FAQ

Q: How do I know which program I am eligible for?

If you have a doctoral degree, you will be eligible to apply to the accelerated 36-credit master's program, which can be completed in one academic year full time or two academic years part-time. If you hold a bachelor's or master’s degree as your highest obtained degree, you will be eligible to apply to the 48-credit program, which is completed in three academic semesters. 

Q: What sort of academic background (computer science, biomedical, ect.) makes for a strong applicant?

Our students have varied academic and professional backgrounds, and experience in one area but not another does not automatically determine whether or not an individual is a strong or weak applicant. That said it is important to note in your personal statement why you are interested in this program especially if some part of your professional or academic background does not exactly align with program materials. 

Q: If a student is admitted to the Accelerated MBI Program but later wants to switch to the 48-Credit program, is this possible?

•Students are accepted into a program based on their previous degree credentials. Students who hold a previously-earned doctoral degree or are at least 3 years into a doctoral program may only be admitted to and complete the Accelerated Program.

•Conversely, students whose highest attained degree is a Bachelor’s degree or another Master’s degree may only be admitted to and complete the 48-Credit Program.

Q: What materials are required for the application?

Details on application materials, current deadlines, and access to the application portal can be found on our Application Information Page.

For both master’s programs, applicants must submit the following via the Harvard Medical School Graduate Education Application Portal

• Online Application form
• CV
• Letter of Interest
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Transcripts from all schools where you have received a degree, or completed coursework - uploads of unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts are required upon admission.
• English Proficiency Test Results if applicable. 

Q: Do I need to submit GRE scores?

The MBI program does not require GRE scores. GRE scores that are submitted will not be reviewed as part of the application. 

Q: What is the application deadline?

The deadline for Fall 2022 admission is January 12, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST.

Q: What is the application fee?

The non-refundable application fee is $100, payable by credit card only. For those prospective applicants for whom the application fee would be a demonstrated hardship, we offer fee waivers.

Q: How can I be considered for a fee waiver?

Email mbi@hms.harvard.edu to inquire about receiving a fee waiver. Prior to emailing the program please complete the following application sections, as they are necessary for our fee waiver evaluation process:

·         Biographical Information

·         Education

·         CV Upload  

Q: Are interviews part of the application process? 

Yes, after an initial review of application materials select applicants are invited for a brief 15 minute virtual interview. More details pertaining to the interview are sent out to applicants upon invitation. 

Q: When will my application be reviewed?

All applications are reviewed after the deadline for which they were submitted, provided that all required materials are received. We do not have rolling admissions. 

Applications to the Accelerated MBI Program for those who have already applied to a Harvard-affiliated hospital Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program and/or wish to be considered for the BIRT Fellowship Program and meet the eligibility requirements will be reviewed after November 5, 2021, provided that they are complete by that date. 

All other complete applications will be reviewed after the regular deadline in January. 

Q: Can the program be completed online?

The Master of Biomedical Informatics program is an in-residence program that is intended to be offered fully in-person at the Harvard Medical School campus in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Applicants to the MBI program for fall 2022 admission must be prepared to be in-residence in Boston.

Q: Is it possible to do the program part-time?

You can enroll in the accelerated post-doctoral program part-time and complete the master’s degree over two academic years. You cannot complete the 48-credit post-baccalaureate program part-time at this time.

Q: Are any courses offered in the evening?

All courses are currently offered between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:30 pm eastern time. 

Q: What do MBI students usually do during their time off during the summer and winter months?

• Students in the 48-credit and part-time accelerated programs do not take classes during the summer months between their second and third semesters. 
• There is also a shorter winter break between the Fall and Spring semesters. Students can use this as time off, to begin work on the capstone, or to cross-register into a 'January Term' elective course at one of the other Harvard Schools. 
• Students spend their time off pursuing research and internship opportunities.
• Part-time accelerated students typically spend the summer months dedicating themselves full-time to their work or fellowship commitments.

Q: What is the cost of the program?

Current year tuition and fees and be found on the following page: 

Tuition and Fees

Q: Are scholarships available?

The MBI program is not able to offer direct scholarship support to students at this time. All prospective students are encouraged to seek sources of outside funding to support their studies. Possible opportunities can be found on the Harvard University Committee on General Scholarship Funds website at scholarships.harvard.edu.

Limited opportunities for reduced tuition from Harvard Medical School are as follows:

Master's Program Tuition Discount for Faculty and Staff at HMS and Affiliated Institutions

Full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff at HMS and affiliated institutions/hospitals are eligible for a scholarship equivalent to 10% of the tuition rate for any of the HMS Master's Degree Programs (tuition only). Prospective students who are eligible should indicate this in the appropriate field of the application. 

Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research Scholarship

The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR) offers tuition support to a limited number of selected candidates in the form of tuition reductions.   Reductions will be funded at no more than 50% of tuition to candidates from the GCC and MENA region*, and candidates living and working in the GCC and MENA region, regardless of nationality. Tuition support is awarded on the basis of merit and financial need. 

*The GCC and MENA Region includes: Algeria | Bahrain | Djibouti | Egypt | Iraq | Israel | Jordan| Kuwait | Lebanon | Libya | Malta | Morocco | Oman | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Syria | Tunisia | United Arab Emirates | West Bank and Gaza | Yemen

Eligible applicants will be contacted about this opportunity upon offer of admission to the program. 

Q: How do I apply for financial aid?

Accepted students who are eligible for aid will receive instructions on applying for financial aid. For more information on the financial aid process, please see Financial Aid for Master’s Students.

Q: What opportunities are there for funding the program? Scholarships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships?

• At this time, there are very few funding opportunities available to Master’s students at Harvard Medical School. Partial scholarship funding may be available to qualifying Master’s students from Harvard Medical School and eligible admitted students will be contacted about these independently.  
• TA and RA opportunities are limited and, although the majority are paid, they are not enough to cover the cost of tuition. 

Q: Can international students apply?

Yes! International students will fill out the same application, and let us know through the online application whether or not they are an international candidate. If a visa is needed, Harvard will provide an F-1 visa for incoming students.

Q: Do international students need to submit Proof of English Language Proficiency?

International student applicants for whom English is not their native language must demonstrate English Language Proficiency by meeting one of the following requirements:

• Hold a Bachelor's or Master's Degree from an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction. 
• Obtain a score of 103 or higher on the TOEFL exam.
  • TOEFL iBT Home Edition test accepted for Fall 2021 applicants.
• Obtain a score of 7.5 or higher on the IELTS exam
  • IELTS indicator test results will only be accepted for application purposes. Applicants who are offered admission will need to provide official IELTS exam scores or official scores from another accepted exam. 
• Obtain a score of 125 or higher on the Duolingo English Test

Applicants submitting a TOEFL score should select “3151 Harvard Med Sch Grad Educ MS.”

Q: Do graduates of the program qualify for extended OPT?

Yes. Under current guidelines, the Master of Biomedical Informatics is considered a STEM degree, and eligible students who complete the degree on an F-1 visa have the option to apply for a STEM OPT extension after their initial post-completion OPT period. However, please note that guidelines for obtaining OPT can change at any time. Approval for OPT and extended OPT is not guaranteed by the MBI program.

Q: What if my school does not issue a transcript in English?

If your institution does not provide a transcript in English, you must obtain a certified English translation through a credential evaluation organization such as World Education Services.

Q: How do I apply for the NLM Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Fellowship?

To apply to the Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Research Training (BIRT) Program fellowship, candidates submit an application to the MBI program. No additional materials are required. Applicants for the BIRT program should request an application fee waiver. Please contact mbi@hms.harvard.edu to request a fee waiver. 

Q: Are there information sessions?

The Master of Biomedical Informatics program administration will be offering information sessions in fall 2022 for prospective applicants. These sessions will be conducted via Zoom Webinar and will be recorded. Please view our MBI Information Sessions Page for dates and registration, which will be available by October 10, 2022.

Q: Can I speak to someone on campus?

MBI program staff are not currently able to facilitate one-on-one consultations with applicants. If this changes, information will be made available on our website. 

Q: Who can I reach out to if I still have more questions?

If your question was not answered, please reach out to mbi@hms.harvard.edu . 

Q: Where is Harvard Medical School located?

The Harvard Medical School campus is part of the Harvard Longwood Campus located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Information on things to do in the Longwood Medical Area can be found at: longwoodarea.org. 

Q: What areas does the program specifically focus on? Stats? Computer Science? Genomics?

All of the above! All of these areas are integral to the inherently interdisciplinary field of Biomedical Informatics. 

Q: Where can I find information on the program curriculum?

Click Here for Current Year 48-credit MBI Program Curriculum

Click Here for Current Year Accelerated MBI Program Curriculum

The curriculum and course offerings for new students will be finalized and sent out to admitted students during the summer before matriculation. 

Q: Are there opportunities to take electives?

•MBI students have the option to cross-register in courses at other Harvard schools and MIT for electives.

•Courses at other Harvard schools and MIT cannot be used to substitute for BMI course requirements.

•Elective courses at other Harvard schools and MIT cannot be taken if they have a schedule conflict with a required course.

•For a complete list of previously completed electives, please visit our Electives Page at https://dbmi.hms.harvard.edu/education/master-biomedical-informatics/electives

Q: For some courses (such as deep learning) that are also offered at other institutions, such as MIT, is it possible to take them at the other institutions?

Courses at other institutions cannot be used to substitute BMI courses. However, students are able to take some elective courses at other Harvard schools or MIT with permission of the program director. 

Q: For the capstone project, can students be funded by their mentor if the mentor is willing?

The capstone project is completed for course credit as a program requirement, therefore work towards the capstone project cannot be paid for. 

Q: Do students need to find their own mentor for the capstone project?

Students individually select and identify a mentor for their capstone project. MBI Program staff are available to help students identify potential mentors and introduce students to mentors when no previous relationship exists. 

Q: What are the career outcomes for master’s students?

Accelerated Masters Students: Students graduating from the Accelerated MBI program have gone on to a broad range of informatics positions, including faculty positions at academic health centers, academic research laboratories, pharmaceutical, or healthcare technology companies. Some have started PhD programs in the field.

48 Credit Masters Students: Students graduating from the 48-credit program have gone on to PhD programs, MD programs, data science and data analyst positions in pharmaceutical and therapeutics companies, and bioinformatics roles at non-profits and research hospitals. 

Q: What sort of industry roles have students entered into following graduation?

• Our accelerated masters students have moved on to a variety of postions in the pharma, health policy, and insurance industries with students accepting positions at Sanofi, Moderna Therapeutics, RAND Corporation, Fidelity Investments, and Aetna to name a few. 
• Our 48-credit students have moved on to data science and data analyst positions with companies like Janis Pharmaceuticals and Olaris Therapeutics. 

What sort of research fellowship and PhD programs have students been accepted to following graduation? 

• Many of our accelerated masters students go on to research fellowships and have been accepted into programs at Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some of our accelerates students choose to pursue further education and, for example, have been accepted into PhD programs at Oxford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
• Our 48-credit students often choose to pursue further education following graduation and have been accepted into MD and/or PhD programs at a variety of institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.