Master of Digital Health (MDH) at Rice University is an interdisciplinary graduate degree program to train the next generation of engineer-leaders to invent the future of healthcare. Blending engineering fundamentals and entrepreneurial problem-solving, the program will provide strong foundations in AI and digital technologies for healthcare. The training will equip students with the expertise to guide thoughtful, effective innovation across hospitals, health insurers, and medical technology companies.
MDH is led by the Rice Digital Health Initiative, multi-department initiative to shape the foundations and accelerate translation into products. In 2024, the Initiative launched a unique joint Houston Methodist-Rice Digital Health Institute, which unites engineering and clinical leadership to accelerate research and entrepreneurship. As one of the first graduate programs in the U.S. focused specifically on digital health, it will equip students to excel in a rapidly evolving field where technology and patient care increasingly intersect.
What can I learn at MDH?
- Deep Technical & Clinical Fluency: Training in advanced statistics, machine learning, and AI fundamentals tailored to healthcare applications.
- Capstone Experience: A year-long, hands-on capstone project with a medical partner addressing a real and current digital health problem.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Work with clinicians, engineers, companies, and domain experts to solve complex health challenges with a focus on entrepreneurship and the next generation of digital health products.
Scholarships
The MDH program offers two kinds of tuition scholarships.
Early Bird Scholarships: As a new and exciting program, we provide an early application scholarship this year alone. If your complete application is received by the deadline shown below and you are offered admission to the program, you will automatically receive the early bird tuition scholarship as detailed below.
- Applications completed before February 1, 2026 -- scholarship that covers 25% of the tuition
- Applications completed before March 1, 2026 -- scholarship that covers 15% of the tuition
- Applications completed before April 1, 2026 -- scholarship that covers 10% of the tuition
Merit Scholarships: The MDH program also offers a merit-based scholarship. All applications are automatically considered for the merit-based scholarship. We offer numerous scholarships that cover 20-50% of the tuition. This merit-based scholarship will be in addition to any early bird scholarship. The number of merit-based scholarship offers is limited. Since applications are reviewed monthly (the first week of every month), be sure to apply early to get full consideration of the merit-based scholarships.
Admissions
The MDH program is an interdisciplinary program designed for students from a wide range of academic backgrounds in engineering and science, including ECE, Bioengineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Statistics. The program is for students interested in applying their expertise to health-focused applications and in contributing to the transformation of healthcare through technology, data, and innovation.
While the MECE program with a specialization in Digital Health is primarily geared toward students with an ECE background, the MDH program will offer a more interdisciplinary and inclusive approach. It is particularly well-suited for students with diverse technical foundations who are passionate about healthcare innovation and digital health solutions.
Learn more about Graduate Admissions.
In the selection of prospective graduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, all available material is carefully evaluated, particularly:
- the scholastic record as reflected by courses chosen and the quality of performance
- the evaluations of teachers and advisors
- the student's own statement of goals, aspirations and special interests
- minimum GPA requirement is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Proof of a bachelor's degree must be provided upon acceptance to the program
For Fall 2026, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until May 1 for international applicants and July 1 for U.S. applicants.