10 Top Double Majors With a Health Informatics Degree

Healthcare and technology have become more intertwined than ever before, especially in the post-pandemic medical landscape. Health informatics is a degree program that bridges gaps between healthcare management and information technology.

Although a health informatics degree includes a combination of health and data-related courses, many students choose to pursue double majors to provide themselves with additional skills and broader knowledge bases before starting work in their careers.

Health Informatics Double Majors

Although there are many different majors that you can pair with your health informatics, some are more common and will help you achieve your career goals better.

Healthcare Management

Students who earn a degree in healthcare management acquire the skills and knowledge to run administrative teams in healthcare facilities, like hospitals or doctor's offices. Combining these two degrees will give graduates the skill set required to understand how their role fits into the larger systems of their healthcare facility while also getting the skills needed to employ technology to make healthcare affordable and effective. This can be a lucrative option since several universities have affordable online healthcare management programs

Data Science

Data science coursework teaches students how to enter, store, and analyze data. Because so much of healthcare technology rotates around data, having a more in-depth understanding of how to use and review data can give graduates an advantage when they start their careers in the field.

Computer Information Systems

Technology in healthcare almost always requires a computer or similar device. Computer information systems as a degree program teaches skills around data, like data science, however, there are additional computer-related topics that a CIS degree will offer. In addition to database usage, a degree in computer information systems will also cover topics like cybersecurity and project management related to IT. Healthcare information is often very valuable and private, and the added cybersecurity courses with a CIS degree can be invaluable to your employer.

Business Administration

A business administration degree covers information about multiple sectors of a business and principles and theories of effective management. Even though hospitals and healthcare facilities aren't always viewed as traditional business models, the general theories about running a business can be applied to healthcare.

Social Work

Social work is a field of study that strives to deliver equitable treatment to individuals and families in a variety of factors like food, shelter, and healthcare. Because health informatics is focused on the effective delivery of healthcare, social work is a good complementary degree. Social work also involves multiple concentration options which can prepare you for work in specialized healthcare settings.

Public Health

Public health students learn about effective education around healthcare. Combined with health informatics, graduates will be prepared to convey information and data to individuals and what they need to do to regain or maintain their health.

Public Administration

Policy and administration can have direct impacts on healthcare, and public administration graduates learn skills about crafting and implementing policies. With a deeper understanding of how policies are made and implemented, health informatics double majors can convey information about changes to their colleagues and their employer's patients.

Management

Data-informed management skills can directly relate to the field of healthcare. Health informatics provides an understanding of data and health care and a double major in management can help a student develop the skills to use that data for management-related decisions. Although most modern management courses include some data-based coursework, they won't provide the depth or concentration that a double major in health informatics will.

Information Technology

Information technology studies are courses related to computers, both hardware and software. This knowledge can be invaluable for health informatics professionals who might not have a full IT team at their disposal. For most human informatics professionals, these skills will be beneficial, even if they aren't used daily.

Human Resources Management

Human resources management students learn about how to effectively coordinate people within organizations and build and maintain a positive working environment. Working within healthcare is often a very specialized line of work, and having a health informatics background can give graduates the background they need to make connections between people and data.

What Is a Double Major?

A double major is a degree program where a student completes the equivalent of two degrees, usually bachelor's degrees. However, at graduation, only one degree is given with two majors listed on it. Unlike a major and minor degree where one field of study is given priority, a double major gives equal priority to both fields of study.

Most students select double majors that complement each other or have a strong connection, like double majoring in engineering and mathematics.

Double Major vs. Dual Degree

Double majoring isn't the only way that a student can expand their education plan. Some students elect to pursue a dual degree program. These programs, unlike a double major, are two unique degrees earned at the same time.

The main advantage of a dual degree program is that the degrees earned can be different levels, such as a master's degree and a bachelor's degree.

FAQs About Double Majoring With Health Informatics

Whether you pick a double major or a dual degree with health informatics, it's common to have questions.

Can You Double Major With Health Informatics?

Yes, you can double major with health informatics. Health informatics as a degree program includes a lot of valuable skills about data and technology usage in healthcare, but multiple double major options will give you a deeper understanding of both data and healthcare.

Is a Double Major With Health Informatics Worth It?

For many students, a double major with health informatics will be worth it. A double major increases the overall knowledge database that a student will bring with them to their career, making them a more valuable and in-demand recruit.

What Are the Benefits of Double Majoring With Health Informatics?

The main benefit of double majoring with health informatics is the increased knowledge and skillset that can make you more valuable to employers. Beyond the advantages of an increased education, a double major shows commitment to bettering yourself, which often is a desired trait.

Will a Double Major With Health Informatics Improve My Career Outlook?

Although it's hard to predict a person's career outlook, generally a double major will help your career outlook. A single major often is a single skill set and narrow career options. With a double major with health informatics, you can work in health informatics, but you'll also have additional skills that can help with employment in the industry of your other major. You also might be a more appealing candidate to employers due to your more diverse knowledge base before employment.