The following materials should be submitted through Rackham Graduate School by the application deadline.

• Application Fee (See Application Fee and Payment)
• Academic Statement of Purpose
• Personal Statement
• Resume/CV
• Quantitative Statement
• Scanned copy of the Official Transcript
• GRE Scores (optional)
• Letters of Recommendation (3 letters are required)
• Evidence of English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS), required if one's native language is not English

View the Application Checklist as a PDF 

Please summarize the strength of your quantitative and analytical skills by

(a) referencing your grades in key math and science-related coursework and

(b) discussing specific details of any research or work experiences that involved quantitative and analytical tasks.

The information provided will contribute to our holistic review process.

Include the following required information in the header of your statement:

• “Quantitative Experiences Statement."
• Your name.
• HILS–Online Master of Science.

Set margins to one-inch, and ensure inserted tables fit within those margins.

Upload your Quantitative Experiences Statement.

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx. 

Recommendation: Convert to PDF.

First, briefly list:

• Primary area or problem of interest for health improvement (1-2 sentences).
• Potential advisors. You should contact two or three Learning Health Sciences Primary Faculty to introduce yourself and discuss potential fit before completing your Academic Statement of Purpose.
• Explain why you identified the potential advisors you did. Please describe the interactions you have had with them.

Then address the following questions in 3-4 pages (double-spaced):

• Please describe your understanding of learning health systems, how it applies to your primary area or problem of interest and your ideas to address the problem, noting particularly how you might be interested in using knowledge about learning health systems in practice.
• Describe prior research experiences, courses, or projects that have prepared you for graduate study, and any experience you have had in clinical practice improvement and/or informatics.
• Explain in some detail the areas in which you are interested in practicing.
• Specify at least one clinical area that you would like to learn in depth.
• Describe another area, discipline, or method that would round out the breadth of your knowledge and why it would be a valuable part of your education.

To assist with your Academic Statement of Purpose, we encourage you to check out the following resources:

• Development of the learning health system science competency assessment to guide training and proficiency assessment. 
• What is unique about learning health systems? 
• Advancing the learning health system. 
• Exploring Learning Health Sciences 
• Learning Health Systems Journal 
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 

Include the following required information in the header of your statement:

• "Academic Statement of Purpose."
• Your name.
• The name of the graduate program to which you are applying - HILS-Online.

Set margins to one-inch and ensure any inserted tables fit within those margins.

Please upload your Academic Statement of Purpose

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert your documents to PDF format before uploading.

How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the U-M Medical School?

This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. Do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose.

Include the following required information in the header of your statement:

• Personal Statement
• Your name.
• The name of the graduate program to which you are applying - HILS-Online.

Set document margins to one inch and ensure any inserted tables fit within those margins.

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert your documents to PDF format before uploading.

All applicants must upload a scanned copy, front and back, of their official transcript/academic record issued by the Registrar or Records Office, to ApplyWeb for each bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree earned or in progress. If you previously attended U-M Ann Arbor, Rackham will access that transcript internally.

Do not submit transcripts from community or junior college, non-degree or study abroad coursework.

Please see Transcripts for complete instructions including specific information for submitting Non-U.S. institution records.

Three letters of recommendation are required and must be submitted electronically by your recommenders. As you are completing the online application, you will be given instructions for how to "Register Your Recommenders." Recommenders will then receive an email that will guide them in uploading their letters.

Requesting Letters of Recommendation

An effective recommendation letter should provide an assessment of your potential as a graduate student and/or researcher. It is important that a recommendation letter be written by someone who knows you well academically or is familiar with your professional work. Recommendation letters provide the admissions committee with information that isn’t found elsewhere in your application.

Important Information for Registering Recommenders

• You will need each recommender’s
  • Name.
  • Mailing address.
  • E-mail address.
  • Phone number.
  • Institution or employer.
• Title.
• Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, if you are admitted and decide to enroll, you have access to your education record, including letters of recommendation at U-M.
• If you select “Yes” to waive your right, you will not have access to the letter of recommendation.
• If you select “No” to waive your right, then you will have access to the letter of recommendation.
• Note that some recommenders may choose not to prepare a recommendation if these rights have not been waived. You will not be able to change the waiver status once your recommender has logged into their online recommendation account.
• You may register your recommenders in ApplyWeb before completing your application. In ApplyWeb select “Submit Recommendation Request” to confirm, and proceed with the application at your own pace before the HILS–Online application deadline.

After Registering Your Recommenders

• Recommendations can be uploaded before or after you have submitted your application.
• Check the status of your letters of recommendation or resend the notification e-mail to your recommender using the ApplyWeb Activity Page
• If the status is “Not Started” and you need to change your recommender, you will update the name of the recommender and the e-mail address. The other contact information cannot be edited.
• If the status is “Completed” or “In Progress” you cannot change your recommender. In this case, contact HILS–Online program staff.

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency and are required to provide official score reports for one of the following:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (preferred). Score earned within the past two years of 560 or higher on the paper-based test or 84 or higher on the Internet-based test (iBT). Request the University of Michigan to receive your scores (institution code 1839).
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Minimum score of 6.5.
• MELAB Minimum score of 80.

Please see Rackham English Proficiency Requirements for instructions on how to submit your scores.

Applicants who have earned or will earn a Bachelor's or Master's degree are exempt from taking an English proficiency examination only if one of the following criteria are met:

• You are a native speaker of English.
• You completed all of your undergraduate education and earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only.
• You completed all of your graduate education and earned a graduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only.
  Note: If you completed a Master’s degree that was strictly research and no academic classes, that degree does not meet the exemption. This type of Master’s degree is generally awarded at a non-U.S. institution.
• You are a current U-M student.

Being a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking an English proficiency exam. If the applicant’s first language is not English, the applicant must meet the exception above or submit English proficiency exam scores.

The Rackham Graduate School administers application fee waivers.

Neither HILS nor the Rackham Graduate School requires GRE scores for admission.

HILS-Online aims to notify applicants six to eight weeks after the receipt of their application.

Applicants are able to monitor their materials using a U-M Friend Account. Instructions for accessing your account may be found in the Rackham Application Checklist.

The admissions committee will begin the review process on a rolling basis for MS applications so you will want your application to be as complete as possible by the deadline.

The specific dates haven’t been identified yet, but HILS institutes take place at the beginning of each term: Fall, Winter and Spring/Summer. Students should expect to spend two to three days on campus for each session.

Find hotel information on AnnArbor.org.

Students are required to complete a learning cycle project during the summer of their first year. This includes a 3-credit capstone course (LHS 622) in which students critically evaluate their project and learn how to communicate its findings to key stakeholders. The goal is to ensure students are thoroughly grounded in each phase of the learning cycle and experienced in its iterative nature.

HILS–Online students work closely with faculty to identify and shape projects that fit their job activities, professional interests and career aspirations. Just as in the residential HILS MS program, HILS–Online learners also identify relevant faculty experts to support their projects.

Students have the opportunity to interact with other students on a weekly basis at the HILS Seminars as well as in person at the three on-campus HILS institutes.

Each course includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities. Recorded sessions can be viewed at any time, with regularly scheduled virtual, live sessions with instructors and other students. Most sessions occur on weekdays at various times, and students should anticipate spending 15–20 hours per week on coursework.

HILS–Online uses Canvas as its learning management platform.

The Michigan Medicine Health Information Technology and Services (HITS) service desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone, chat or service portal. In addition, Information and Technology Services (ITS) at the University of Michigan has information on student computing and adaptive technology.