Florida International University

What you'll study

The programme balances traditional scientific visual communication with core informatics skills. You will study human anatomy and physiology for artists, principles of visual communication, and advanced image-making techniques, alongside coursework in biomedical informatics, medical imaging, and data visualisation.

• Anatomy and Physiology for Visualisers — focused dissection-based and radiological anatomy tailored to illustrators and visualisers.
• Scientific and Medical Illustration Techniques — traditional and digital drawing, painting, and compositing for clinical, educational and research contexts.
• 3D Modelling, Animation and Rendering — polygonal modelling, sculpting, rigging and animation for surgical simulation and patient education.
• Medical Imaging and Image Processing — fundamentals of CT, MRI and ultrasound, DICOM handling and image post-processing for visualisation purposes.
• Biomedical Informatics Foundations — health data types, standards, interoperability (including HL7 concepts), and clinical data workflows.
• Data Visualisation and Interaction Design — principles of visual analytics, dashboard design, and interactive clinical visualisation using common tools and libraries.
• Programming for Visualisation — scripting and prototyping in languages and environments commonly used for visualisation and data handling.
• Research Project or Professional Portfolio — a substantial capstone that may be a thesis, applied research project or a professional portfolio piece developed in partnership with healthcare providers or industry.

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline such as fine art, biomedical science, life sciences, computer science, information science or a related field. Admissions typically consider the academic record, relevant experience and the strength of supporting materials.

• Academic background — a completed undergraduate degree in an appropriate subject. Candidates without a directly related degree but with relevant professional experience may be considered.
• Portfolio — applicants with an art or design background should submit a portfolio demonstrating observational drawing, anatomical work, and digital media skills. Applicants from scientific or computing backgrounds may submit examples of technical visualisations, imaging work or related projects.
• Supporting documents — a statement of purpose describing interests and career goals, letters of recommendation, and a curriculum vitae or resume.
• Prerequisites — some applicants may be asked to complete introductory coursework in anatomy, drawing fundamentals or basic programming depending on background.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared for a variety of roles that blend visual communication with health data and technology. Career paths include positions in healthcare, publishing, industry and academia.

• Medical and scientific illustrator for hospitals, medical schools and publishers
• Visualisation specialist or data visualiser in health technology and medical device companies
• Clinical or biomedical informatics analyst focusing on visual dashboards and decision-support tools
• 3D medical animator and surgical simulation developer
• User experience (UX) designer for clinical applications and patient-facing health tools
• Researcher or academic in visual communication, medical education or informatics
• Freelance or consultancy roles producing anatomical visual assets and interactive educational materials

Why study at Florida International University

Florida International University offers a collaborative environment that supports interdisciplinary training between arts, health sciences and computing. The university's location provides access to a large clinical community and industry partners, enabling applied projects and practicum opportunities.

• Interdisciplinary collaboration — opportunities to work with faculty and students across health, biomedical and computing departments to develop clinically relevant projects.
• Practical experience — project-based coursework, a professional portfolio capstone, and connections with local hospitals, research centres and health-tech companies.
• Technical resources — access to imaging facilities, 3D labs and computer-assisted visualisation tools supporting both traditional and digital workflows.
• Career support — university career services and industry links that help graduates move into roles in medical communication, health technology and research.