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HILS MS | PhD Program Curriculum

The U-M Medical School Department of Learning Health Sciences Health Infrastructures & Learning Systems (HILS) MS and PhD programs prepare graduates to address social and technical challenges that health systems face in making continuous health improvement routine.

Interdisciplinary Learning Sciences Curriculum: 
The HILS learning sciences curriculum emphasizes the role of learning in healthcare environments and the tools needed to facilitate systems change. HILS introduces distinct models of adaptive change, and students apply their skills immediately to existing problems.

Defining characteristics of HILS curricula include:

  • Understanding different types of health information.
  • Role of artificial intelligence, information technology and informatics.
  • Translation of biomedical research knowledge into clinical practice or consumer advice.

Insights into the complex organizational, social, and regulatory environments in which learning in the health sciences takes place.
For More Information
HILS Degree Programs
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Master of Science

Whether online or residential, MS students complete a minimum of 27 credits. The MS program is intentionally designed to be about one year of study, so working professionals can gain knowledge and skills in a short, intensive program.

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctoral students complete a minimum of 36 credits of coursework. During the Winter term of the second year, students begin their dissertation proposal in collaboration with their advisor and planning committee and publicly defend their proposals. The dissertation research phase of the program varies. On average, we expect students to complete their research within three years of the proposal defense. Students defend their dissertations in a public examination by their PhD committee.

HILS PhD students may choose to add a concentration in implementation science, informatics, or a concentration of their own design. Learn more about our courses 

Recent dissertations from HILS doctoral students include:

  • Hyeon Joo (2024): Integrating AI and Clinical Guidelines to Enhance Heart Failure Recognition Using Electronic Health Records in Preoperative Care.
  • Brianna Osorio (2024): A Learning Health System Conceptual Framework to Guide Implementation and Sustainability of the Collaborative Care Model in Community-Based Mental Health Settings.
  • Anjana Deep Renji (2024): Designing a Provider-Facing Intervention for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Ophthalmology.
  • Katherine G. Weber (2024): Detecting Risky Alcohol Use with Natural Language Processing and Computable Phenotypes in Clinical Records.
  • Anthony Provenzano (2023): Cross-Sector Care Activities and Health Information Technology Capabilities of Federally Qualified Health Centers in Michigan.
  • Victor C. Rentes (2023): Development of a Maturity Model for Learning Health Systems: A Framework for Self-Assessment and Continuous Improvement.
Required Courses

Four types of courses are required for all students in the MS and PhD programs.

Initial MS and PhD courses in HILS are open to admitted degree-seeking students and others with an interest. Students who are not in the HILS program should consult with the program advisor in their home department to determine how HILS courses might suit their program of study and degree requirements.

For more information, read the course descriptions.

Students are thoroughly grounded in each of the phases of the learning cycle and to the infrastructure required for the cycles to function in a learning health system.

Health infrastructures courses bookmark the learning cycle sequence, ensuring students gain an initial understanding of the concepts and approaches to building and maintaining health infrastructures. This includes opportunities to apply and experience actual creation and maintenance activities, while elective and cognate requirements foster intellectual breadth.

MS students will be required to complete at least two elective courses suited to the student’s area of scholarship.

PhD students will need to complete at least one cognate and one elective course, plus two advanced research methods courses.
  • LHS 601: Professional Development Seminar (1 credit)
  • LHS 610: Exploratory Data Analysis for Health (3 credits)
  • LHS 611: Knowledge Representation and Management in Health (3 credits)
  • LHS 621: Implementation Science in Health 1 (3 credits)
  • LHS 622: Learning Cycle Capstone (3 credits)
  • LHS 631: Learning Analytics: Foundations and Applications (3 credits)
  • LHS 641: Quality Improvement in Healthcare Systems (3 credits)
  • LHS 650: Health Infrastructures Pro Seminar 1 (3 credits)
  • LHS 660: Evaluation and Research Methods for Health Informatics and Learning Systems (3 credits)
  • LHS 665: Applied Biostatistics for Health Researchers (3 credits)
  • LHS 671: Ethics and Policy Issues for Learning Health Systems (3 credits)
  • LHS 680: Teamwork in Healthcare (3 credits)
  • LHS 701: Research Seminar (1 credit)
  • LHS 712: Natural Language Processing on Health Data (3 credits)
  • LHS 721: Implementation Science in Health 2 (3 credits)
  • LHS 731: Special Topics in LHS (credits vary by semester)
  • LHS 750: Health Infrastructures Pro Seminar 2 (3 credits)
  • LHS 760: Foundations of Qualitative Methods (3 credits)
  • LHS 668: Introduction to Health Informatics (3 credits)
  • LHS 660: Evaluation and Research Methods for Health Informatics and Learning Systems
  • LHS 700: Applied Biostatistics for Clinical Practice

One elective is required. Students select the elective(s) together with their advisor.
Applied Practice & In-Depth Research

All students, both MS and PhD, complete a learning cycle project (LCP) to apply new knowledge and skills to real-world challenges.

Students work with faculty advisors and learning cycle project site supervisors on projects related to their professional role or research areas of interest.

Master’s students typically complete their LCP during their final semester, or earlier with advisor approval. Doctoral students typically complete their LCP following the first year of their program.

Full Time 12-Month Plan27 Total Credit Hours  
 FallWinterSpring/Summer
Courses
  • LHS 641 - Quality Improvement (3 credits) 
  • LHS 650 - Health Infrastructures (3 credits) 
  • LHS 660 - Evaluation and Research Methods (3 credits) 
  • LHS 678 - Learning Cycle Informatics (3 credits)
  • LHS 610 - Exploratory Data Analysis for Health (3 credits) or LHS 611 - Knowledge Representation and Management in Health (3 credits)* 
  • LHS 671 - Ethics and Policy Issues for Learning Health Systems (3 credits) 
  • LHS 621 - Implementation Sci 1 (3 credits) 
  • Elective (3 credits) *You must take 610 or 611 - if you take both, one can be used as elective. 
    Also available as elective: LHS 680 - Teamwork for Healthcare (3 credits)
  • LHS 622 - Learning Cycle Capstone (3 credits)
On-Campus Time HILS Online Students
  • HILS Orientation/Class Institute 1 
    (2 days on campus)
  • HILS-Online Institute 2 (Winter/February) 
    (2 days on campus)
  • HILS-Online Institute 3 (Summer/June) 
    (2 days on campus)
Goals
  1. Begin to develop ideas for Learning Cycle Project
  1. Finalize plans for learning cycle project 
  2. Obtain IRB approval for learning cycle project
  1. Engage in Learning Cycle Project 
  2. Engage in weekly discussions with fellow students and faculty about your project
Milestones  
  • Learning Cycle Project 
  • Graduation
 Schedule and maintain ongoing meetings with advisor(s)
Part Time 24-Month Plan27 Total Credit Hours    
 FallWinterFallWinterSpring/Summer
Courses
  • LHS 641 - Quality Improvement (3 Credits) 
  • LHS 650 - Health Infrastructures (3 credits)
  • LHS 621 - Implementation Sci 1 (3 credits) 
  • LHS 610 - Exploratory Data Analysis for Health or LHS 611 - Knowledge Representation and Management in Health (3 credits)* 

*You must take 610 or 611 - if you take both, one can be used as elective 

Also available as elective: 

  • LHS 680 - Teamwork for Healthcare (3 credits) 
  • NURS 509 - Foundations of Innovation and Implementation in Health and Healthcare (3 credits) 
  • NURS 533 - Strategic Resources and Healthcare Operations Leadership (3 credits)
  • LHS 660 - Evaluation and Research Methods (3 credits)
  • LHS 678 - Learning Cycle Informatics (3 credits)
  • LHS 671 -Ethics and Policy (3 credits) 
  • LHS 610 or LHS 611 (3 credits)* Elective for 3 credits 

*You must take 610 or 611 - if you take both, one can be used as elective 

Also available as elective: 

  • LHS 680 - Teamwork for Healthcare (3 credits)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • LHS 622 - Learning Cycle Capstone (3 credits)
On-Campus Time - HILS Online Students
  • HILS Orientation/Class Institute 1 
    (2 days on campus)
  • HILS-Online Institute 2 (Winter/February
    (2 days on campus)
  
  • HILS-Online Institute 3 (Summer/June) 
    (2 days on campus)
Goals
  1. Begin to develop ideas for Learning Cycle Project
  1. Finalize plans for learning cycle project 
  2. Obtain IRB approval for learning cycle project
  
  1. Engage in Learning Cycle Project capstone 
  2. Engage in weekly discussions with fellow students and faculty about your project 
Milestones    
  • Learning Cycle Project
  • Graduation
 Schedule and maintain ongoing meetings with advisor(s)