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ABOUT

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been driving a revolution in healthcare. The convergence of ICT with health, healthcare, living and society offer real opportunities to improve medical outcomes and enhance efficiency. The fast-moving digital health tools (such as wearable devices, telehealth, telemedicine and mobile health) have the potential to improve physicians and patients relationships. The tools help to accelerate the diagnostic process and permit Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be used to provide accurate treatment recommendations – such options empowering patients to be more engaged with and proactive about their health besides encouraging preventive care through an increased focus on nutrition, exercise and wellness via digital health tools help to better manage chronic conditions outside of traditional care settings.

Digital Health Degree

IMU aims to equip students with essential digital health skills related to ICT and data analytics to be applied to healthcare. Students undergo a robust curriculum that involves project-based learning activities and coursework, which offer a well-grounded and theoretically-informed training for the development in digital health.

What makes this programme unique is the fact that it is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of experts from the field of computing and health sciences. Also, the programme is designed for the students from science and non-science to embark on health-related careers. The prerequisite to join the programme is to have the required pre-university qualifications together with a credit in Mathematics at the SPM level or equivalent.

Key Facts

DEGREE

  • Bachelor in Digital Health (Hons) (IMU)

Commencement

  • July and September

total duration

  • 3 years

Note: For the 3-year programme, Semester 5 is a short semester which spans over 9 weeks only.

first degree in Malaysia that integrates ICT, Data Analytics and Healthcare

As of 15 April 2022, as listed in the Malaysian Qualifications Agency’s (MQA) portal on provisional accreditation, the IMU’s Bachelor in Digital Health is the first degree in Malaysia that integrates ICT, Data Analytics and Healthcare.

Why Study Digital Health at IMU?

An Established Private Healthcare University

IMU is Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and healthcare university with over 30 years of dedicated focus in healthcare education.

IMU achieved the SETARA-2018/2019 Tier 6 status (Outstanding) under the Mature University category.

Build Your Future Healthcare Professional Network

As IMU offers the widest range of healthcare programmes, our students are fully immersed in a vibrant community of students and practitioners from all healthcare fields. This allows for the development of strong friendship amongst peers that will be the foundation of an extensive healthcare professional network upon graduation.

Be a Digital Health Professional

Digital health is recognised as one of the fastest growing economic sectors globally with the high demand for healthcare professionals in this area. The IMU Digital Health programme is the first degree in Malaysia that blends Computing, Data Analytics and Health Sciences components in its curriculum where our graduates will be equipped with an in-depth understanding and know-how of the healthcare field including the healthcare systems, regulations, governance and more, preparing them to be work-ready in this field.

Strong Industry Partnerships in Malaysia and Overseas

As Malaysia’s first private medical and health sciences university, IMU has a well-established and strong industry partnerships in the field of healthcare in Malaysia and overseas. This is extended to the digital health area where IMU is bringing in industrial experts in their respective IT fields to be part of the programme’s teaching force. The partnership with the digital experts in the United States and United Kingdom is part of the student’s knowledge and skills development in and to expand their network for career network and professional development

Innovative and Agile Curriculum in Digital Health

Digital health is one of the fastest growing economic sectors globally, hence the Digital Health curriculum is embedded with research-led teaching to deliver evidence-based knowledge and practice in the industry. Also, the curriculum structure will be updated to meet the ever-changing IT and healthcare industries’ needs so that our graduates will remain work-ready and employable upon graduation.

Programme Structure

Semester Contents

Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
  • Discrete Mathematics
  • IT Fundamentals
  • Fundamentals of Programming
  • System Analysis and Design
  • Introduction to Healthcare Organisations and Systems
  • U2 (English for Health Sciences)
  • Database Systems
  • Computer Communication and Networks
  • Data Structures and Algorithms
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Digital Health Applications
  • Statistics for Digital Health
  • Object-Oriented Programming
  • U4 Social Responsibility (Part 1)
  • *Choose any 2 elective modules

    Science

    – Biological Science and Genetics
    – Human Biology

    Non-Science

    – Introduction to Business
    Administration
    – Strategic Management
Semester 4 Semester 5 Semester 6
  • Web Systems and Technologies
  • Operating Systems and Platform Technologies
  • Introduction to Data Mining, Big Data and Data Science
  • Human Behavior in Digital Health
  • U4 Social Responsibility (Part 2)
  • *Choose 1 elective module

    Science

    – Omics Applications in Medical Sciences and Healthcare

    Non-Science

    – Digital Leadership
  • Research Methodology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health Data Engineering
  • Information Security
  • Health Data Analytics and Data Visualisation
  • Advanced Computing Topics Applied to Healthcare
  • Healthcare Ethics and Professionalism
  • Research Project I
Semester 7
  • Industrial Training
  • Research Project II
  • The curriculum is reviewed periodically and is subject to change.
  • The MPU modules are compulsory modules imposed by Ministry of Higher Education under the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555). All students must take these modules and pass as a prerequisite for the award of the degree.
  • Eligible graduates from the IMU Bachelor in Digital Health (Hons) will get a 9-credit transfer when they enrol into the Master in Health Informatics (MHI) at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.
COMPONENT SEMESTER
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Information & Communication Technologies (ICT)
Digital Health (DH)
Data Analytics (DA)

The table above shows the sharing of Information & Communication Technologies, Digital Health and Data Analytics components.

Entry Requirement

Examinations Requirements
A- Levels CDD
AND
Credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
STPM CC
AND
Credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Australian Matriculation ATAR 60
AND
Credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
NCEA Level 3 50% aggregate
AND
Credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Canadian Grade 12/13 60% aggregate in 6 subjects
AND
Credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) B in 5 subjects
AND
Credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Australian University Foundation Programmes 50% aggregate or ATAR 60
AND
Credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Indian Pre-University Average of 50%
AND
Credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Ministry of Education Matriculation # cGPA of 2.00
AND
Credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
International Baccalaureate (IB) 24 points
AND
Credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
American High School Diploma with Advanced Placement (AP) cGPA 2.00
AND
Credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Foundation Studies # IMU Foundation in Science / Foundation in Arts / equivalent
cGPA of 2.00
AND
Credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Degree BSc in related field: cGPA 2.00
AND
a credit in Mathematics in SPM or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
Diploma
  • Diploma in Computer Science / Software Engineering / Information Technology / Information Systems with a minimum cGPA of 2.50 and a credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)
  • Any other Diploma in Science and technology or business studies
    Minimum cGPA of 2.50 may be admitted, subject to rigorous internal assessment process and a credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent (This can be exempted if achieved the same result at Pre-University level)

# The duration of this programme must be a minimum of 1 year in the same accredited institution and foundation in other disciplines are accepted.

Foundation in Science
  • Foundation in Science qualifications from other higher education institutions will be considered on a case by case basis for admission into the local IMU programmes.
  • Students with IMU Foundation in Science can apply into IMU programmes and programmes with selected credit transfer options, upon meeting the entry requirement eligibility. **
    (Please refer to IMU Foundation in Science brochure for more details)
For admissions into the IMU Foundation in Science programme, students will need:
  • Pass SPM / O-Levels with minimum 5 credits in Mathematics, 2 Science subjects and 2 other subjects. Note: Specific SPM / O-Levels requirements may be needed for admissions into IMU programmes.

English Language Requirement

English Test Malaysian Student International Student
MUET Band score of 3; or
IELTS Overall band score of 5.5; or Overall band score of 5.5; or
TOEFL iBT Overall score of 46; or Overall score of 46; or
Cambridge English : Advanced (CAE) Overall score of 162; or Advanced (CAE) : Overall score of 162; or
Cambridge English : Proficiency (CPE) Overall score of 162; or Overall score of 162; or
Cambridge Linguaskill Overall score of 160; or Overall score of 160; or
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Overall score of 51; or Overall score of 51; or
Credit Transfer IELTS Overall band score of 7.0 IELTS Overall band score of 7.0

 

Additional Information:

Candidates with cGPA below 2.50 but above 2.0 with a credit in Mathematics at SPM level or its equivalent may be admitted, subject to a rigorous internal assessment process. Candidate with a credit in computing related subject at SPM or STPM level or its equivalent may be given preferential consideration (Based on MQA programme standards for computing).

 

The following categories of students* are exempted from the above requirements:

Students who graduated from other institutions where the curriculum is delivered in English Language for example:

  • Advanced Levels
  • Australian Matriculation
  • Australian University Foundation Year
  • Canadian Matriculation
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Foundation in Science
  • Other Pre-University Programmes from Local Higher Education Institutions

* ONLY applicable for those who are completing the entire degree at IMU, Malaysia

Note

Please note that achieving the minimum Entry and English requirements as stated does not guarantee you admission into any of IMU’s programmes.

Please refer to our Student Admissions Policy for more information.

Application and Registration Fees

Fee Malaysian Student (RM) International Student (RM)
Application Fee 150 500
Registration Fee 850 2,000
Refundable Caution Deposit 1,000 1,000
  • Application fee is payable upon submission of application.
  • Registration fee and refundable caution deposit is payable upon acceptance of the offer letter issued by the IMU Admissions Office.
  • All students who are applying for the NHEF loans are required to pay their semester fees in FULL by the due date stated in the invoice.
  • The fees quoted for partner universities are current estimates only
  • Student must adhere to the Policy on Payment of Fees
  • All tuition and ancillary fees are subject to annual increases, currency exchange rates, and exclusive of levy and bridging fees (if any).
  • All students are required to pay Student Association Fees of RM40 per semester.
  • As stipulated by Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, international students are required to pay Student Visa Application fee of RM2,500 AND personal bond (depending on nationality) upon registration.
  • ** Fee after bursary
  • ***Applicable in Semester 5
  • Master in Health Informatics (MHI) at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA: USD 36,000 (Current estimates only).

Fee Structure

malaysian student

Total Duration (years) At International Medical University (IMU) At Partner University (PU)
Years Total Semesters Tuition Fee (RM) Estimated Tuition Fees at Partner University
Per Semester Per Year Years Semesters Tuition Fee Per Year *
Bachelor of Digital Health (Hons) ** 3 3 6 long semesters 16,500 33,000
1 short semester *** 6,300 6,300

International Student

Total Duration (years) At International Medical University (IMU) At Partner University (PU)
Years Total Semesters Tuition Fee (RM) Estimated Tuition Fees at Partner University
Per Semester Per Year Years Semesters Tuition Fee Per Year *
Bachelor of Digital Health (Hons) ** 3 3 6 long semesters 17,500 35,000
1 short semester *** 8,400 8,400
Country Estimated Living Costs
(Per Year)
Exchange Rate
(As of Dec 2023)
Estimated Living Cost (Per Year) Australia AUD 21,000 – AUD 30,000 ≈ RM 65,900 – RM 94,200 AUD 1 ≈ RM3.14
Canada CAD 28,000 ≈ RM 98,000 CAD 1 ≈ RM3.50
China RMB 85,000 ≈ RM 56,100 RMB 1 ≈ RM0.66
Ireland EUR 12,000 ≈ RM 62,000 EUR 1 ≈ RM5.17
New Zealand NZD 22,000 – NZD 26,000 ≈ RM 64,500 – RM 76,200 NZD 1 ≈ RM2.93
United Kingdom GBP 10,000 – 22,700 ≈ RM60,000 – RM 136,200 GBP 1 ≈ RM6.00
United States of America USD 16,000 ≈ RM 75,800 USD 1 ≈ RM4.74
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia RM36,000 RM36,000

Partner Universities

As an assurance of a total commitment towards quality education in nutrition, the IMU maintains its relationship with partner university in the United States.

Our Team

Dr Tan Ee Xion

Senior Lecturer

Dr

PhD (Monash University), MSc IT (Monash University), BCompSc (Monash University)

Prof Zaharin Bin Yusoff

Professor

BSc (Hons) Pure Maths (UKC), MSc Pure Maths (UKC), PhD Comp Sci (USM/UJF)

Dr Yam Wai Keat

Senior Lecturer

Dr

BSc (Hons) Bioinformatics (UM), PhD in Structural Bioinformatics (USM)

Dr Chuah Tong Kuan

Senior Lecturer

Dr

PhD BME (Nan. Tech), BEng (Nan. Tech)

Dr Fong Pui Kwan

Senior Lecturer

Dr

PhD Cogn Sci (UNIMAS), BS Cogn Sci (UNIMAS)

Industrial Partners

The curriculum structure is constantly updated to meet the ever-changing industries’ needs and includes research-led teaching to deliver evidence-based knowledge and practice in the industry. Students will have the opportunity to undergo industrial training in the related sectors in their final semester. They will also be able to collaborate with industry or/and researcher in related project in their final year. The organisations involved in these internships are:

Views from Our Community

Lim Xin Tze

Student of Digital Health

One aspect of the Digital Health course I value highly is the opportunity for early exposure to industry professionals. For instance, my class had the privilege of having speakers from the National Institutes of Health Malaysia share their knowledge and experiences. These lectures provided valuable insights into the potential opportunities that await us upon completing the Digital Health programme. The exposure to industry professionals in the early stages has been invaluable in helping us better understand the practical applications of Digital Health. We have gained a deeper appreciation for the scope of the field and the potential impact it can have on the healthcare industry.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Digital Health (DH)?

  • DH refers to the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) in healthcare. Synonyms are digital healthcare, health/healthcare informatics, health/healthcare information technology.
  • DH technologies use computing platforms, connectivity, software, and sensors for health care and related uses.
  • DH refers to the application of computer science and information technology to healthcare with the objective of improving patient care by increasing the effectiveness of treatment and the efficiency of its delivery.
  • It is a broad and growing sector. It can cover everything from wearable gadgets to ingestible sensors, from mobile health apps to artificial intelligence, from robotic carers to electronic health records.
  • Another objective is to help reducing the number of doctor’s appointments and hospital admissions.

What are some examples of the use of DH today, and tomorrow?

  • monitoring and preventing diseases (for example Covid-19), helping patients monitor and manage chronic conditions, lowering the cost of healthcare provision,
  • precision medicine: create treatments that are applicable to groups of individuals who meet certain characteristics.
  • personalized medicine: individualized treatments that take into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person.
  • mobile health (mHealth): using wearable devices and mobile health apps for monitoring diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, irregular heart rhythms, sleep (for example sleep apnoea)
  • telehealth / telemedicine
  • drug discovery
  • robotics assisted surgery

“One of the less talked about benefits of greater use of digital health tools around the world is the potential insights that building up a vast repository of data on health markers of people around the world could create. In future, with the help of big data systems and artificial intelligence, researchers may be able to tease out connections between conditions and people’s lifestyles, determining how doing or not doing a certain thing (be it where you live, what you eat, where you work, what medications you take, and so on) will increase or reduce your chances of having a certain medical condition.”

How will DH impact your life?

  • allow individuals to improve their lifestyles and maintain good health for longer, and so help reducing the number of doctor’s appointments, emergency room visits and even hospital admissions,
  • help identify new illnesses or the worsening of existing ones,
  • DH tools could help shorten the length of a disease, or help ease symptoms before they really take hold,
  • DH could also reduce the total cost of a person’s healthcare over their lifetime, trimming bills for providers and patients alike,

“There are also questions around how insurers should be involved in using digital health. Several companies are encouraging their customers to adopt healthy habits by giving them discounted or free wearables if they hit certain exercise targets. However, it’s not a huge stretch of the imagination to see that data from such devices could one day affect pricing and eligibility, potentially requiring customers to share more than they would be comfortable with.”

What kinds of jobs will be created by DH?

  • many of DH jobs are hybrids, requiring skill sets from different disciplines and which therefore are not typically trained together. For example, a Clinical Analyst would assists clinical staff with IT systems, interpret data and manage patient records. That requires some of the skills both of a healthcare and IT person.
  • a DH specialist is usually not on the front lines of healthcare. DH specialists develop the information systems that all sectors of the medical establishment count on to guide their efforts to provide effective, top-quality care as efficiently as possible. They work with other healthcare professionals to design, develop and assess ways to collect, share, standardize and integrate health data and the information systems used to manage it.
  • DH specialists also look beyond the collection and maintenance of data. Their jobs may require them to analyse the data to uncover more effective ways to deliver care or to examine the system itself to pinpoint better ways to get the information doctors and nurses rely on to them more efficiently.

What are the biggest challenges for the development of DH?

  • interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs),
  • concerns over data privacy and security (-> blockchain technology),
  • need to equip staff with the information and training needed to adopt the technologies effectively,
  • For digital health to be as useful as it possibly can, it needs to be used by the widest range of people possible: any age, any gender, any ethnic or genetic background, with any income, with medication condition or without. However, at the moment, those that use digital health tools, particularly wearables, tend to be fitter, wealthier, and more likely to be in their 20s to 40s (though manufacturers are increasingly targeting older consumers, so that’s likely to change with time). At the moment, the data that’s been gathered by digital health tools is focusing on a small section of the population.

DH Careers

Over the next few years, studies have projected that the demand for various job roles in this field will grow by more than 10%. Digital Health informatics professionals are particularly in high demand in industries like:

  • Healthcare facilities and hospitals,
  • Government agencies,
  • Insurance companies,
  • Digital Health start-ups, such as those offering telemedicine services

A few examples of a career pathway for digital health graduates are listed here. Besides, employment opportunities are also available abroad in neighbouring Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Europe, and the United States of America.

 

Health focused

  • Health Informatics Consultant, Health Informatics Analyst, Health Data Analyst, Health Data Engineer, Health Information Manager

 

IT focused

  • Software developer, data scientist and machine learning engineer, mobile / wearables app developer, augmented/virtual reality developer, robotics engineer

DH Market

What is the importance of the DH market in the world?
Putting a definitive number on the size of market is difficult, given researchers often have different views on which technologies can be brought under the digital health umbrella, though most researchers agree it’s in the region of hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide.

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INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR ONE OF OUR PROGRAMMES?

You will need to prepare the following documents for your application:

  • Verified copies of your academic qualifications
  • Evidence of English language proficiency
  • A copy of your MyKad or the identification page of your passport

These supporting documents needs to be attached electronically to your application. Please note that all of our programmes require payment of a non-refundable application fee after the application has been submitted. Application will only be processed once the payment for application fee has been made.

We wish you all the best with your application, and hope we will be welcoming you into one of our programmes soon!

A Word from the Programme Director

Tan-Ee-Xion-2022-2

DR TAN EE XION

Senior Lecturer and Programme Director
PhD (Monash), MIT (Monash), BCS (Monash)

“With the help of digital health technologies, physicians are able to access the right information at the right time, and provide timely treatment options and emergency help to the individual. The IMU Digital Health programme is the first degree in Malaysia that blends Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Data Analytics and Healthcare components in its curriculum where our graduates will be equipped with an in-depth understanding and know-how of the healthcare field.”

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