Ph.D. in Natural Sciences: Biomedical and Health Informatics

Program Requirements

Students must complete 48 credit hours, including:

• At least 21 credit hours of coursework in the Biomedical and Health Informatics primary discipline
• At least 9-12 credit hours outside the primary discipline 
• At least 6 credit hours of electives
• 12 hours of dissertation research

Complete course listing on Academic Catalog

Program Benchmarks

• Comprehensive exams
• Dissertation research proposal
• Dissertation defense

Costs, Aid and funding opportunities

Cost is a major consideration when deciding whether to continue your education. Please contact the program coordinator about assistantships that may be available.

We also encourage you to learn more about costs and financial aid and external funding opportunities that can make earning your degree more affordable.

• Estimated costs 
• International student costs 
• Financial aid  
• Funding opportunities

Application procedures and requirements

1. Prepare required documentation, including:
   1. Resume/CV (PDF format)
   2. A personal statement (PDF format)
      1. The statement should address your specific research interests and motivation to join the program.
   3. Three letters of recommendation (PDF format)
      1. You will provide referee contact information on the application site. The referee receives an email invitation to upload the reference letter to the site.
   4. Official college/university transcripts
      1. U.S. citizens or permanent residents may send official transcripts to:
         University of Missouri-Kansas City
         Office of Admissions Processing
         5115 Oak Street Kansas City, MO 64112
      2. International applicants should submit transcripts to:
         University of Missouri-Kansas City
         International Student Affairs Office-Student Success Center
         5000 Holmes Road, G-04
         Kansas City, MO 64110
   5. Official GRE scores
      1. The GRE is required from all applicants to the Biomedical and Health Informatics Ph.D.
      2. The GRE is waived for students with an M.S., M.A., or similar degree, such as MPH, from an accredited U.S. institution (or equivalent).
      3. GRE scores must have been earned within five years of the application deadline.
      4. A minimum combined score of 300 (GRE Revised General Test) on the Verbal and Quantitative sections is required.
      5. GRE scores should be submitted electronically by identifying UMKC as a score recipient. The UMKC GRE code is 6872.
   6. Official TOEFL or IELTS scores
      1. Only for international applicants whose native language is not English (Duolingo not accepted)
      2. TOEFL scores: a minimum score of 550 (paper-based exam), 213 (computer-based exam) or 79 (internet-based exam) is required. UMKC TOEFL electronic code: 6872
      3. IELTS scores: A minimum score of 6.0 is required for graduate level study at UMKC.
         1. Send IELTS scores to:
            University of Missouri-Kansas City
            International Student Affairs Office-Student Success Center
            5000 Holmes Road, G-04
            Kansas City, MO 64110
2. Complete the online application. Please be sure to pay applicable domestic or international program fees.
3. Make sure you meet other discipline-specific requirements, which are listed in the Academic Catalog.

Application deadlines

• The application deadline for this program is December 15 for fullest consideration.
• Applications submitted after the deadline will only be reviewed on a space-available basis.
• It is strongly recommended that applicants reach out to the program coordinator prior to applying.
• Applications received by the December 15 deadline will receive final admission decisions by February 15.