP MS students are allowed to attend class on campus if that is better for them. Remote access is not fully under BMI's control, and might change in the future; however, we would make every reasonable effort to accommodate alternatives if needed.

Meet the Students Panel

To learn more about our programs, consider attending the Meet the Students Panel.

Prerequisites

Please see the prerequisites page.

Degree Requirements

Our graduate curriculum is described here. Candidates may wish to begin with SCPD Certificate program in Biomedical informatics, or individual courses through the SCPD's Non-Degree Option. Up to 18 units of academic credit from relevant Certificate programs may be transferred upon acceptance into the degree program. In addition, you can complete some prerequisite coursework through SCPD, such as a Computer Science Certificate.

Students spend on average of 3.5 years in the program. The program must be completed within five years.

Switching MS Programs

Requests to transfer from part-tIme (HCP) to full-time (Academic MS) are reviewed by the BMI Executive Committee on a case-by-case basis. Final decisions are at BMI's discretion. Please note the following limitations (for students enrolling in the HCP program starting Fall 2020):

1. Students must complete a minimum of two (2) quarters in the part-time program excluding summer quarter or enrollment as a non-degree option student, before requesting to transfer to full-time. Therefore, the soonest the transfer can be discussed and approved is during the first BMI Exec meeting of the third quarter of the student in the HCP program
2. Students must complete a minimum of 10 units of letter-graded courses that meet requirements for the BMI MS degree before commencing their first full-time (Academic MS) quarter 
3. GPA will be considered as part of the request.
4. Students can make a maximum of two (2) transfers during the program (e.g. transfer from part-time to full-time and back to part-time).
5. Students should consider the availability of courses online before requesting to switch from full-time to part-time, especially if this may interfere with their ability to satisfy the requirements of the degree.

Tuition

The Stanford Center for Professional Development sets the tuition for all of the Honors Cooperative Programs. There is a three unit minimum enrollment per academic quarter. Check the latest tuition and fees at the Stanford Center for Professional Development website. The BMI program does not set rates or policies or collect tuition.

Funding

Some employers will support tuition for students enrolled in graduate studies while employed. Check with your Human Resources department for programs and policies. Students in the HCP MS program are not eligible for funding from many US government fellowships and other scholarships due to the required research component of the awards. Many student loan programs require full-time registration status. BMI does not provide financial aid for this program.

Application Instructions

Review the information on the Bioscience Application website.

Complete the Biosciences Application (same as PhD) online. Applications are accepted most of the year, and students can start any quarter except Summer. The deadlines for HCP applications are specific to this degree program, and are listed here. 

The GRE General Test score is not required and will not be considered if submitted. We do not require any GRE Subject Test scores. 

Deadline

Applications are accepted for admission each quarter except summer. The application deadlines are shown here:

Frequently Asked Questions

It is highly recommended that you review our Frequently Asked Questions page.