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Health Informatics MSc

London, Bloomsbury

How can information and technology be used to transform the organisation and delivery of healthcare? Join us to find out on this programme run jointly by UCL and the University of Manchester. Studying alongside your full-time work, you’ll gain specialist expertise in a field that’s having a tangible impact on improving healthcare in the UK and internationally.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
University of Manchester Dual Award

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£36,500
£18,250
University of Manchester Dual Award

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 academic year
2 academic years
5 academic years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. A relevant Master’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution is desirable.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


If you want to play your part in improving healthcare by supporting organisations to make better use of information and technology, this programme is an excellent option.

Jointly run by the two largest teams in health informatics in the UK – UCL and the University of Manchester – you’ll gain a detailed insight into the design and implementation of the different digital systems used to deliver healthcare today.

Get to grips with the technical detail behind approaches to software engineering, and learn how to implement different systems, as well as supporting change. You’ll also build skills in analysing and presenting data.

The programme is supported by the NHS graduate management training scheme and other employers. You’ll join a cohort from diverse educational and technical backgrounds, and this multidisciplinary learning experience is one of the strengths of the programme.

The programme is delivered through a mix of face-to-face teaching and online learning, designed to fit around your working life. 

Who this course is for

The programme is designed for students in full-time work who already have a first degree in a relevant discipline. We accept applications from people with a wide range of qualifications, and we consider professional experience if students do not have a relevant first degree. Students who wish to study full-time can take the programme in one year but should be aware that they will be taking modules that are largely delivered online. 

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

  • Benefit from studying at two leading research institutes dedicated to health informatics, giving you access to a wider variety of health content than on many other programmes.
  • The teaching is research-led and includes content related to AI, machine learning and other current topics of interest.
  • Benefit from our close links with health informatics partners including University of Manchester and NHS England.
  • Study with students from a diverse mix of educational and technical backgrounds.
  • Programme delivered through a blend of face-to-face teaching and online learning, to fit into your working life.
  • Study assignments relevant to your work, with the option to complete a dissertation linked to your workplace if you choose to.
  • The content is designed by academics working at the forefront of change and reflects the latest thinking on healthcare.
  • A strong emphasis on applying knowledge and developing in-demand skills for your career.
     
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The skills you gain in health informatics are highly sought after in technical and management roles involved in leading the digital transformation of healthcare.

Having knowledge of this subject area is also highly relevant for leadership positions in the NHS or other healthcare organisations in the UK and overseas.

Graduates have moved into careers in pharmaceutical companies or consulting organisations, gone onto further study, taking on PhDs or fellowships, or launched their own businesses.

They have gone onto work at organisations such as IQVIA, Synlab, the NHS and universities in the UK and abroad.*

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 cohorts

Employability

The programme encourages intellectual curiosity and critical thinking, teaches transferable skills and cultivates reflective practice. Armed with these skills, you’ll rapidly have an impact in your workplace. You’ll be learning from academics who are helping to shape health informatics globally, and benefit from our close links with healthcare organisations and other employers.

Networking

This programme works closely with NHS organisations in Manchester and London, and with companies that are active in digital health. These well-established relationships provide opportunities for students to build their professional network as well as undertake projects with these organisations.

Teaching and learning

The taught modules are delivered online over eight or nine weeks with a short block of intensive face-to-face teaching.

The online element includes video lectures, podcasts, written material as well as exercises and discussions. The face-to-face teaching includes lectures, seminars and experiential learning. 

Students will typically be required to spend three days per module on campus. The rest of the learning will be delivered online. For half the modules, the face-to-face teaching will be at UCL, for the other half it will be at the University of Manchester. Students will also be asked to attend a separate induction day based at UCL at the start of the year. 

Through this combination of online learning and, face-to-face lectures, seminars and workshops students acquire a knowledge of the policy and regulatory framework governing the use of patient’s confidential information, an understanding of the systems used to record and protect patient records and develop skills in the analysis of healthcare systems and healthcare data. 

Meet the academics currently leading this programme on the UCL IHI website.

The types of assessment on this programme may include coursework, examination, presentations and a research project. Assessments may require attendance on campus.

A typical student taking the programme in a modular flexible mode will take four modules spread out over the academic year. They might spend around ten to twelve hours a week working through course materials and formative assignments in addition to attending campus for three days of face to face teaching and completing an assignment that will take twenty to thirty hours. Each 15-credit module equates to around 150 learning hours. This is spread out over the whole period of the module which typically runs over nine weeks. This includes the time you spend in taught sessions, independent study, group work and assessment. The attendance requirements of the dissertation module will vary depending on the project. We organise face to face teaching for dissertation students which takes place at the University of Manchester and UCL.

A Postgraduate Diploma, four compulsory modules (60 credits), four optional modules (60 credits), full-time one year, part-time two years or flexible study up to five years, is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate, four compulsory modules (60 credits), full-time one year, part-time two years or flexible study up to five years, is offered.

Modules

Full-time students take four compulsory modules and four optional modules chosen from a list of options offered in the department. Students registered for the MSc will also complete a dissertation. 

The modules delivered by the University of Manchester:

You may also wish to refer to the University of Manchester's prospectus page.  

New optional modules for the 25/26 academic year will include: 

  • Appraisal and Evaluation in Healthcare,
  • Applied Health Data Analytics. 

Further information on these modules will become available later in the current academic year. 

The choice of modules for part-time students is the same as for full-time students, but taken over two years. We recommend that the dissertation is taken in the second year. 

The choice of modules for part-time students is the same as for full-time students but taken over two to five years. Most modular/flexible students take the programme over three years, completing the compulsory modules in year one, the optional in year two and the dissertation in year three. 

Compulsory modules




University of Manchester: Health Information Systems and Technologies

University of Manchester: Modern Information Engineering


Optional modules




University of Manchester: Standards and Interoperability

University of Manchester: Decision Support Systems



Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Health Informatics. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Health Informatics. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Health Informatics.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Balcony and Winter Garden UCL, Great Ormond Street, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford St, WC1N 1EH, London, UK - Open day

Life and Medical Sciences Postgraduate Open Evening

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Discover UCL’s Master's degrees in health, medicine, brain sciences and life sciences at our upcoming Open Evening! Join us to learn more about our Master’s degrees, meet our academic teaching staff, and see where postgraduate study may take you.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: UCL Institute of Health Informatics

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Join us at our virtual open event to learn about Master's degrees in the UCL Institute of Health Informatics. Participating programmes: - Health Data Science MSc - Health Informatics MSc - Artificial Intelligence Enabled Healthcare MRes. Each programme will have a breakout room where the Programme Director will give a short presentation with plenty of time for Q&A.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £36,500 £18,250

University of Manchester Dual Award

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Additional costs include:

  • The cost of travel to and from Manchester or London (depending on the module location). Students are expected to attended a three day block of face to face teaching for each of the taught modules. Half of these take place in Manchester and half in London. Part-time students based in London will therefore typically have to travel to Manchester twice in their first year and twice in the second year to attend these teaching blocks and will typically need two nights accommodation in Manchester for each. Students based in Manchester will, similarly, be expected to travel to London and stay in London for the teaching based in London. There may be some additional travel required for induction, an exam or for dissertation training, but these typically do not require an overnight stay. For an indication of travel costs please visit the National Rail website. 

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • Why you want to study Health Informatics at graduate level.
  • Why you want to study Health Informatics at UCL and University of Manchester.
  • What particularly attracts you to the chosen programme.
  • How your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme.
  • Where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of Health Informatics
Institute of Health Informatics

ihi.education@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.