Accelerated Master of Biomedical Informatics Program (36-credits)
I. Degree Offered
The Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics degree is offered. The Accelerated SM program is completed in two academic semesters full-time or four academic semesters parttime.
II. Prerequisites for Admission
To apply to the Accelerated Master of Biomedical Informatics program, applicants must have received a PhD, MD, or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. Eligible doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to, the following: DDS, DMD, DO, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, DrPH, DNSc, PharmD, DSW, and PsyD. Medical students who are enrolled in a clinically based doctoral degree and hold a previous Bachelor's degree who are looking to take a research year are also eligible to apply
At the time of application, applicants must demonstrate, either through coursework, practical training, or other relevant experience, the following:
- Understanding of statistical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.
- Knowledge of computer science concepts.
Our most competitive applicants typically demonstrate working knowledge of R or Python, or another programming language. However, this is not a requirement at the time of application.
By the time of program start, applicants must be equipped with:
- A basic working knowledge of Python and/or R programming.
This includes, but is not limited to, familiarity with data structures and types, algorithmic thinking, and the ability to write functions, read and write data, and create plots with limited consultation of reference material.
International Student Requirements
International student applicants for whom English is not their native language must demonstrate English Language Proficiency by meeting one of the following requirements:
- Hold a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral degree from an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction.
- Obtain a score of 103 or higher on the TOEFL exam.
- Obtain a score of 7.5 or higher on the IELTS exam
- Obtain a score of 125 or higher on the Duolingo English Test
III. Course and Capstone Research Location Requirements
All didactic coursework counted towards the Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics degree must be a graduate-level course offered for enrollment at any of the graduate and professional schools at Harvard University, excluding courses through the Division of Continuing Education or the Harvard Summer School, or be a program-approved graduate-level course offered for degree-seeking students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All research undertaken for the capstone project must be under the supervision and mentorship of a Harvard University faculty member. All students must give their final capstone presentation on the date and through the platform specified by the program.
IV. Academic Credit Requirements
The full-time Accelerated Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics Program is completed in one academic year (fall semester and spring semester). Students enrolled in the full-time Accelerated SM program must be enrolled in a minimum of 16 credits per semester and may not exceed 20 credits in a single semester. Students in the full-time Accelerated SM program must be enrolled as full-time students for a minimum of two academic semesters in program-approved courses that meet program requirements. Full-time students may enroll in up to 22 total credits in the spring term with program approval. Full-time students may take coursework that does not meet a degree requirement so long as they do not exceed semester credit limits and do not exceed 42 total credits at the conclusion of the program. Any extension of time to degree will only be approved when a need for additional time is due to exceptional extenuating circumstances or is the result of a remediation plan set by the Program Director or Academic Progress and Review Board.
See Handbook Section 2.07 for more details on the length of time to degree.
The part-time Accelerated Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics Program is completed in two academic years (four academic semesters from September – May year one and September – May year two). Students enrolled in the part-time program must be enrolled in a minimum of 8 credits per semester. Part-time students may take coursework in addition to the degree requirements so long as they do not exceed 12 credits in any given semester and do not exceed 42 total credits at the conclusion of the program. Students in the part-time Accelerated SM program must be enrolled as part-time students for a minimum of 4 academic semesters in program-approved courses that meet program requirements. Any extension of time to degree will only be approved when a need for additional time is due to exceptional extenuating circumstances or is the result of a remediation plan set by the Program Director or Academic Progress and Review Board.
V. Course of Study - Accelerated (36-Credit) SM
A. Curriculum by term
The program follows the HMS Master's Programs Academic Calendar (Section 2.01).
Core Foundation Requirements (18 credits)
BMI 701: Foundations of Biomedical Informatics I (Fall; HMS: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 702: Foundations of Biomedical Informatics II (Spring; HMS: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 713: Computing Skills for Biomedical Sciences (Fall; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 715: Computational Statistics for Biomedical Sciences (Fall; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 751: Capstone Research I (Fall; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a SAT/UNSAT course.
BMI 752: Capstone Research II (Spring; HMS: 4 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a SAT/UNSAT course.
Emphasis Area Requirements (8 credits)
The Accelerated SM program has two areas that students can choose to emphasize in: Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics. 8 credits of coursework are determined by the student’s selected emphasis area. Students may also mix and match courses between the two emphasis areas to meet their unique educational goals. Students must complete their 8 credits of emphasis requirements from the list of courses below. All selected Bioinformatics/Data Science electives must be approved. Only 4 credits can be from the Bioinformatics/Data Science elective category.
APCOMP209A: Introduction to Data Science (Fall; FAS: 4 credits)
Strongly recommended to students entering with limited Python and/or general programming experience.
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course. Appropriate for either emphasis area.
MCB 111: Mathematics in Biology: (Fall; FAS: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course. Bioinformatics Emphasis
BIOSTAT 281: Genomic Data Manipulation: (Spring; HSPH: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course. Bioinformatics Emphasis
BST 282: Introduction to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics: (Fall; HSPH: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course. Bioinformatics Emphasis
BMI 720 + BMI 721 (Lab): Clinical Informatics I: Foundations of Clinical Informatics: (Fall; HMS: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course. Clinical Informatics Emphasis
BMI 741: Health Information Technology - From Ideation to Implementation: (Spring; HMS: 4 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course. Clinical Informatics Emphasis
Bioinformatics/Data Science Elective (4 credits). Course to be selected in consultation with the Program. Bioinformatics Emphasis
DBMI 2 cr. Course Requirement (6 credits)
Students in the Accelerated SM program complete 6 credits of coursework (3 courses) from the list of DBMI 2-credit ‘quarter courses’ below. Only the seven courses listed below may be used to fulfill the DBMI 2-credit Quarter Courses requirement. No substitutions are permitted.
Accelerated SM students interested in taking BMI 703 or BMI 709 in their first semester must have permission from the Program.
BMI 703: Precision Medicine I: Genomic Medicine (Fall; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 705: Precision Medicine II: Integrating Clinical and Genomic Data (Fall; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 709: Creating Biomedical Dashboards with R Shiny (Fall; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 704: Data Science for Medical Decision Making (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 706 Data Visualization for Biomedical Applications (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 707: Deep Learning for Biomedical Data (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 710: Single-cell analysis for functional genomics of disease (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
Program Elective (4 credits)
Students select an approved program elective of their choice. This can either be one 4-credit course, or two 2-credit courses. The program elective must be taken for a letter grade. Courses that do not offer a letter grade option will be reviewed and approved by the program on a caseby-case basis.
C. Expectations for students by term or year
Students will be formally evaluated in each course through oral and written work. Attendance is required for all course meetings (See Attendance Policy in Section 2.02).
Students may enroll in courses at other Harvard Schools or MIT, with the permission of those Schools and the guidance and permission of the Program Director.
A written final capstone research project is required.
D. Mentored research/capstone project
Each student is responsible for developing a capstone research project, including identifying a research mentor best suited to the student's research interests. Members of the Program Administration work with students to help them connect with potential mentors and meet the requirements of the capstone project. To reflect the capstone's purpose as a culminating project that actively utilizes the knowledge and skills attained in the program’s core curriculum, credit for completing the capstone will only be awarded in the final two semesters of study. Devoted time for working on the capstone project is reserved in the student schedule in the form of two credit hours during the student's penultimate semester and four credit hours in the final semester. Students are subject to the requirements outlined in the Capstone Handbook that the program provides to students in the semester that they begin the capstone project.
E. Assessment
Students receive a final grade for each course they take. In addition, students are evaluated throughout each course through regular homework assignments, class participation, and final projects that are presented orally and in written form.
The Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics program's own core and elective courses, courses with prefix BMI, at HMS will be graded with letter grades. A satisfactory grade is defined as a B- or better. The capstone project is graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, where Satisfactory is defined as a score of 80 % or higher.
Students will be required to cross-register for certain courses at other Harvard schools and may cross-register for additional electives at other Harvard Schools and MIT. Courses taken at other Harvard schools and MIT are graded in accordance with that school's policies. Students must achieve a satisfactory grade as it is defined by the SM program, a B- or better, in all crossregistered courses. All cross-registered courses being used to satisfy a program requirement, including program electives and selectives, must be taken for a letter grade.
To be in good academic standing, students must have no grade below satisfactory as outlined above, must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above in all graded courses, and must demonstrate ongoing progress with the capstone project as outlined in the Capstone Handbook. Failure to
meet these requirements will lead to academic disciplinary action and consequences as detailed in Section 3.03 of the HMS Master's Student Handbook.
F. Length of Time to Degree
Full-time accelerated SM students must be enrolled in a minimum of two academic semesters, and part-time students must be enrolled in a minimum of four academic semesters to meet the requirements of the degree. Students admitted to the Accelerated SM Program must select whether they will be completing the program part-time or full-time when they accept their offer of admission. Students are not permitted to change between full and part-time status or extend their time to degree unless the need to change is due to exceptional extenuating circumstances or is a requirement of a remediation plan set forth by the Program Director or Academic Progress and Review Board. Students who require student visa sponsorship from Harvard University must enroll as full-time students.
See Section 2.06 for definitions of full-and part-time and Section 2.07 for the policy on the length of time to degree.
G. Requirements for Graduation
To graduate, students must complete the curriculum that is set for their program. A degree will not be granted to a student who is not in good academic standing or against whom a disciplinary charge is pending. In addition, a student's term bill must be paid in full before the student is awarded a diploma.
VII. Advising
The Program Director, program faculty, capstone mentors, and program administrators will work together with all students individually to ensure that they meet the requirements of the program and that each has a rich educational experience while enrolled in the program. The Program Director or Program Administrator will meet with each student once a semester and will be available for additional meetings upon request.
VIII. Financial Aid
Limited scholarship resources are available through a training grant from the National Library of Medicine, NIH, for postdoctoral students. Recipients must be eligible to receive U.S. federal government support. Other discretionary resources may also be available.
Students who are enrolled at least half-time may be eligible for other federal or private aid. See Section 5.08 for additional financial aid information.
48-credit Master of Biomedical Informatics Program (48-credits)
I. Degree Offered
The Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics degree is offered. The 48-credit SM program is completed in three academic semesters full-time. The 48-credit SM program does not offer a part-time option.
II. Prerequisites for Admission
In order to apply for the 48-credit, post-baccalaureate program, students must receive a bachelor's degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution before the program start date and may not already hold a doctoral degree or equivalent in a relevant field (see Accelerated Master of Biomedical Informatics Program Prerequisites)
At the time of application, applicants must demonstrate, either through coursework, practical training, or other relevant experience, the following:
● Understanding of statistical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.
● Knowledge of computer science concepts.
Our most competitive applicants typically demonstrate working knowledge of R or Python, or another programming language. However, this is not a requirement at the time of application.
By the time of program start, applicants must be equipped with:
● A basic working knowledge of Python and/or R programming.
○ This includes, but is not limited to, familiarity with data structures and types, algorithmic thinking, and the ability to write functions, read and write data, and create plots with limited consultation of reference material.
Applicants to the 48-Credit SM program must hold an undergraduate degree. Undergraduate degree programs that prepare applicants for the program include but are not limited to:
● Bioinformatics
● Mathematics
● Computer Science
● Statistics
● Physics
● Engineering
Applicants are not eligible for the 48-Credit SM program if they already hold a doctoral-level degree. Potential applicants who hold a doctoral-level degree should apply to the Accelerated SM program.
International Student Requirements
International student applicants for whom English is not their native language must demonstrate English Language Proficiency by meeting one of the following requirements:
● Hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction.
● Obtain a score of 103 or higher on the TOEFL exam.
● Obtain a score of 7.5 or higher on the IELTS exam
● Obtain a score of 125 or higher on the Duolingo English Test
III. Course and Capstone Research Location Requirements
All didactic coursework counted towards the Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics degree must be a graduate-level course offered for enrollment at any of the graduate and professional schools at Harvard University, excluding courses through the Division of Continuing Education or the Harvard Summer School, or be a program-approved graduate-level course offered for degree-seeking students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All research undertaken for
the capstone project must be under the supervision and mentorship of a Harvard University faculty member. All students must give their final capstone presentation on the date and through the platform specified by the Program.
IV. Academic Credit Requirements
The 48-credit SM Program is completed in three academic semesters (Fall and Spring semesters year 1, Fall semester year 2). Students enrolled in the 48-credit SM Program must be enrolled in a minimum of 14 credits per semester and may not exceed 20 credits in a single semester. Students in the 48-credit SM Program must be enrolled as full-time students for a minimum of three academic semesters in program-approved courses that meet program requirements. Students may enroll in up to 22 credits in their second semester if they are in good academic standing and receive program approval. Students may take coursework in addition to the degree requirements so long as they do not exceed semester credit limits and do not exceed 56 total credits at the conclusion of the program. Any extension of time to degree will only be approved when a need for additional time is due to exceptional extenuating circumstances or is the result of a remediation plan set by the Program Director or Academic Progress and Review Board.
V. Course of Study – 48-credit SM Program
A. Curriculum by term
The program follows the HMS Master's Programs Academic calendar (Section 2.01).
Program Core Requirements
BMI 701: Foundations of Biomedical Informatics I (Fall Year 1; HMS: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 702: Foundations of Biomedical Informatics II (Spring Year 1; HMS: 4 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 713: Computing Skills for Biomedical Sciences (Fall Year 1; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 715: Computational Statistics for Biomedical Sciences (Fall Year 1; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 717: Conduct and Communication of Science (Fall Year 1; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course
BMI 718: Working with Scientific Literature (Spring Year 1; HMS: 2 credits)
BMI 751: Capstone Research I (Spring Year 1; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a SAT/UNSAT course.
BMI 752: Capstone Research II (Fall Year 2; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a SAT/UNSAT course.
Year 1 Fall Semester Selective Course
All students must select and complete one course for a letter grade from the following list based on their previous background and preparation (4 credits)
MCB 111: Mathematics in Biology (Fall Year 1; FAS: 4 credits)
APCOMP 209A: Introduction to Data Science I (Fall Year 1; FAS: 4 credits)
MIT 6 .8701: Computational Biology – Genomes, Networks, Evolution (Fall Year 1; MIT: 12 units)
MCB 60: Cellular Biology and Molecular Medicine (Fall Year 1; FAS: 4 credits)
MCB 63: Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine (Fall Year 1; FAS: 4 credits)
Year 1 Spring Semester Selective Course
All students must select and complete one course from the following list in the spring semester for a letter grade (4 credits)
APCOMP 209B: Introduction to Data Science 2 (Spring Year 1; FAS: 4 credits)
BIOSTAT 281: Genomic Data Manipulation (Spring Year 1; HSPH: 4 credits)
BST 282: Introduction to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (Spring Year 1; HSPH: 4 credits)
BMI 741: Health Information Technology – From Ideation to Implementation (Spring Year 1; HSPH: 4 credits)
HST 938: Global Health Informatics (Spring Year 1; MIT: 12 units)
HST 956: Machine Learning for Healthcare (Spring Year 1; MIT: 12 units)
DBMI 2 cr. Quarter Course Requirements
Over the course of the first-year spring semester and the second-year fall semester, students must complete five 2-credit quarter courses offered by the Department.
BMI 704: Data Science for Medical Decision Making (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 706 Data Visualization for Biomedical Applications (Spring or Fall; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 707: Deep Learning for Biomedical Data (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 710: Single-cell analysis for functional genomics of disease (Spring; HMS: 2 Credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 708: Precision Medicine (Spring; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
BMI 709: Creating Biomedical Dashboards with R Shiny (Fall; HMS: 2 credits)
Grade Criteria: This is a graded course.
Data Science Selective Courses
Students in the 48-credit SM program will select a total of 4 credits from a selection of data science courses determined by the program administration. This list will be shared with students prior to registration for their second fall semester. Students who wish to complete a data science selective in a term earlier than their second fall semester can only do so with permission from the program.
Program Elective Courses
Students in the 48-credit SM program will select 4 elective credits in courses that align with their educational interests and the objectives of the program. Selected course(s) must be approved by the program to count towards the degree. Students complete their program elective in the second fall semester. Students may complete their program elective in an earlier semester so long as they are in good academic standing and receive permission from the program.
B. Expectations for students by term or year
Students will be formally evaluated in each course, through oral and written work. Attendance is required for all course meetings (See Attendance Policy in Section 2.02).
Students may enroll in courses at other Harvard Schools, with the permission of those Schools and the guidance and permission of the Program Director and Course Director(s).
A written final capstone research project report is required.
C. Mentored research/capstone project
Each student is responsible for developing a capstone research project, including identifying a research mentor best suited to the student's research interests. Members of the Program Administration work with students to help them connect with potential mentors and meet the requirements of the capstone project. To reflect the capstone's purpose as a culminating project that actively utilizes the knowledge and skills attained in the core curriculum, credit for completing the capstone will only be awarded in the final two semesters of study. Devoted time for working on the capstone project is reserved in the student schedule in the form of two credit hours during the student's penultimate semester and four credit hours in the final semester. Students are subject to the requirements outlined in the Capstone Handbook that the program provides to students in the semester that they begin the capstone project.
D. Assessment
Students receive a final grade for each course they take. In addition, students are evaluated throughout each course through regular homework assignments, class participation, and final projects that are presented orally and in written form.
The Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics program's own core and elective courses, courses with prefix BMI, at HMS will be graded with letter grades. A satisfactory grade is defined as a B- or better. The capstone project is graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, where Satisfactory is defined as a numeric score of 80 or higher.
Students will be required to cross-register for certain courses at other Harvard schools and may cross-register for additional electives at other Harvard Schools and MIT. Courses taken at other Harvard schools and MIT are graded in accordance with that school's policies. Students must achieve a satisfactory grade as it is defined by HMS, a B- or better, in all cross-registered courses. All cross-registered courses being used to satisfy a program requirement, including program electives and selectives, must be taken for a letter grade.
To be in good academic standing, students must have no grade below satisfactory as outlined above, must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or above in all graded courses, and must demonstrate ongoing progress with the capstone project as outlined in the Capstone Handbook Failure to meet these requirements will lead to academic disciplinary action and consequences as detailed in Section 3.03 of the HMS Master's Student Handbook.
E. Length of Time to Degree
Students enrolled in the 48-credit SM program must be enrolled for a minimum of three full-time academic semesters to meet the requirements of the degree. Students are not permitted to extend their time to degree unless it is due to personal extenuating circumstances or the requirement of a remediation plan set forth by the Program Director or Academic Progress and Review Board.
See Section 2.06 for definitions of full-and part-time and Section 2.07 for the policy on length of time to degree.
G. Requirements for Graduation
To graduate, students must complete the curriculum as set for their program. A degree will not be granted to a student who is not in good academic standing or against whom a disciplinary charge is pending. In addition, a student's term bill must be paid in full before the student is awarded a diploma.
VII. Advising
The Program Director, program faculty, capstone mentors, and program administrators will work together with all students individually to ensure that they meet the requirements of the program and that each has a rich educational experience while enrolled in the program. The Program Director or Program Administrator meets with each student on an individual basis at least once each semester and are available for additional meetings upon request.
VIII. Financial Aid
Students who are enrolled at least half-time may be eligible for federal or private aid. See Section 5.08 for additional financial aid information. Other discretionary resources may also be available. Students are encouraged to search for sources of outside funding to support their studies.
