Program Description
The Master of Arts in Nursing Informatics is a graduate program that integrates nursing science, information science, and computer science to prepare nurses for advanced practice in informatics. The program equips students with the knowledge and skills to design, manage, and evaluate health information systems that improve patient care, support nursing education, enhance administration, and advance research.
It is intended for nurses who aspire to assume leadership roles in healthcare organizations, academic institutions, and health technology projects. Graduates of the program will be prepared to serve as nurse informaticians, project leaders, researchers, and educators who can drive innovation and ensure the responsible use of digital technologies in health care.
Program Goals
The program aims to:
1. Develop advanced knowledge in nursing informatics principles, theories, and applications.
2. Train students in the ethical and effective use of health information technologies in clinical, community, and academic settings.
3. Strengthen research capacity through the application of research methods and biostatistics in nursing and health data analysis.
4. Prepare graduates for leadership and project management roles in nursing informatics.
5. Contribute to the digital transformation of healthcare delivery and nursing practice through innovative research and system development.
Program Outcomes
By the end of the program, graduates will be able to:
• Knowledge: Demonstrate mastery of theories, frameworks, and tools in nursing informatics.
• Skills: Design, implement, and evaluate health information systems to support nursing practice, education, and administration.
• Research Competence: Conduct nursing informatics research using appropriate methodologies and statistical tools.
• Leadership: Lead and manage informatics projects, promote change, and build capacity for innovation in nursing and healthcare.
• Values: Uphold ethical standards, data privacy, and patient-centered values in the use of information technologies.
Core Courses (12 units)
Foundations of Nursing Informatics (3 units)
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of nursing informatics as an emerging discipline that synthesizes nursing science with information and computer sciences to support the delivery of high-quality healthcare. It examines the historical evolution, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical foundations of nursing informatics, while situating the discipline within the broader context of health informatics. The course emphasizes the roles and competencies of nurse informaticians in clinical practice, administration, education, and research, preparing students to critically evaluate the integration of technology into nursing and healthcare delivery systems.
Research Methods and Biostatistics in Nursing (3 units)
This course develops advanced knowledge of research design, methodology, and statistical analysis in nursing and health sciences. It covers quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, emphasizing rigor, validity, and reliability in research. Students engage with biostatistical tools including descriptive statistics, probability, hypothesis testing, regression, and multivariate analysis, with application to clinical and health data. Ethical considerations and research integrity are central themes. The course equips students to design and evaluate research projects that inform evidence-based nursing practice and contribute to scholarly inquiry.
Health Data Standards, Privacy, and Ethics in Nursing (3 units)
This course critically examines the principles, standards, and ethical frameworks guiding the management and responsible use of nursing and health-related data. Topics include data interoperability, standard terminologies, confidentiality, legal and regulatory compliance, and the ethical dimensions of digital health environments. Students analyze case studies of data breaches, ethical dilemmas, and privacy issues, and are trained to apply ethical reasoning and professional accountability in the governance of patient information. The course emphasizes the importance of ethical leadership in safeguarding data integrity, privacy, and security in nursing informatics practice.
Nursing Information Systems: Design and Evaluation (3 units)
This course provides an in-depth study of theories, methodologies, and best practices in the design, implementation, and evaluation of nursing information systems. It explores system development life cycles, user-centered design, workflow integration, usability testing, and outcome measurement. Students critically assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of systems across diverse healthcare settings. Emphasis is placed on aligning information systems with nursing workflows and clinical decision-making, ensuring that technology serves as a catalyst for improved patient outcomes and organizational performance.
Specialization Courses (18 units)
Clinical Nursing Informatics (3 units)
This course examines the application of informatics in direct patient care and clinical decision-making. It focuses on the design, adoption, and evaluation of clinical documentation systems, computerized provider order entry, decision-support tools, and point-of-care technologies. Students analyze how clinical informatics advances patient safety, enhances quality of care, supports interprofessional collaboration, and improves nursing efficiency.
Electronic Health Records and Nursing Data Management (3 units)
This course explores the principles, functions, and challenges of electronic health records (EHRs) in nursing practice. It emphasizes data acquisition, storage, retrieval, interoperability, and governance. Students study the role of EHRs in clinical decision-making, quality assurance, and organizational management, while critically examining issues of data accuracy, usability, and regulatory compliance.
Public Health Nursing Informatics (3 units)
This course investigates the role of informatics in population health management, epidemiological surveillance, and community-based nursing practice. It covers information systems for health promotion, disease prevention, program monitoring, and disaster preparedness. Students learn to apply informatics tools to address public health concerns, evaluate community health outcomes, and contribute to evidence-based public health nursing practice.
Data Analytics for Nursing Practice (3 units)
This course introduces advanced methods of data management and analytics for nursing and healthcare applications. It includes statistical analysis, data mining, predictive modeling, and visualization techniques for identifying trends, evaluating clinical outcomes, and informing policy decisions. Students are trained to critically evaluate large health datasets and to translate findings into actionable insights for nursing practice, administration, and education.
Nursing Leadership and Change Management in Informatics (3 units)
This course explores leadership theories, organizational behavior, and change management strategies as applied to nursing informatics initiatives. Students analyze the dynamics of leading technology adoption, fostering innovation, and addressing resistance to change within healthcare organizations. Emphasis is placed on developing leadership competencies to guide interdisciplinary teams, promote organizational transformation, and sustain innovation in nursing informatics practice.
Project Management in Nursing Informatics (3 units)
This course provides advanced knowledge of project management principles, tools, and practices within the context of nursing informatics initiatives. It covers project planning, scheduling, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Topics include risk management, resource allocation, performance measurement, and stakeholder engagement. Students are expected to design and evaluate informatics projects that align with organizational goals and enhance healthcare delivery.
Thesis Requirement (6 units)
Master’s Thesis in Nursing Informatics (6 units)
The thesis is the culminating academic requirement of the program, intended to demonstrate students’ ability to conduct independent, original, and rigorous research in nursing informatics. Students are expected to address a significant issue or problem in clinical practice, nursing education, administration, or health policy through systematic inquiry. The process includes the development of a research proposal, comprehensive review of literature, application of appropriate methodologies, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of findings. The completed thesis must contribute to the advancement of nursing informatics scholarship and practice.