University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

What you'll study

This PhD programme is structured around three complementary strands: visual science and medical illustration, computational and health informatics, and research methods. Core topics typically covered include anatomy and physiology for visual communicators; advanced medical illustration techniques (2D and 3D modelling, animation and interactive media); medical imaging and image processing; data visualisation and visual analytics for clinical and genomic data; human–computer interaction and usability for clinical systems; machine learning for image analysis; clinical terminologies and standards; and ethics, privacy and legal issues in health data.

Study normally involves a combination of coursework, laboratory rotations or practicum placements with clinical and research groups, and an independent research project leading to a doctoral dissertation. Typical modules and seminar topics you might encounter are:

• Advanced Clinical Anatomy and Visual Representation
• Medical Imaging Principles and Image Analysis
• Data Visualisation and Visual Analytics in Health
• Machine Learning for Biomedical Data
• Human–Computer Interaction and Interface Design for Clinical Use
• Health Data Standards, Interoperability and Informatics Infrastructure
• Research Methods: quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches
• Ethics, Privacy and Regulatory Issues in Biomedical Research
• Pedagogy and Communication for Scientific and Clinical Audiences

Students develop a portfolio of visual work alongside technical research outputs. The programme emphasises collaboration with clinicians, imaging scientists and informatics teams through placements with UNC Health, research centres and partner laboratories.

Entry requirements

Applicants are expected to hold a relevant master’s degree or a strong bachelor’s degree with significant research experience in a related discipline. Suitable backgrounds include medical illustration, graphic arts, biomedical engineering, computer science, informatics, medicine, nursing, or a related life-science field. Applicants should demonstrate both creative and technical aptitude.

• Academic transcripts from undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
• A research statement describing proposed doctoral research interests and how they bridge visual communication and informatics.
• A portfolio of work that demonstrates visual communication skills (for applicants with an illustration or design background) and evidence of technical projects where applicable.
• Letters of recommendation from academic or professional referees who can speak to research potential.
• A curriculum vitae outlining relevant education, research, technical skills and professional experience.

Admissions panels look for a clear match between the applicant’s interests and available faculty supervisors. Prior coursework in anatomy, statistics, programming or image analysis is beneficial; if gaps exist, conditional coursework may be required as part of the doctoral plan. Standardised tests are considered on a programme-by-programme basis; consult the department for current testing policy.

Career prospects

Graduates leave well equipped for academic and applied roles that require both deep research skills and expertise in visual communication. Typical career paths include:

• Academic researcher or faculty in biomedical informatics, health communication, medical illustration or data visualisation.
• Principal medical illustrator or visual communications director in hospitals, medical schools, museums or publishing.
• Health data visualisation lead, UX researcher or product designer in medical technology and health‑tech companies.
• Clinical informatics specialist working on imaging workflows, decision support and visualisation for clinicians.
• Research scientist in imaging and computational anatomy at research institutes or industry labs.

Alumni also move into leadership roles in education and training, developing curricula and resources that use visualisation to improve health communication and patient understanding.

Why study at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

UNC Chapel Hill offers a collaborative environment across medicine, computing and the visual arts, enabling students to combine hands‑on clinical experience with rigorous informatics research. The university’s close links with UNC Health and its medical school provide access to clinical expertise, imaging facilities and patient‑centred projects. Interdisciplinary centres and research groups at Carolina support work spanning medical imaging, data science and health communication, and the university’s library and technical resources are strong supports for doctoral research.

Students benefit from a network of faculty with expertise in biomedical informatics, imaging science and visual communication, and from opportunities to present and publish work in both clinical and design communities. The programme’s emphasis on producing translation‑ready visual and computational outputs positions graduates to influence education, clinical practice and health technology development.