What is Medical Informatics?

Computer science is omnipresent in everyday medicine - in processing medical data, for instance in computer tomography and other applications. Medical informatics is a sub-area of computer science and is concerned with hospital information systems, electronic patient files and protecting data generated in routine medical work.

If you choose to study with us, you can expect extensive, in-depth initial training in IT. As part of this, you'll learn the fundamentals of medicine and computer science-relevant knowledge for medicine and health care. You'll also learn key skills such as teamworking and communicating effectively. You'll learn how to gain an overview of and analyse expert contexts and solve typical problems in medical informatics with appropriate methods. The course is held in conjunction with the Faculty of Medicine Mannheim at Heidelberg University.

Course structure Medical Informatics

Semesters
1. - 3.

Fundamentals
· Fundamentals of Computer Science
· Programming
· Software-Engineering
· Mathematics
· Data management
· Web-based systems

Subject-specific
· Medicine
· Introduction to Technical and Scientific Fundamentals
· Introduction to Medical Computer Science
· Medical Documentation
· Biomedical Data Science

4. Project semester
Medical Development Project, Information Systems in Medicine
5.  Internship semester
In industry
6. + 7. Advanced study

Current trends such as Biometry, Bio-Computer Science, Image Processing, Secure Software Engineering, Medical Technology, Simulation Procedures

7. Bachelor’s thesis
In industry, a medical institution, a research centre or through a research project at university

Career opportunities

Computer science in the medical sector is growing in importance. From protecting sensitive medical data to communicating between the various stations in the health system, to image-processing procedures in diagnostics – you’ll be working at the cutting-edge of these topics. You'll analyse complex contexts from the field of medicine in interdisciplinary teams. As part of this, your role will be to design and specifically implement extensive software systems. As a link between computer science and medicine you’ll work in the following areas:

  • Software development
  • IT consulting
  • IT operations
  • Sales and support
  • Project management

Our graduates have outstanding career prospects and launch their careers in the following sectors:

  • software companies,
  • hospitals,
  • research institutions (German cancer research centre, “Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ” etc.),
  • companies in the health-IT sector.


Characteristics | Medical Informatics

DegreeBachelor of Science (B. Sc.)
Length of program7 Semester
No. of places available45
Start of programWinter semester
Special featureStudy programs at Mannheim University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Medical Faculty of Mannheim at Heidelberg University
How to applyOnline-Application
Application deadline

Winter semester: 15. July

Admission requirements
General or specialised higher education entrance qualification, entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences or proof of equivalent previous education