Master of Science in Information Science

Here is your interdisciplinary tool kit

The 36-credit program in M.S. in Information Science pulls together a set of technical tools, user-centered design, information leadership, and critical-thinking and analytics skills that will empower you to evaluate — and make decisions from — the tidal wave of information flooding every single organization today.

Our broad and intensive core curriculum spans disciplines from three colleges — Arts & Sciences, the Pompea College of Business, and the Tagliatela College of Engineering.

From Arts & Sciences, you will learn about UX — User Experience — and the Human Experience, applying human-centered design and the development process to take an idea from concept to production.

From courses that live in the College of Business, you will understand how to interpret data, using it to identifying patterns and predict outcomes that inform decision-making.

Through courses in the College of Engineering, you will acquire skills in designing, managing, and deploying networked systems, emphasizing cloud computing, big data collection, and information security.

The skill set you possess at graduation will include the ability to:

• develop a plan for creating business and social value with UX-driven opportunities,
• employ data visualization techniques to make decisions,
• convert a problem’s specifications into the program language that will address it,
• apply an ethical decision-making process to ambiguous situations, and
• create a solution that uses leadership techniques to craft an organization’s response to a real-world problem.

Focus on the area you like most

The program’s core curriculum will give you a solid foundation in all three disciplines that define the field, but chances are, you will gravitate to one discipline over the other two. We, therefore, offer an opportunity to focus on:

• UX and the Human Experience,
• Business Analytics, or
• Information Technology

Practical learning opportunities that put experience on your résumé before you graduate

Our internships and co-op work programs give you valuable, on-site experience that often leads to job offers, as employers observe your skills and assess how you handle challenges. It’s work experience and a job interview in one.

On campus, you will have the chance to work closely with faculty on research projects, flexing your creative muscle, your critical thinking and analytical skills, and your growing knowledge of IT.

There’s hardly an organization that won’t need you

For-profits and non-profits, retail operations and procurement, government agencies, and every company along the supply chain — if they’re data-driven and dependent on the processing of information, they need an expert in information science. The major sectors that are looking for you? Think e-commerce, finance, healthcare, higher education, the government, and professional sports, for starters.

Here are just a few of the many possible job titles available to you:

• Data Scientist
• Data Engineer
• Data Mining Specialist
• Digital Artist
• Web Programmer
• Information Architect
• Intelligence Analyst
• Metadata Specialist
• Public Information Officer
• UX Product Designer