What Kind of Scholarships Are Available For a Health Informatics Majors?

If you are in the process of earning a degree in Health Informatics, it is time to start your search for a list of scholarships for health informatics majors. One of the biggest drawbacks of earning a degree in any field is that you generally need to secure loans and accrue debt to finish school. Unlike Federal and private loans, scholarships are free money that does not have to be paid back. As long as you meet the eligibility requirements and you are selected as a recipient, you have peace of mind in knowing that you can live comfortably for a semester or your entire student career. If you want to look for major-specific awards, here are some places that you should start looking:

Institutional Scholarships Just For Health-Related Majors

The first place for any active student to start searching for scholarships is through the school. One of the major benefits of applying for a school specific scholarship is that the competition is much lower and your chances of being selected based on merit and achievement are much higher. Some scholarships that are awarded by institutions are available to the entire student body, and others are only available to majors in a specific field. Faculty members and alumni will contribute to the scholarship fund to ensure that health-related majors and students in many other disciplines can succeed. Check the deadlines of scholarships awarded by your school, and get your application submitted early.

Private Scholarships for Health Informatics Majors

Once you have weighed your options by reviewing all of the school specific opportunities, the next step is to look for private scholarships for students in the field. With the growing demand for health informatics majors, more and more private scholarships are being offered to the top-performing students in their class. While there are several different private professional scholarships offered by different organizations, one of the most popular organizations in the field is the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Currently, the HIMSS offers two different types of scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. One category is for three lucky undergrads and grads who are enrolled in school full-time and who are at least juniors in their program of study. The other category is the Richard Covert opportunity, which is for a student who is specializing in Management Engineering. You will need to contact the chapter of the HIMSS at your school to find out how to apply for these scholarships. Remember that you must be a member of most professional organizations to apply for these private awards, and most awards are one-time gifts.

Health IT careers are in demand, and now is the time to earn a degree in informatics. In fact, between 2007 and 2011, statistics show that the job posting for positions in health informatics rose by 36 percent, and this number is only projected to grow. Compared to growth in the sector as a whole, the growth in informatics is very high. There are plenty of degree programs that you can choose to enroll in, but another factor to consider is how much earning your degree will cost you. Do not pay for everything out of pocket if you do not have to, and look for scholarships for health informatics majors so you can lower your financial obligations.