Health Information Management Bachelor's Degree Program

Stethoscope laptop and medical paperwork

Graduates of the HIM program will have the skills and knowledge needed to manage patient data and work with electronic health records in today's healthcare environments. Our program is guided by the principle of quality healthcare through quality information.

CAHIIM Accreditation

The Health Information Management accreditor of Charter Oak State College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM®). The College’s accreditation for Baccalaureate degree in Health Information Management has been reaffirmed through 2031. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM®, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at (312) 235-3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org.

All foundation and major requirements must be completed with a grade of 'C' or higher.

  • HCA 101: Health Care Systems and Administration

    3 credits
  • HCA 105: Medical Terminology

    3 credits

Note: 21 of these credits must be completed at Charter Oak, including HIM 498 & HIM 499.

All foundation and major requirements must be completed with a grade of 'C' or higher.

  • HIM 115: Principles of Health Information Management

    3 credits
  • HIM 200: Health Information Systems and Databases

    3 credits
  • HIM 205: Reimbursement Methodologies

    3 credits
  • HIM 210: Clinical Classification Systems I

    3 credits
  • HIM 211: Clinical Classifications Systems II

    3 credits
  • HIM 300: Medical Vocabularies and Classification Systems

    3 credits
  • HIM 305: Health Information Services Management and Leadership

    3 credits
  • HIM 315: Health Statistics

    3 credits
  • HIM 320: Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange

    3 credits
  • HIM 405: Health Care Information Law, Privacy, and Security

    3 credits
  • HIM 420: Health Care Research and Quality

    3 credits
  • HIM 435: Health Care Data Analytics and Information Governance

    3 credits
  • MGT 460: Project Management

    3 credits
  • HIM 498: Health Information Management Practicum

    3 credits
  • HIM 499: Health Information Management Capstone

    3 credits

These courses must be completed in order to satisfy a portion of the general education requirements for this degree.

* These courses must be completed with a grade of 'C' or higher.

  • BIO 130: Human Biology (Natural Science) *

    4 credits
  • BIO 212: Anatomy & Physiology (Natural Science) *

    3 credits
  • BIO 215: Pathophysiology (Natural Science) *

    3 credits
  • HCA 301: Contemporary Ethical Issues in Health Care (Ethical Decision Making)

    3 credits
  • HCA 350: Transcultural Competency in HCA (Global Understanding)

    3 credits
  • MAT 105: Statistics (Mathematics)

    3 credits

Completing a HIM degree requires the successful participation in an on ground internship/practicum. Students may be subject to a criminal background check and drug screening prior to being placed in any internship. Furthermore, anyone convicted of a felony and even some misdemeanors will not be able to complete most certification and licensing exams, nor find gainful employment in most healthcare settings.

In addition to our HIM bachelor's degree program, we also offer a Certificate in Health Information Management.

  • The S&E workforce has shown sustained growth for more than half a century.
  • The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that, during the period 2010–2020, employment in S&E occupations will grow by 18.7%, compared to 14.3% for all occupations.
  • Individuals employed in S&E occupations earn considerably more than the median earnings for all occupations. Median earnings for S&E occupations were $74,380 in 2009 and $78,270 in 2012. Median earnings for all occupations were $33,190 in 2009 and $34,750 in 2012.
Notes: 1) S&E = science and engineering. 2) Statistics from National Science Foundation; see https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/sei/edTool/explore.html#workforce

Outcomes & Pathways

Students who graduate with a major in Health Information Management will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the different fields of medical science, information technology, and business management applicable in health information management.
  2. Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of facts, terms, and concepts important to the processing of health information.
  3. Apply information acquisition skills to the processing, maintenance, and security of health information.
  4. Demonstrate an ability to do the coding and billing important in the processing of health information.
  5. Understand database information technology and apply it to modern electronic medical records management.
  6. Understand and use quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in health information management
  7. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of maintaining quality management techniques in health information management.
  8. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the maintenance of staff development in health information management.
  9. Understand and use project management techniques and their application to modern business management.
One-Year Retention Rate
61% (17 out of 28 students from the Fall 2018 cohort returned for classes in Fall 2020)
Six-Year Graduation Rate (150% of normal)
46% (14 out of 28 students from the Fall 2014 cohort graduated within 6 years)
Transfer Credits
68 is the average number of credits transferred in by students in the Fall 2020 cohort
The Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management Program is designed to prepare graduates to sit for the RHIA® (Registered Health Information Administration) credential exam. Read about the RHIA® certification on the AHIMA website.

Question: How do I redeem my qualified credential(s) for undergraduate and/or graduate college credit with Charter Oak?

Answer: Tell us which credentials/certifications you’ve earned when you apply along with your member ID. We’ll do the rest. View the full list of evaluated professional credentials for credit.

  • Certified Coding Associate (CCA) up to 20
  • Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) up to 23
  • Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP) up to 19
  • Certified Inpatient Coder (CIC) up to 17
  • Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) up to 10
  • Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) up to 4
  • Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring (CNIM) up to 35
  • Certified Outpatient Coder (COC) up to 23
  • Certified Professional Biller (CPB) up to 9
  • Certified Professional Coder (CPC) up to 19
  • Certified Professional Compliance Officer (CPCO) up to 23
  • Health Information and Management Systems, Certified Professional (CPHIMS) up to 9
  • Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA) up to 25
  • Certified Phlebotomy Technologist (CPT) up to 4
  • Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) up to 23
  • Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) up to 29
  • Emergency Medical Services Responder (EMR) up to 2
  • Emergency Medical Services Technician (EMT) up to 6
  • Emergency Medical Services Technician, Advanced (EMT-A) up to 8
  • Health Services Executive (HSE)* up to 19
  • Nurse, Licensed Practical (LPN) up to 16
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging technician (MRIT) up to 16
  • Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT) up to 3
  • Registered Electroencephalographic Technologist (RET) up to 19
  • Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) up to 48
  • Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) up to 37
  • Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) up to 24
  • Nurse, Registered (RN) up to 64
  • Radiologic Technologist (RT) up to 33
  • Paramedic up to 41

*Approved for Graduate level.

HIMMS Academic Organizational Affiliate

Why Charter Oak State College?