The Biomedical Informatics curriculum is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of students with different backgrounds and career goals, while providing a uniform foundation in the essentials of the field. Additional information is available on the requirements of each of the three degree programs: Terminal Master's and Doctorate (PhD), Postdoctoral Master's and examples of sample programs.

The table below describes the educational objectives of the program. Students who have already satisfied one or more of the first three objectives (biomedical, computational, or mathematical) through prior graduate training as assessed by the graduate degree program director or academic advisor do not need to take further courses in these areas. The core courses provide a foundation in general Biomedical Informatics methods, techniques and theories, while electives enable students to apply these methods to one or more areas of specialization in bioinformatics, clinical informatics, public health informatics or translational informatics.

The last column of the table shows an inclusive but not exhaustive list of possible courses that support each objective. Many of these courses are described further in the list of related courses. Other courses may also be used to fulfill educational objectives.  Because course offerings change constantly, students are advised to consult the Columbia University Directory of Classes and websites for affiliated departments before course selection. Academic advisors and/or the Graduate Program Director must approve in advance courses used to fulfill educational objectives each semester.  List the courses used to fulfill objective requirements on the appropriate page of your mid-semester reporting forms.