Medical Informatics is a Home Area within the UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB) and is closely aligned with the Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program. Our Home Area accepts applications in the Fall of the current year for admission to the M.S. or Ph.D. program, commencing the following Fall.

Application Instructions

  • Application deadline: December 1
  • All applicants must start the process by creating an account and beginning a new application for the Fall via the UCLA Graduate Division website.
  • Applicants will be asked to complete the page “Plans for Graduate Study”. On this page, please select “Biosciences PHD – Medical Informatics” as your Major.
  • The GRE General Exam is not required.
  • Three letters of recommendation are required from professors, supervisors or others who may provide an evaluation of accomplishments or potential for research.
  • In your 1-paged Statement of Purpose, please answer the following questions:
    • What aspect of (bio)medical informatics interests you most?
    • Describe your research experience(s) (include information on any publications).
  • Please provide a 1-paged Personal Statement. If applicable add at beginning: “Applying for MS degree to Medical Informatics”.
  • A writing sample is not required as part of your application. Please upload a blank document when prompted.

The admissions committee will utilize your Statement of Purpose as the basis for matching your academic and research interests to our faculty. The statement should only contain details that will aid the Admissions Committee in evaluating your application.

  • Your CV should cover relevant skills and experience for (bio)medical informatics, including URL links to research or software projects you have worked on.
  • Transcripts must be
    • uploaded as part of your online application. An unofficial copy will suffice when you submit your online application.
    • if and only if you’re invited for an on-campus interview, please have your institution send official transcripts directly to Bioinformatics. One official transcript is required, in the original language, from each academic institution you have attended. (If English is not the original language, also provide one official copy in an authorized, complete, and exact original language and English translation, plus any other required official documents from your home institution. For questions about your home institution and what UCLA Graduate Division requires based on your home country, please review these two links: “UCLA Grad Division International Applicants to Graduate School” and “UCLA Grad Division Required Academic Records”).

Send official transcripts directly to Bioinformatics (Note: all Medical Informatics Home Area applicants should mail their transcripts to Bioinformatics). One official transcript is required, in the original language, from each academic institution you have attended. (If English is not the original language, also provide one official copy in an authorized, complete, and exact English translation) Transcripts should be mailed to Bioinformatics at the following address:

UCLA Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program
Attn: Medical Informatics Home Area
172 Boyer Hall Box 951570
611 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7246

Exam Codes

  • The institution code for UCLA is 4837 (TOEFL).
  • The TOEFL department code is 30 (Other Biological Sciences).

International Applicants

International students whose native language is not English must submit results of either the TOEFL or the IELTS. Please review the English Requirements outlined by the UCLA Graduate Division here.

Note:  Applicants who hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from a university located in the United States or in another country in which English is both the primary spoken language and the medium of instruction, or who have completed at least two years of full-time study at such an institution, are exempted from both the TOEFL/IELTS requirement and the ESLPE.  Please be sure to include such information in your application.

Undergraduate Preparation

Students entering our graduate programs must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Two types of students are typically accepted: 1) students coming from a quantitative/engineering background, holding a degree in electrical engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering, or other data science-related discipline; and 2) students from a biomedical background, including physicians, who have demonstrated a sufficient level of expertise in computer science or other information-related discipline in order to participate in a graduate-level informatics program.

All students, regardless of background, should have completed one year each of calculus and linear algebra, chemistry, and physics. Notably, these prerequisites are meant to be guidelines: well-qualified applicants may not meet all such requirements, and if accepted will be required to complete identified requirements through remedial coursework during the first year. In addition to these conditions, applicants must meet any requirements set out by the respective home departments and Schools.

We also encourage potential applicants to contact faculty before applying to the program with questions regarding research and the curriculum.

Masters Preparation

Applicants who have completed or are in the process of completion of a M.S. or M.A. degree are expected to have extensive research experience including publications in research areas closely related to bioinformatics. Applicants with Masters degrees without publications are unlikely to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.