General Requirements for the M.S. in Biomedical Informatics
The M.S. program has been designed to provide students with the core foundations of Biomedical Informatics and the flexibility to define a specialization that best meets their career objectives. Students may select the M.S. with Thesis option or the M.S. with Capstone Project option. Students also select a track to focus on: Imaging Informatics, Clinical Informatics or Translational Bioinformatics.
Required Courses:
- All M.S. students are required to take the initial BMI sequence:
- BMI 501 Introduction to Biomedical Informatics
- BMI 502 Life Sciences for Biomedical Informatics OR BMI 503 Computer Science for Biomedical Informatics
- Based on Student’s selected track (BMI 501 must be taken before or at the same time as BMI 511, BMI 512 or BMI 513): BMI 511 Translational Bioinformatics OR BMI 512 Clinical Informatics OR BMI 513 Imaging Informatics
- All M.S. Students are required to take BMI 540 Statistical Methods in Biomedical Informatics.
- All full-time M.S. graduate students are required to register each semester for BMI 592 Biomedical Informatics Masters/Pre-Candidate Seminar, and obtain a satisfactory grade.
- Students must complete all the required courses (marked “req” on the M.S. Course Table with Track options, below) from at least one of the Biomedical Informatics program Tracks.
- A minimum of 18 graduate credits must be taken in the Biomedical Informatics Program (includes all BMI courses and all BMI-Approved Elective courses from other departments). Of these, 15 credits must be in courses other than BMI 590, BMI 591, BMI 592, BMI 595, BMI 596, BMI 690, BMI 691, BMI 695, and BMI 696 (the independent study, independent reading, seminar, special topics and special problems courses).
- All courses taken outside the Program for application to the graduate degree requirements are subject to prior approval of the student’s advisor and the BMI Graduate Program Director.
- Up to 15 credits from the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Informatics may be applied to the M.S. degree in Biomedical Informatics provided they meet the course requirements for the M.S. degree.
Transfer Credits:
A maximum of 12 graduate credits may be transferred from other programs toward the M.S. degree. These may include up to 6 credits from other institutions. The maximum also includes any credits received from Biomedical Informatics courses while having non-degree status at Stony Brook as an SPD or GSP student. Credits used to obtain any prior degrees are not eligible for transfer. All requests for transfer of credits require the prior approval of the BMI Graduate Program Director.
Time Limit:
Full-time students must complete all M.S. degree requirements within three years. Part-time students must complete all M.S. degree requirements within five years. For any term in the M.S. program, 12 credits are needed for students to be considered full-time.
Requirements for the M.S. in Biomedical Informatics – With Thesis
The M.S. Thesis option is intended for students who wish to perform Biomedical Informatics research. A written thesis is submitted and is defended in an oral examination.
A student choosing the M.S. Thesis option must define a suitable research question and select a M.S. Thesis research advisor, who must approve the M.S. Thesis research.
Upon completion, the M.S. Thesis must be defended in an oral examination before a faculty committee of at least three members (of which at least two members must be Biomedical Informatics faculty; one member must be the student’s M.S. Thesis research advisor). This faculty committee must be approved by the BMI Graduate Program Director. The written M.S. Thesis must be distributed to the faculty committee members at least two weeks before the oral examination.
A student choosing the M.S. Thesis option may not switch to the Capstone Project option without permission of the graduate program committee.
A student who has at any time been appointed as a teaching, graduate, or research assistant must choose the M.S. Thesis option unless otherwise approved by the graduate program committee.
Course Requirements for M.S. with Thesis:
21 approved graduate course credits and an accepted Thesis, which is registered as up to 12 credits of BMI 599 M.S. Research and Thesis in Biomedical Informatics.
- No more than a total of 12 credits of BMI 599 may be applied toward the M.S. degree credit requirements.
- No more than a total of 6 credits of BMI 596 Special Problems in Biomedical Informatics-Masters and BMI 696 Special Problems in Biomedical Informatics-Doctoral may be applied toward the course requirements.
- No credits of BMI 598 M.S. Capstone Project in Biomedical Informatics may be applied toward the course requirements for students who select the M.S. with Thesis.
- Either BMI 502 Life Sciences for Biomedical Informatics or BMI 503 Computer Science for Biomedical Informatics, but not both, can be applied toward the course requirements.
Requirements for the M.S. in Biomedical Informatics – With Capstone Project
The Capstone Project option is intended for students who wish to take additional elective courses, plus complete a practicum rotation, instead of the highly-focused M.S. research that is part of the M.S. with Thesis option.
A student choosing the Capstone Project option must select a project advisor. Prior to starting a Capstone rotation, a student is required to submit a project proposal with well-defined deliverables to both his/her academic advisor and project advisor. The student’s project advisor is required to submit a mid-term evaluation to the student’s academic advisor.
The student is required to complete a final report and also present his/her work at a department seminar. Upon completion, the project must be submitted for approval to a faculty committee of at least two members (the academic advisor and the project advisor; at least one committee member must be Biomedical Informatics faculty; committees with more than two members are permitted).
A student who has selected the Capstone Project option may not have been (nor be concurrently) appointed as a teaching, graduate, or research assistant unless otherwise approved by the graduate program committee.
Course Requirements for M.S. with Capstone Project:
30 approved graduate credits, including 6 credits of BMI 598 M.S. Capstone Project in Biomedical Informatics.
- No more than a total of 6 credits of BMI 598 may be applied toward the M.S. degree credit requirements.
- No more than a total of 6 credits of BMI 596 Special Problems in Biomedical Informatics-Masters and BMI 696 Special Problems in Biomedical Informatics-Doctoral may be applied toward the course requirements.
- No credits of BMI 599 M.S. Research and Thesis in Biomedical Informatics may be applied toward the course requirements for students who select the M.S. with Capstone Project.
Either BMI 502 Life Sciences for Biomedical Informatics or BMI 503 Computer Science for Biomedical Informatics, but not both, can be applied toward the course requirements.
M.S. Course Table with Track options:
| MS Degree: With Thesis | MS Degree: With Project | ||||||
| Course # | Title | Imaging Informatics (II) | Clinical Informatics (CI) | Translational Bio-informatics (TBI) | Imaging Informatics (II) | Clinical Informatics (CI) | Translational Bio-informatics (TBI) |
| BMI 501 | Intro. To Biomedical Informatics | x* | x* | x* | x* | x* | x* |
| BMI 502 | Life Sciences for Biomedical Informatics | x* or 503 | x* or 503 | x* or 503 | x* or 503 | x* or 503 | x* or 503 |
| BMI 503 | Computer Science for Biomedical Informatics | x* or 502 | x* or 502 | x* or 502 | x* or 502 | x* or 502 | x* or 502 |
| BMI 511 | Translational Bioinformatics | x* | x* | ||||
| BMI 512 | Clinical Informatics | x* | x* | ||||
| BMI 513 | Imaging Informatics | x* | x* | ||||
| BMI 514 | Imaging Informatics Analysis | x | x | ||||
| BMI 517 | Current Research in Signaling Pathways, Biochemistry, and Tissue Morphology of Disease | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 520 | Data Analytics and Software Stacks | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 530 | Software Development in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 540 | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 550 | Clinical Informatics Practice Patterns | x | x | ||||
| BMI 551 | Case Studies in Clinical Informatics | x | x | ||||
| BMI 552 | Quality Improvement Methods for Clinical Informatics | x | x | ||||
| BMI 560 | Personalized Medicine | x | x | ||||
| BMI 590 | Independent Study in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 591 | Independent Reading in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 592 | Maters/Pre-Candidate Seminar (each semster) | *x | *x | *x | *x | *x | *x |
| BMI 595 | Special Topics in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 596 | Special Problems in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 598 | M.S. Capstone Project in Biomedical Informatics (up to 6 credits) | x | x | x | |||
| BMI 599 | M.S. Research and Thesis in Biomedical Informatics (up to 12 credits) | x | x | x | |||
| BMI 620 | Advanced Topics in Clinical Informatics | x | x | ||||
| BMI 622 | Advanced Topics in Translational Bioinformatics | x | x | ||||
| BMI 625 | Advanced Topics in Imaging Informatics | x | x | ||||
| BMI 690 | Independent Study in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 691 | Independent Reading in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 695 | Special Topics in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| BMI 696 | Special Problems in Biomedical Informatics | x | x | x | x | x | x |