Health Information Management Graduate Certificate Programs

Updated: Jan 15, 2024

A Health Information Management (HIM) graduate certificate teaches students how to manage data. This includes collecting, retrieving, managing, exchanging, and storing information. Many students earning a health information graduate certificate are already working in healthcare, and want to move forward in their careers. A graduate certificate in health information management (sometimes referred to as a post-master’s or post-graduate certificate) can often be earned online on a part- or full-time basis, allowing professionals to advance their education on their own time. Upon completion of an online graduate certificate program in this field, students may decide to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) exam. Students who are interested in taking this exam need to ensure that their program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

What Are the Online Health Information Management Graduate Certificate Requirements?

Some health information management graduate certificate programs are competitive. Work experience, undergraduate GPA, volunteer experience, and other factors can all play roles in how likely a student is to be admitted to an online post-graduate certificate program. If an applicant is missing some of the requirements for admission to a program, it’s a good idea to reach out to the program director.

Requirements for admission to a school’s online health information management graduate certificate program may include:

Bachelor’s and master’s degree from an accredited university
GPA of 2.75 or higher
Prerequisite courses that may include statistics, algebra, anatomy/physiology, and accounting
Statement of purpose
Resume/CV

What Type of Classes Are Included in the Online Health Information Management Graduate Certificate Curriculum?

In an HIM grad certificate program, students study aspects of information technology, data, healthcare principles, business, and more. This certificate is a unique intersection of many of the facets that make up a successful healthcare organization.

Required HIM graduate certificate program classes may include:

Medical terminology
Health data management
Introduction to coding
Performance improvement
Electronic health records
Informatics project management
Scientific and clinical data management

What Type of Career Can I Pursue with an Online Health Information Management Graduate Certificate?

Some students in health information management graduate certificate programs are working to further a career in healthcare administration/informatics, while others earning the certificate are working to begin a career in the healthcare field. Many professionals who earn graduate certificates choose to work toward a doctoral degree, further opening up their career opportunities.

Careers available to professionals who have completed an online HIM graduate certificate program may include:

Medical and Health Services Manager: A medical and health services manager coordinates the daily operations of a healthcare organization. Professionals in this role need to have an understanding of how to store and access health data.
Patient Information Coordinator: A patient information coordinator works to ensure that health information is collected, stored, and accessed in a way that allows for the best patient outcomes possible.
Health Information Management Consultant: Some health information management professionals work for consulting businesses, traveling from organization to organization to provide insight into how to improve information management systems.