Bachelor of Science in Information Science at College Park (InfoSci)
Program Overview
Introduction to the Bachelor of Science in Information Science at College Park (InfoSci)
The Bachelor of Science in Information Science at College Park (InfoSci) degree requires a total of 120 credits, including 40 credits in General Education and 45 credits in the Information Science major. In addition to the ten core courses, 15 credits (five courses) of upper-level major electives are required to complete the Information Science degree.
Program Structure
The program structure includes:
- Benchmark courses that help advisors chart progress in the major
- Core courses that provide a foundation in Information Science
- Major electives that allow students to specialize in areas of interest
Benchmark Courses
Benchmark courses are "indicator courses" that help advisors chart progress in the major. Completing the benchmark courses on time, and with good grades, means making satisfactory progress through the major. The benchmark courses are:
- MATH 115 (or higher) – Precalculus (3 credits)
- PSYC 100 – Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
- STAT 100 – Elementary Statistics and Probability (3 credits)
- INST 126 – Intro to Programming for Information Science (3 credits)
- INST 201 – Introduction to Information Science (3 credits)
Core Courses
The program requires 10 Core Courses:
- INST 201 Introduction to Information Science: Heroes and Villains in the Age of Information
- INST 311 Information Organization
- INST 314 Statistics for Information Science
- INST 326 Object-Oriented Programming for Information Science
- INST 327 Database Design and Modeling
- INST 335 Teams and Organizations
- INST 346 Technologies, Infrastructures and Architecture
- INST 352 Information User Needs and Assessment
- INST 362 User-Centered Design
- INST 490 Integrative Capstone
Major Electives
Students are required to complete 5 Major Electives (300-400 level elective courses).
Pre-Skills Preparation (Optional)
The following are some of the skills, tools, and competencies that students will develop during their time in the InfoSci program:
- Python
- SQL
- R
- Jupyter Notebooks
- JavaScript
- Tableau
- NodeXL
- Keshif
- PowerBI
- D3
- Excel
Program-level Learning Outcomes
The program-level learning outcomes are:
- Articulate, discuss and critically analyze information design and management: the interrelationships among information consumers or creators, information content, and the conduits through which information flows.
- Apply basic principles to the design, development and management of information to meet the needs of diverse users.
- Assess the impact of existing or emerging technologies on information practices and the flow of information.
- Employ state-of-the-art tools and techniques to create, manage, and analyze information.
- Articulate, discuss and critically analyze critical issues including the security, privacy, authenticity, and integrity of information.
- Explain and discuss how information technologies, processes, and practices are situated in, and may reflect, reenact and reinforce broader social and organizational structures, and the ethics, diversity, equity, and inclusion issues engendered by those structures.
- Critically evaluate information technologies, processes, and practices to identify biases they involve, and design technologies and processes that minimize those biases.
InfoSci Cognate Areas (Optional)
The InfoSci program offers several cognate areas, including:
Cybersecurity & Privacy
Students equip themselves with human-centered cybersecurity skills and perspectives, and prepare to launch careers in the cybersecurity field with particular emphasis on management, policy, and governance-related functions. A total of 5 courses are required to complete the Cybersecurity cognate area:
- INST 364 Human-Centered Cybersecurity
- INST 365 Ethical Hacking
- INST 366 Privacy, Security, and Ethics for Big Data
- INST 464 Decision-Making for Cybersecurity
- INST 466 Technology, Culture, and Society
- INST 467 Practical Hacking for Policy Making
Data Science
Students develop understanding and skills for managing, manipulating, and mobilizing data to develop insight, create value, and achieve organizational goals in a wide range of sectors. The courses for the Data Science cognate area are:
- INST 354 Decision-Making for Information Science
- INST 377 Dynamic Web Applications
- INST 410 Managing with Data and Simulations
- INST 414 Advanced Data Science
- INST 447 Data Sources and Manipulation
- INST 462 Introduction to Data Visualization
Digital Curation
In this cognate area, students can launch careers in which they collect, digitize, appraise, curate, and disseminate information assets effectively and efficiently. The courses for the Digital Curation cognate area are:
- INST 341 Introduction to Digital Curation
- INST 441 Information Ethics and Policy
- INST 442 Digital Curation Across Disciplines
- INST 443 Tools and Methods for Digital Curation
Health Information
With this cognate area, students can learn about the ways data informs the decisions made by health professionals, patients, and policy makers with an emphasis on equity and accessibility. The courses for the Health Information focus area are:
- INST 402 Designing Patient-Centered Technologies
- INST 408A Consumer Health Informatics
- INST 452 Health Data Analytics