MSc Health Informatics

When should you apply?

Entry Point Deadline 
September 2025 January 15, 2025

How to apply?

To apply, you need to complete a UVic Graduate Studies online application.

Step 1

Standard UVic Graduate Studies Application Package (Admission to a Master's degree):

    • You will need to obtain the appropriate transcripts, assessment reports, test scores and other documents as outlined in the application package.

    • If you are an international applicant, please visit the UVic Graduate admissions page for the information on minimum requirements, proper submission of your documents, Language proficiency, visas, and more.

Step 2

Additional materials required by Health Information Science:

     1. Letter of Intent (1-2 pages) which:

    • provides your rationale for wanting to pursue a MSc in Health Informatics;

    • should include your thoughts on how you will use the knowledge learned from this program in your workplace;

    • your thoughts on ways the program will improve or change your career

     2. Personal Resume (maximum 4 pages) which includes:

    • your educational background, employment history, professional/academic affiliations and other achievements such as publications or awards.

Step 3

Submit the online Graduate Studies Application Package along with the school’s requirements to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office (GARO).

Information and program requirements

General

  • Both the on-campus and distributed streams of the MSc programs require a minimum of 16.5 units of coursework, including a research project or thesis.
  • Both streams consist of graduate-level online Health Informatics courses.
  • Both streams require registration in HINF 598 (Research Project) or HINF 599 (Thesis) each term.  We have three terms per year.   Registration in HINF 598 or 599 is considered full-time registration.  Students may add as many additional HINF courses as they wish each term once they have registered for HINF 598 or 599.  Many of our working students use this flexibility to balance their course load and workplace demands.

See Graduate Calendar for program requirements (use the calendar of the year and term you began your studies) for details.

For the current term’s MSc program requirements see:

Understanding our 2 MSc Streams:

Distributed MSc - (online courses + in-person workshop)

Courses in this stream are offered in our online, synchronous (live) classroom.   Our online courses meet once a week in the evenings (Pacific).   This stream has a one-time, in-person workshop requirement, which is usually completed in the first year.  This stream offers both the research project and thesis option.  This stream has a non-standard tuition.

 

On-Campus MSc - (online courses + 2 in-person courses)

Most of the courses in this stream are offered in our online, synchronous (live) classroom.   Our online courses meet once a week in the evenings (Pacific).  This stream requires 2 in-person courses (HINF 573 and 580).  HINF 573 and 580 usually meet face-to-face on campus once a week during the workday (Pacific).  In this stream, only 3 units of the 16.5 units required for the degree are in the face-to-face format.   There is no workshop requirement for students in this stream although students are welcome to attend if they wish.   This stream offers both the research project and thesis option.  This stream has standard tuition. This stream is meant for students who are local to Victoria.   Applicants considering re-location to Victoria may wish to examine cost of living as a decision factor.

 

Selecting a supervisor

Applicants are not required to have a supervisor at the time of application.

Your relationship with your academic supervisor is a significant part of the graduate experience because you will work with your supervisor from start to finish.

Students are encouraged to take some time in their first term to think about what area of research they would like to pursue in their major project or thesis before taking on a specific topic and supervisor. This exploration can involve talking to the School’s faculty, checking their research profiles, reading their publications, attending faculty research presentations and setting appointments with potential supervisors - either in person or on the phone, in order to find out more about their expertise and availability to supervise.

Students are encouraged to first approach a number of faculty to see who might be available and who might fit best with their project or thesis interests and educational needs before selecting a supervisor. Once a student has found a regular faculty member willing to be their supervisor, they are to then inform the  by e-mail, copying the faculty member. Students should have arranged for a supervisor at the latest by end of their second term.

Thesis or research project?

We encourage you to start planning your research project or thesis as early as term 1. This will give you sufficient lead time to think through the topic/scope and approach, present your proposal for feedback, as well as to work through the ethics approval/waiver process.

What is a research project?

  • Similar to a thesis, although instead of a research question there is a particular issue or problem that needs investigation.
  • The project findings may be a value to a project sponsor or health care organization.

Goals

  • To develop mastery of the skills required to complete a complex project in a specific area of study.
  • May be undertaken within the student’s place of employment and to demonstrate a high level of achievement in the application of advanced knowledge in the field being studied.

Academic credit

  • The research project is worth 3 units of credit.

Process

  • Your supervisor will guide you through the steps of preparing your proposal.
  • Any research involving human subjects or their data requires ethical review.
  • An oral examination is required at completion of the project.

Exceptional students with supervisor and director approval may work on a thesis rather than a research project.

Goals

Enable the student to:

  • Critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline;
  • Evaluate and develop critiques of methodologies;
  • Propose new hypotheses, where appropriate.

A thesis requires a high degree of self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.

Academic Credit

The thesis is worth 6 units of credit.

Process

  • Your supervisor will guide you through the steps of preparing your proposal.

  • Any research involving human subjects or their data requires ethical review.

  • An oral examination is required upon completion of the thesis once the supervisory committee has agreed that the thesis is examinable.

For more information: