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Medical Illustration & Informatics

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.2703 - 51.2799.

Types of Degrees Medical Illustration & Informatics Majors Are Earning

Those studying Medical Illustration & Informatics may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	5
Associate’s Degree	34
Bachelor’s Degree	214
Master’s Degree	2,835
Doctor’s Degree	66

What Medical Illustration & Informatics Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Medical Illustration & Informatics build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Medical Illustration & Informatics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Medical Illustration & Informatics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Medical Illustration & Informatics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Illustration & Informatics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft SQL Server	Data base user interface and query software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript	Development environment software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Visual Basic	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates include:

• Medical Information Specialist
• Digital Health Technologist
• Cancer Tumor Registrar
• Medical Data Analyst
• Applications Analyst
• Health Information Technician
• Tumor Registrar
• ROI Specialist (Release of Information Specialist)
• Severity of Illness Coordinator
• Medical Care Evaluation Specialist
• Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR)
• Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist (CDIS)
• Health Data Analyst
• Healthcare Data Analyst
• MDS Coordinator (Minimum Data Set Coordinator)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	42.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.5%
Postsecondary certificate	14.6%
Some college courses	8.1%
Master’s degree	5.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.1%
Post-master’s certificate	2.0%
Less than a high school diploma	1.1%
Doctoral degree	0.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Illustration & Informatics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.3% of Medical Illustration & Informatics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,187	69.3%
Men	967	30.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	812	25.7%
Asian	383	12.1%
Hispanic or Latino	190	6.0%
Black or African American	378	12.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	62	2.0%
Race Unknown	104	3.3%
International Students	1,217	38.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Illustration & Informatics Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$83,588
4 years	$85,034
5 years	$93,260

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $93,260 — roughly 12% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Medical Illustration & Informatics Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Medical Illustration & Informatics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	0
Bachelor’s	9	3
Master’s	58	17
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Medical Illustration & Informatics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Medical Illustration & Informatics graduates earn a median of $85,034 four years after completion — roughly 124% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.