Western Governors U Offers New Online Degree in Health Informatics

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 06/20/08

Western Governors University, an online school with 10,000 students, has begun offering a science bachelor's degree in health informatics. This online degree combines healthcare with IT, to prepare the graduate to design, develop and operate health information systems.

The program's core components provide a knowledge base in IT fundamentals, IT management and healthcare. Two industry-recognized IT certifications are included as part of the program: the CompTIA A+ IT Technician and Certified Internet Web Professional (CIW) v5 Database Design Specialist.

The degree is intended for people already in the healthcare profession seeking to develop health informatics and technology skills or for those who are already in IT and who are seeking knowledge of the healthcare field. This program was created to bridge the gap between healthcare and information technology by building competencies in both areas.

The school said in a statement that students who already have knowledge or associate degrees in either area may be able to complete their degree in two to three years. Expected time to completion for students with little or no college experience is four to five years.