BS in Information Science + Master of Information Management

The accelerated BS Information Science + MIM program allows students to first pursue a STEM designated Bachelors degree that teaches skills to design solutions, create systems and lead teams that bring together information, technology and people.

In the BS, students develop a range of technical skills, including database design, information architecture, and web and mobile development, alongside knowledge and skills from the social sciences, such as organizational psychology and human behavior. Combined program students can then complement their undergraduate training in sociotechnical information studies with a professional degree that provides students with a comprehensive foundation in both research and practice in information management.

Students graduate in five years with both a Bachelor of Science in Information Science degree and a Master of Information Management degree.

The program prepares graduates to be socially engaged and technologically focused information professionals, ready for careers in data analytics and visualization, technology development and deployment, and organization information strategy and governance across the public and private sectors

Students in the program would not have space to complete a designated undergraduate specialization (aka cognate area), but could use their 18 credits of MIM electives to complete a specialization (aka focus area) at the graduate level, including:

• Cyber Threat Intelligence Focus Area: This focus area is designed to provide a foundation for students to understand the complexities of modern telecommunications, distributed enterprise software solutions, and prepare them to understand the information management implications for cybersecurity, ethical hacking, cyber intelligence, and management of cyber threats. 
• Data Analytics Focus Area: Our focus area students are trained in the use of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other advanced methods of analysis, as well as understanding how big data infrastructures and tools can be leveraged to implement scalable analytics solutions that transform data into meaningful insights that drive social and organizational decision making. 
• Game and Entertainment Analytics Focus Area: This focus area is designed for students interested in applying analytics methods and skills to devise analytical applications, support the design, operations, and improvement of delivering products and content in the Game & Entertainment industries as well as other opportunities in the experience economy. Students will be trained to work with media/entertainment content and game designers to ascertain their information and analytics requirements and employ analytics techniques to inform the design process. 
• Information Risk Management Focus Area: This focus area is designed to prepare students to understand a variety of vulnerabilities, threats, and risks to an organization associated with data quality, sensitive data protection, and compliance with government laws as well as industry standards. Students will be trained to review government regulations and legislation, translate legal requirements into information policy specifications, and assess vulnerabilities impeding auditable compliance. 
• Smart Cities and Connected Communities Focus Area: This focus area will train students to recognize and assess information management requirements and dependencies to understand, direct, and manage the interoperability of core information management processes and tools supporting the operations and analytics to improve the provision of citizen services by municipal, county, and state governments. 
• Strategic Management Focus Area: Our focus area in strategic management trains our students to help facilitate collaboration and information sharing to support organizations in developing and managing their enterprise information strategies. Students are trained to solicit information requirements from different categories of information consumers, consider ways to evaluate, architect, and integrate technical tools to develop information management solutions.
• Technology Development Focus Area: Our focus area in technology development supporting the user experience trains our students to assess client use cases and information needs, translate business requirements into technical requirements, identify necessary enabling technologies, evaluate, architect, and integrate technical tools to plan information management solutions, and oversee and contribute to the development, testing, and implementation of those information management solutions.

Students admitted into the InfoSci/MIM combined program take the below graduate courses in place of undergraduate courses*:

• INFM603 Information Technology and Organization Context replaces an Upper-Level Major Elective
• INFM605 Users and Context replaces INST352 Information User Needs and Assessment*
• INFM612 Management Concepts and Principles for Information Professionals replaces INST335 Organizations, Management, and Teamwork*

*Some courses may vary depending on the intended MIM specialization. Please speak with an advisor for more information.
**Students interested in the combined program should not take these listed undergraduate core courses prior to applying.

Interested student must complete the below courses by the end of the Fall semester of their sophomore year:

• MATH115 or higher with a C- or better
• INST126 with a C- or better
• STAT100 with a C- or better
• PSYC100 with a B or better
• INST201 with a B or better
• INST311 with a B or better

Eligible students can apply in the Fall semester of their sophomore year. The application is handed through an internal system co-managed by the INFO Undergraduate Student Services Office and the MIM program.