Earn a graduate certificate in health information security and gain the expertise to safeguard protected medical data in healthcare and public health settings. This program covers risk assessment, disaster recovery, policy development, and security architecture, preparing you for roles such as Information Security Officer or Privacy and Security Specialist.
Become a medical information guardian
At a glance
Format
On-campus
Start dates
Fall or Spring
What you'll learn
Build a strong foundation in health IT security, learning to manage secure systems, interpret complex technologies, and apply privacy standards. The curriculum emphasizes network management, communication, and infrastructure development to ensure the protection of sensitive health information.
Graduates of the Graduate Certificate in Informatics in Health Information Security program will be qualified to serve as institutional/organizational information privacy or security officers:
- Understanding Technology and Methodologies for Processing Information in Health Care:
- Explain concepts of information and communication technologies
- Analyze network service management (i.e. DNS/DHCP, web, email, spam filtering, resource sharing, database, directory services and authentication), network communication and security (i.e. network devices, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and incident response/forensics), and administration (i.e. shell scripting, documentation/request management, policy and procedure management, data center considerations, and virtualization)
- Implement standards and terminologies for maintaining privacy and security of protected health information
- Information Literacy for Health Care:
- Determine the nature and extent of the privacy and security needed to protect health information
- Propose infrastructure needed to safeguard protected health information effectively and efficiently
- Evaluate administrative, technical and physical safeguards critically
- Access privacy and security regulations for health care information transactions including policy, procedures, guidelines, security architectures, risk assessments, disaster recovery, and business continuity; particular attention given to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
- Information Management:
- Verbalize the importance of health information exchange to healthcare outcomes
- Have knowledge of various types of health information exchange services
- Assure confidentiality of protected patient health information when using health information exchange
- Assure access control in the use of health information exchange
- Assure the security of health information exchange
- Possess the skills as outlined in supportive functions component of the HL7 model applicable to health information exchange
- Understand the principles upon which organizational and professional health information systems for providers and consumers are based
Admission requirements
A bachelor's degree and a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Successful applicants include physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, health care administrators, IT professionals, health researchers and others with a background in health care or IT.
Application deadlines
- Fall: July 1
- Spring: November 1
Certificate requirements
This 15-credit-hour program includes five courses. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of a 3.00, with a grade of a B- or better in all individual coursework.
Core courses
- INFO-B 581 Health Informatics Standards and Terminology (3 cr.)
- INFO-B 583 Security and Privacy Policies and Regulations for Health Care (3 cr.)
Specialized courses
Choose three:
- INFO-B 535 Clinical Information Systems (3 cr.)
- INFO-B 513 The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Electronic Health Record Systems (3 cr.)
- INFO-B 626 Human Factors Engineering for Health Informatics (3 cr.)
- CIT 52800 Information Security Risk Assessment (3 cr.)
- CIT 56200 Mobile and Network Forensics* (3 cr.)
- CIT 53200 Wireless Security and Technology* (3 cr.)
- CIT 55510 Network Security* (3 cr.)
- CIT 51600 Database Security* (3 cr.)
- CIT XXXXX Network and Mobile Forensics* (3 cr.)
* These courses may be offered under TECH 58100 Workshop in Technology until the course numbers are approved.