MIT Degree Programs in Medical Informatics

As part of the Medical Informatics Training Program jointly conducted by MIT, Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Tufts University Medical School, MIT offers a selected group of students opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in medical informatics. This activity centers in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and is under the supervision of Prof. Peter Szolovits. Our primary objective in this program is to prepare students for research careers in medical informatics. The program is intended, in most cases, to lead to the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, and involves a broad graduate-level computer science education coupled with an intensive research project leading to the doctoral thesis in some aspect of medical informatics. For fellows who already have a doctoral degree in medicine or a medical science, it is also possible to pursue either a non-degree postdoctoral program that will provide intensive research experience or a formal degree program through the Harvard/MIT Division of Health Science and Technology (HST) that can lead to a Ph.D. in medical informatics. (We also contemplate the creation of a Master's program in Medical Informatics through the auspices of the HST Division, but that program has not yet been formally defined or approved. It will be aimed specifically at postdoctoral fellows who already have a doctoral degree in medicine or a medical science and would like to pursue a more limited program of study and research in medical informatics than what is required for a Ph.D. degree.

Ph.D. in Computer Science

Students with a strong undergraduate background in computer science and a career interest in the application of computer technology to problems in health care are encouraged to apply for graduate admission in Computer Science. The MIT Computer Science graduate program is a broad educational program that requires
  1. completion of a modest number of graduate-level classes in the major areas of computer science (artificial intelligence, programming languages, computer architecture, analysis of algorithms, and theory of computation),
  2. a Master's thesis, based on a substantial research project whose topic is of the student's own choosing, under the supervision of a member of the faculty (or a senior member of the research staff),
  3. a minor program of three graduate-level courses in a coherent discipline (which can be related to biomedical topics for students in medical informatics),
  4. successfully passing an Oral Qualifying examination and an Area Examination, which certify the student's knowledge of computer science and of an area of specialization, and
  5. conducting a productive research project that leads to a doctoral thesis.
Much of the graduate student's research specialization depends on association with a particular research group within the interdepartmental programs and laboratories under whose auspices research projects are conducted. The tradition within EECS is not to create new specialized graduate programs, but instead to ask all graduate students to go through the same general program and to specialize according to their interests in their choice of classes, minor program and research efforts. The focus of medical informatics research is within the Clinical Decision Making Group of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science, which is headed by Prof. Szolovits. The group's home page reflects current research interests. A somewhat dated research summary progress report gives some additional background. Other associations are also possible, depending on the student's specific interests and goals.

The student with only a Bachelor's degree is expected to complete a Master's degree around the middle of the second year of studies; typically another four to five years are then required for the student to define and complete a Ph.D. degree. Students who begin the program already holding a Master's degree that was based on a substantial research experience need not write another Master's thesis, thus potentially shortening the total time of the doctoral program. Students with an M.D. are also typically excused from the requirement for writing a Master's thesis. MIT ordinarily discourages holders of a Ph.D. in one technical field from pursuing a second such degree; therefore, with rare exceptions, we would not expect to accept such students as further degree candidates.

This program has graduated over a dozen Ph.D.'s over the past decade, who have typically gone on to research and teaching careers within university computer science departments and computer science research institutions. Because of the rigors and duration of the doctoral program, a significant fraction of students are unable to complete the full program and in that case usually stop after receiving the Master's degree. Although we thus effectively conduct a Master's level training program, we do not intend to do so as a matter of policy. Thus, students who wish only to pursue Master's studies are treated exactly as the doctoral students, though of course they may choose to leave after obtaining the Master's degree.

Computer science graduate students ordinarily receive tuition and stipend support via fellowships or teaching and research assistanceships. The NLM-sponsored training program plans to follow this custom; tuition and fees are provided by the program, as well as a (partial) stipend of $10,000/year. We plan to supplement the stipend from other MIT funds to the level of support for research assistants. Support from the training grant is limited to a maximum of three years; in case the student's program of studies is longer (which will normally be the case), we expect that other funds such as research and teaching assistanceships will provide continued support. Doctoral students who already have another doctoral degree (e.g., M.D.), receive a much higher level of stipend support, in line with NIH policies. The stipend ranges between $25,000 and $33,000/year, depending on number of years of postdoctoral experience. Tuition and fees are also covered. Financial aid through this program is available only to U.S. residents.

Non-Degree Programs

Postgraduate training supported by the Medical Informatics Training Program involves association with one of the research laboratories participating in the program. Fellows in these settings may also take classes broadening their understanding of and appreciation for medical informatics, without formally pursuing a degree. Interested applicants should contact the specific research laboratory (as described in the program announcement) or Dr. Greenes, the overall program director.

Alternative Path to Study Medical Information Science

Doctoral students who are particularly interested in studying medical information science while obtaining a strong programmatic foundation of knowledge in biomedical sciences may wish to consider applying to the HST/MEMP program, described by the MIT Bulletin as follows:

The HST Doctoral Program In Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) is a nominal five-year program designed to educate individuals who will be well qualified as engineers or physicists, and who, with extensive knowledge of the medical sciences, may engage in productive, independent investigation of important problems at the interface of technology and clinical medicine. The program provides a thorough graduate experience in a classical discipline of engineering or physics and also requires considerable study in the basic medical sciences. In addition, students are afforded a unique opportunity to learn important clinical skills and acquire an in-depth understanding of clinical care, medical decision making, and the role of technology in patient care.

To be considered for admission, students must have completed at least an S.B. degree in an engineering discipline or in physics. Students must apply simultaneously to the HST Division and the appropriate graduate department. Admission to the MEMP Program requires affirmative assessment by both departmental and HST admission committees. Students who have completed a master's degree need apply only to the HST Division. Further information may be obtained from Professor R. G. Mark Room E25-519 MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, (617) 253-7818.

A MEMP student may choose to concentrate on research in medical information science, among other fields. His or her course work would be much more heavily weighted toward the medical sciences than that of a computer science graduate student. MEMP also provides financial support comparable to that of the fellowship program described here.

Application

An application packet to the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science may be obtained by writing to
Graduate Office
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
USA
Please follow the instructions therein and return the application forms as requested. Note that the application deadline for the Fall semester is January 15. Please be sure to describe your interests in medical informatics in the application.

Applicants to the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Biomedical Engineering should contact Prof. Grodzinsky, as described in the Bulletin extract above. Please be sure to mention your interest in doctoral studies in Medical Informatics.

If you need any additional information about the medical informatics program, please contact Prof. Peter Szolovits by telephone at (617) 253-3476, by electronic mail at psz@mit.edu or by mail at MIT Laboratory for Computer Science, 545 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139.