The University of Pittsburgh Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics (BSHI) program has been granted accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)—the first undergraduate health informatics (HI) program in the country to receive this designation! This recognition establishes Pitt HI as the leading undergraduate program in the country for education and training in this transformative health care field.
“Being the first accredited undergraduate HI program sets the standard. It shows our students that we are a landmark program offering education in health informatics and that we are a stepping stone to careers in health informatics.”
– BSHI Program Director Dilhari DeAlmeida
“This accreditation reflects the vision and dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” says David C. Beck, interim dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “I am proud of our school for its continuous innovation and pioneering, including setting the national benchmark for undergraduate health informatics education. Our BSHI graduates are prepared for today’s workforce and they shape the future of health care through innovation, data and technology.”
Accreditation Standards
To receive accreditation, the Pitt BSHI program underwent a rigorous review process by CAHIIM that includes self-study and a site visit. It met all the foundational program components, including accreditation of the sponsoring institution, systematic program planning, program autonomy and governance, core curriculum, faculty appointments and performance, and program resources.
Additionally, CAHIIM representatives assessed the program’s curriculum for 10 foundational domains. Pitt BSHI graduates needed to demonstrate core competencies such as information science and technology, social and behavioral science, health information science and technology, professionalism and leadership. The BSHI program fulfilled criteria in all 10 of these domains, proving that it had gone through the vigor and met the qualifications to be accredited.
First in the Country
The University of Pittsburgh has a strong legacy of successful graduates from its previously accredited health information management (HIM) programs. In recent years, Health Informatics faculty focused their efforts on providing undergraduate students with a curriculum on the cutting edge of health care data management where they can focus on electronic health record data, artificial intelligence, digital health, programming and emerging technologies. The HI faculty are well-known leaders in these fields who bring innovative education to the classroom and teach their students to become competent in the principles of health informatics.
“As the pioneers of the bachelor’s in health informatics degree,” says DeAlmeida, “we are shaping the success of students as they enter fields of AI and machine learning.”
Student Success
Undergraduate students also have a required internship at one of the clinical sites that are part of the program’s vast network of industry partners. Even at the undergraduate level, the skills students acquire and demonstrate uphold Pitt’s reputation and are in such high demand that they are often offered jobs through their internship before graduation.
“We are getting students ready for the job market well ahead of other programs with the quality of our faculty and the forward-thinking of our curriculum.”
– Department of Health Information Management Chair Bambang Parmanto
With the boom in health-related data, graduates of the Pitt BSHI program can anticipate high-paying jobs at hospitals and large health care organizations as systems or data analysts and consultants. The class of 2024 had a job placement rate of 94%, with students either being employed or going on to additional education after graduating. The internship program frequently leads to employment opportunities. In the 2025 cohort, over 20% of the students interned at UPMC and each student received a job offer a year before graduating from the program.
Program Enrollment
Interested in applying to this groundbreaking program? Applications for the on-campus BSHI program open in the fall. Be sure to attend information sessions to learn more, or reach out to the Pitt Health Informatics enrollment specialists who can answer your questions and guide you through making the Pitt BSHI program your next successful move to a rewarding career!
