Doctor of Information Science in Information Science Leadership and Community Engagement (D.Inf.Sci.)

The Info Leader Doctorate degree program features 48 credits of online coursework delivered in a primarily synchronous format to maximize engagement from students while offering flexibility for those not local to College Park. This part-time program is designed to meet the needs of working professionals and traditional students alike.

A hallmark of this program is our Inquiry Group format, which are cross-cohort communities of practice designed to assemble students with shared institutional contexts and/or research areas. These groups meet monthly, online and synchronous, and are led by a full-time faculty member from within the INFO College. As a supplement to the program’s online modality, inquiry groups also function in a unique way: groups will identify an annual conference that all members (students and faculty advisors) will attend together – at least three during the course of the program. Once students approach and reach the capstone stage, inquiry groups will also serve the function as a source of writing and research support.

Learn more about the Info Leader Doctorate curriculum and schedule planning.

Renowned reputation for LIS education:

• INFO’s Master of LIS ranked #3 in the USA (U.S. News & World Report)
• INFO alumni include Julius Jefferson, former ALA president, Holly McIntyre, Archivist for NASA Goddard, and Paul Wester, Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library
• Host of annual ALA Lecture Series
• 100+ LIS industry/institutional partners including the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and NIST Museum & Archives

Prestigious faculty educators, including:

• Paul Jaeger, Professor, Library Journal Editor, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, LJ/ALISE Excellence in Teaching Awardee, Associate Director of the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA)
• Richard Marciano, Professor, Emmett Leahy Awardee, internationally recognized pioneer in the intersection of ML/AI and archives, founder and current member of the multi-institutional AICollaboratory (AIC)
• Renee Hill, Principal Lecturer, Associate Dean for OACES, LJ/ALISE Excellence in Teaching Awardee
• Mega Subramaniam, Professor, Library Journal Mover and Shaker Awardee, YALSA Outstanding Achievement Awardee
• Diana Marsh, Assistant Professor, Co-Director of Center for Archival Futures (CAFe), Archival Innovator Award 2024 SAA, IMLS Career Grant recipient
• Lecturers from top industry positions and organizations including Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, Accenture, National Head Start Organization, and the National Science Foundation

This program is designed to help professionals both advance along current career paths and create new career opportunities. In many information fields, there have previously been no advanced degree options beyond the master’s level for non-research-focused individuals. Now, the Info Leader Doctorate provides the professional degree to build new skills, insights, and experiences to become a more effective leader and to promote career advancement.

The work in the Info Leader Doctorate can be geared entirely to the field – and even type of institution – that each student is currently in or wishes to move into in the future, ensuring that the focus of coursework, advising, mentoring, and capstone projects will maximize the utility of all aspects of the program to the specific career goals of each student. Students will work with faculty members who have professional experiences in various information institutions and with professional mentors in their areas of career interest.

Whether you envision a future in leadership in libraries, archives, government agencies, higher education, museums, or information industries, the Info Leader Doctorate can be that vital next step in moving toward your career goals.

As the goal of the Info Leader Doctorate program is to prepare working professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to identify, investigate, and address real-world leadership and community engagement challenges, research is central to the curriculum. Students will begin with an introduction to research methods course, “Practice-Based Research,” and then go on to take several research methods courses, including “Program Assessment and Evaluation” and “Participatory Design and Participatory Action Research.” These courses will help prepare students for the Capstone, as well as for conducting applied research within their organizations to identify and investigate challenges and to ideate solutions and assess their effectiveness.

Some examples of the types of research projects that D.Inf.Sci. students may pursue include:

• Designing Public Library Programs for Developing AI Literacy in Middle School Students
• Ensuring Equitable Access to Museums for Children with Autism
• Investigating the role of Algorithmic Bias in Inequitable Hiring Practices affecting People with Disabilities from Underserved Communities
• Management of Legal and Ethical Challenges faced by IT Managers
• Inequities in Advising Practices of Higher Education Institutions
• Exploring the Connections between Health Disparities and Exposure to Environmental Toxins
• Engaging Archives Users & Raising the Visibility of Archives through Outreach
• Analyzing the Impacts of Social Media and AI Usage on Mental Health
• Designing Online Spaces to Support Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia
• Assessing the Effectiveness and Impacts of Living Learning Communities for College Freshmen

Driven by the pursuit of new ideas and big discoveries, faculty, researchers, and students at the UMD College of Information (INFO) are combining principles of information science with cutting-edge technology to foster access to information, improve information interfaces, and expand how information is used. We tackle significant, real-world information challenges from diverse perspectives such as communication, information retrieval, policy, computer science, education, archives, business, human factors, law, humanities, and more. Our discoveries empower, inspire, and connect individuals and communities. Learn more about Research at INFO.

EXPERTISE AREAS   RESEARCH GROUPS   PROJECTS

INFO’s faculty, staff, and 2800+ students come from over 61 countries and create a welcoming and encouraging environment. 56% of students identify as male, 45% female, 1% other; 63% of students identify Asian (29%), Black (24%), White (22%), Hispanic/Latino (9%), Biracial (4%), American Indian or Alaskan Native (<1%), Pacific Islander (<1%), Unknown/Other (12%). The INFO College is committed to bringing together many perspectives to foster deeper understanding and innovation.

At UMD students can also choose from hundreds of student organizations, including INFO student organizations, service opportunities, and social activities.

Coming Soon!

Tuition

View our detailed breakdown of tuition & fees.

Financial Aid

The UMD INFO College provides financial aid to select current students who demonstrate academic excellence. Students may also reduce their tuition costs by serving as a TA or GA at UMD, but please note that these positions are competitive. There are also additional sources of financial aid offered by the University and by outside sources. Learn more about financial aid.

The application for Fall 2026 is open now! The final deadline for submitting applications is July 15, 2026. The priority deadline for admission is March 6, 2026, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis after the priority deadline.

Admission to INFO graduate programs is done through the UMD Graduate School, with supplemental program-specific application criteria and materials. The UMD Graduate School accepts applications through its TerpEngage application system. Completed applications are reviewed by an admissions committee in each graduate degree program. The recommendations of admissions committees are submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School, who makes the final decision.

Linking out to Admissions Requirements

To apply to this program, complete the UMD Graduate School application, including the payment of the $75 application fee. Within the application, you will need to upload or complete the following:

1. Transcripts & Grades
   • Within the graduate application, you may upload copies of unofficial transcripts, which is sufficient for review. If you enroll at the University of Maryland, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to your program. 
   • Applicants must have earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution.
   • Applicants are expected to have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in all prior undergraduate and graduate coursework. If you do not meet this requirement, please provide more information and context about your GPA within the Statement of Purpose.
2. Narrative uploads
   • The Graduate School’s Statement of Purpose describing your experiences and interests that will help you succeed in the program. If your earned below a 3.0GPA in your previous degree(s), please provide more information about that in this statement. 
   • Your responses to our Supplemental Questions regarding your interest specifically in this Professional Doctorate program in Information Science Leadership and Community Engagement. [COMMS TEAM: we want to link to this PDF here]
3. Letters of recommendation
   • In the application, please enter the names and contact information for three individuals who will provide letters of recommendation. Letters should come from current/former academic and/or professional references. We discourage letters from family members and other personal acquaintances.
4. A current resume/CV
5. International applicants:
   • Most international applicants will be required to submit English Language Proficiency Scores (TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE). Applicants with a degree from the United States are waived from this requirement. The university also waives this requirement for students who have earned their degree from an English-speaking institution. To learn more about which countries qualify, and for more information about English Language Proficiency requirements, please click here to visit the Graduate School’s page on English Language Proficiency requirements. The University of Maryland’s TOEFL Institution Code is 5814.

A note about Maryland Residency:
In-state tuition/Maryland residency: If you are a resident of the State of Maryland or believe you qualify as one, be sure to fill out the Maryland Residency section of the Graduate Application. If you have questions about Residency Classification, email resclass@umd.edu.

Each student will work with both an academic mentor and a professional mentor. The academic mentor will be a full-time faculty member in the College of Information. The professional mentor will be an information professional that has expertise and experience relevant to the student’s interests and goals. Each student will also have access to dedicated advising services from a member of the College’s professional advising team.

In addition, students will participate in Inquiry Groups, cross-cohort communities of practice designed to bring together small groups of students who share institutional contexts and/or research areas. Each group will include one full-time faculty member from the College of Information, with contributions from our College’s broad professional network. Each inquiry group will run a self-directed readings seminar where they will share problems of practice, research questions, and/or related literature. These groups will meet monthly in an online, synchronous format to discuss readings selected by the group and the faculty mentor. As a supplement to the program’s online modality, inquiry groups also function in a unique way; groups will identify an annual conference that all members and faculty mentor will attend together; at least 3 during the course of the program. The faculty mentor will provide feedback on student success on a rolling basis. As members of an Inquiry Group reach the capstone stage, the group will also function as a source of writing and research support.