The Post-Baccalaureate Certificates in Informatics are a way for students to gradually enter graduate coursework without having to commit for the full Master of Science in Informatics program. The program includes two levels of certificate: Intermediate and Advanced.

Certificate Program Requirements

The Certificate in Informatics: Intermediate requires completion of twelve (12) hours of graduate level informatics or health informatics courses not including independent study (INFO U798 Independent Graduate Study in Informatics or INFO U799 Thesis Preparation. The Certificate in Informatics: Advanced requires completion of the Certificate in Informatics: Intermediate and an additional six (6) hours of graduate level informatics or health informatics courses not including independent study (INFO U798 Independent Graduate Study in Informatics or INFO U799 Thesis Preparation.

Courses used to earn the Certificate of Informatics: Intermediate may not be repeated for the Certificate of Informatics: Advanced, with the exception of INFO U796 Special Topics in Graduate Informatics, where the course topics differ.

A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) is required over the entire program, and a minimum grade of 2.0 (C) is required in all graduate courses.

Students completing the Intermediate certificate may pursue the Advanced certificate by completing an additional six (6) credit hours.

For the Certificate program, students may select any INFO or HIMS courses (except INFO U798 Independent Graduate Study in Informatics and INFO U799 Thesis Preparation) at the 600-level or higher from the Master of Science in Informatics program course list. All courses must be approved by an academic advisor.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
I. Certificate in Informatics: Intermediate		12
Select four courses from the list below:
II. Certificate in Informatics: Advanced		6
Select two courses from the list below:
INFO U622	Advanced Knowledge - Based Systems
INFO U650	Cloud Based Information Resource Management
INFO U710	Management of Innovation and Intellectual Property
INFO U720	Information Architecture
INFO U761	Business and Competitive Intelligence
INFO U762	Interoperability
INFO U763	Advanced IT Project Management
INFO U796	Special Topics in Graduate Informatics
HIMS U750	Health Services Research Methods and Analytics
HIMS U751	Healthcare Purchasing, Supply Chain & IT Vendor Management
HIMS U752	Compliance in the Healthcare Industry
HIMS U753	Strategic Planning for Healthcare Information Management Systems
Total Hours		18

Certificate Candidate Admission Criteria

Individuals seeking admission to USC Upstate Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Informatics will be considered non-degree seeking students. To be admitted into the program, students must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and complete an admissions application including the following:

• State residency status form
• Official copies of all previous graduate and undergraduate studies
• Proof of immunization for measles (rubeola) and German measles (rubella) if born after December 31, 1956

Students accepted into the Certificate program may apply to the Master of Science in Informatics program as a degree-seeking student. Any coursework earned towards a Certificate may be applied to the Master of Science in Informatics degree. Admission to the Certificate program does not guarantee admission to the Master of Science in Informatics program. Certificate students seeking admission to degree-seeking status must meet the same criteria for admission as other candidates. Should seat availability be limited, priority will be given to degree-seeking students over non-degree seeking students.