HILS Online MS Program Curriculum
The U-M Medical School Department of Learning Health Sciences Health Infrastructures & Learning Systems (HILS)–Online program prepares graduates to address the social and technical challenges that health systems face in making continuous health improvement.
The HILS–Online learning sciences curriculum emphasizes the role of learning in healthcare environments and the tools needed to facilitate systems change. HILS introduces distinct models of adaptive change, and students apply their skills immediately to existing problems.
Defining characteristics of HILS curricula include:
- Understanding the nature of health information.
- Role of information technology and informatics.
- Translation of biomedical research knowledge into clinical practice or consumer advice.
Insights into the complex organizational, social, and regulatory environments in which learning in the health sciences takes place.
For More Information
Master of Science Degree
The 27-credit MS program, and a hands-on learning health systems project, is designed to be completed in one of the following ways:
- In two to three years for students enrolled on a part-time basis
- In three semesters over 12 months for students enrolled full time
HILS Online MS Courses
HILS–Online students complete eight (8) required online courses that span:
- Research methods
- Components of the learning cycle,
- Health infrastructures
- At least one elective suited to the student’s area of scholarship.
Students are thoroughly grounded in each of the phases of the learning cycle and to the infrastructure required for the cycles to function in a learning health system.
Health infrastructures courses bookmark the learning cycle sequence, ensuring students gain an initial understanding of the concepts and approaches to building and maintaining health infrastructures. This includes opportunities to apply learning to real-world challenges.
Initial MS courses in HILS–Online are open to admitted degree-seeking students and others with an interest. Students who are not in the HILS–Online program should consult with the program advisor in their home department to determine how HILS–Online courses might suit their program of study and degree requirements.
For more information, read the course descriptions.
- LHS 610: Exploratory Data Analysis for Health (3 credits)
- LHS 611: Knowledge Engineering for Digital Health Interventions (3 credits)
- LHS 621: Implementation Science in Health 1 (3 credits)
- LHS 622: Learning Cycle Capstone (3 credits)
- LHS 641: Quality Improvement in Health Care (3 credits)
- LHS 650: Health Infrastructures Pro Seminar 1 (3 credits)
- LHS 660: Evaluation and Research Methods for Health Informatics and Learning Systems (3 credits)
- LHS 671: Ethics and Policy Issues for Learning Health Systems (3 credits)
- LHS 678: Learning Cycle Informatics (3 credits)
Electives
One elective suited to the student’s area of scholarship is required from DLHS and is determined individually by students together with their advisor.
The Department of Learning Health Sciences offers two electives for HILS–Online students:
- LHS 610: Exploratory Data Analysis for Health (3 credits)
- LHS 680: Science of Teams and Teamwork in Healthcare (3 credits, winter term)
HILS–Online collaborates with the U-M School of Nursing to allow students to take selected Nursing Online courses as electives.
- NURS 509: Foundations of Innovation and Implementation in Health and Healthcare (3 credits)
- NURS 533: Strategic Resources and Healthcare Operations Leadership (3 credits)
- NURS 681: Decision Science for Complex Health Systems (2 credits)
Check with the program manager or your advisor for a list of current course offerings.
On-Campus Institutes
A defining feature of our online program is its hybrid design, which brings students together for meaningful, in-person learning experiences. Throughout the program, students attend three required on-campus institutes, each lasting 2–3 days. During these sessions, students engage in workshops, lectures, and guest speaker events while building connections with peers and faculty.
These institutes serve as important program milestones and are a required component of the degree.
Applied Practice & In-Depth Research
All HILS–Online students complete a learning cycle project (LCP) to apply their knowledge and skills to a real-world challenge, often related to their job activities or professional role.
Students work with their faculty advisor to identify and scope the project, and complete the LCP during their final semester, or earlier with advisor approval.
