Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Informatics

The Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Informatics program (100% online) requires successful completion of 18 credit hours. 

Key Dates

Application Fee

A non-refundable application fee of $80 is required. This fee is waived only for the following applicants:

• U.S. military personnel who have been on active duty within three years of submitting their application for admission
• GW alumni (those holding a GW degree or graduate certificate)
• Current degree or graduate certificate candidates at GW
• Current McNair Program Scholars (a completed Certification of McNair Program Participation and Application Fee Waiver form must be submitted with your application)

Admission Requirements

To be accepted to the Graduate Certificate for Biomedical Informatics program (100% online), you must have:

1. Resume

Attach your current resume or CV.

Active-duty military do not need to submit a resume. Attach current orders.

2. Official Transcripts

Official transcripts from every college and university attended. All non-U.S. transcripts (including those in English) must be evaluated by an accredited foreign credential agency. Please find the list of member organizations here: https://www.naces.org/members.

3. Recommendations

One letter of recommendation is required for undergraduate students and two letters of recommendation for graduate students. The recommendations must be submitted through the GW Online Application. Letters of recommendation should be from:

• Individuals who served in a supervisory capacity for you and who can strongly attest to your work ethic, and/or
• Academic instructors who can strongly attest to your academic ability

Recommendations are not acceptable from family members and friends.

Recommendations must be on letterhead and signed by the recommender. It is helpful if the recommender includes specific information addressing the applicants oral and written English skills.

4. Statement of Purpose

Please include a 250-500 word essay describing your reasons for undertaking study at The George Washington University, and your academic objectives, career goals, and related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities, relevant to your program of interest. Include any substantial accomplishments not already mentioned on the application form.

Graduate Certificate Admission Requirements

1. Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation into the program

2. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0

3. Relevant clinical research or related experience in healthcare

4. English Language Test

Applicants who are not U.S. citizens are required to submit official test scores for either Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Pearsons Test of English (PTE) Academic or the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The following are the minimum scores for admission consideration:

• TOEFL: 250 computer-based or 100 Internet-based
• PTE: overall score of 68
• IELTS: an overall band score of 7.0, with no individual band score below 6.

International applicants who meet the following conditions may be considered for admission without submitting TOEFL, PTE or IELTS scores:

• They are a citizen of countries where English is the official language (as identified by GW ISO list of Exempt countries) OR
• They hold at least a bachelor degree from a country where English is the official language as well as language of instruction OR
• They hold at least a bachelor degree from an institution accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting agency

Eligibility for Active-Duty Military Discounted Tuition Rate

A discounted tuition rate is available for active-duty service members in our distance education Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) programs. Please see the Tuition & Financial Aid page for more information on program rates. In order to receive this rate, your program must receive the following documents during the admission process. If your status changes during your program, please contact your GW program advisor.

For students on active-duty, we need:

(a) Copy of Enlistment Contract AND
(b) Statement from the Personnel Section (e.g. S-1 Army, N-1 Navy) providing statement of employment and end date of the enlistment contract.

For active-duty personnel who will retire or separate before they complete their program, the discounted rate is granted during the enrollment period that aligns with the contract. Students will be returned to the standard DE rate once they retire or separate.

For Reserve and National Guard who have been activated, we need: 

(a) Orders for Mobilization OR
(b) Orders for Active Duty for Training (Annual Training not included)

For Reserve and National Guard, the discounted rate is granted during the enrollment period that aligns with the orders. Students will be returned to the standard DE rate once the orders expire.

Note: Orders must align with the enrollment period to be eligible. For example, orders for active status for a few days of the semester would not be eligible for the discounted rate during that semester. Please contact the program office if you have questions.

Non-Degree Seeking Applicants

If you wish to take an individual course offered by this program, please contact the program directly.

Transferring Credits

All courses in this program are transferable to Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS) in Biomedical Informatics.

International Students

International students should check with individual programs regarding eligibility for visa sponsorship. Generally, online and hybrid programs are not eligible for student visa sponsorship from GW. This would include transfer students from any other institution with an existing visa.

Official transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grades, U.S. degree equivalency, grade-point averages (GPA), and date of degree conferral. For a list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services, please visit NACES.

Applicants who are not U.S. citizens are also required to submit official test scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Pearson’s Test of English (PTE) Academics or the academic International English Language Test System (IELTS). To be considered for admission, there are required scores that you will need to meet. Score requirements may differ by school and program so check the admissions requirements for your program.

Supporting Documents and Official Transcript

Documents and Official Transcripts not submitted online should be mailed to:

Mail: George Washington University
ATTN: Transcript Processing Center
1415 W 22^nd St.
Suite 220
Oak Brook, IL 60523 

Alternatively, official electronic transcripts can be sent to: transcripts@hsprograms.gwu.edu