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

The Info Leader Doctorate consists of 48 credit hours, completed through 11 fully online courses (most synchronous) and an online capstone project. In addition, doctoral students participate in two or three brief, two-day, in-person visits with faculty at the University of Maryland College Park campus, scheduled at key milestones in the program.

Flexible

This part-time program is designed to meet the needs of working professionals and traditional students alike. Courses are fully online and students may enroll in courses at their chosen pace—or complete the program in as little as three years.

Prepared to Lead

The Info Leader Doctorate curriculum prepares graduates for institution-level leadership with a focus on:

• Leadership skills for information organizations
• Ethical and equitable leadership approaches
• Empowerment and strengthening of the communities that the organization serves
• Strategic research methodology for organizational, community, and program assessment and evaluation—empowering data driven decision making

Tailored Curriculum, Graduate Career Ready

The curriculum is tailored to each student’s career goals, ensuring that the focus of coursework, advising, mentoring, and the capstone project will maximize the utility of all aspects of the program. Students work on challenges drawn directly from their own organizations and communities—graduating with solutions they can put into practice immediately.

Peer Inquiry Groups

Additionally, students are assigned to an Inquiry Group made up of their program peers and with shared institutional contexts. Meeting online monthly with a faculty lead, the group provides a forum for shared academic support and peer network building.

Learn more about the Info Leader Doctorate curriculum.

Each student is partnered with a full-time faculty mentor, as well as a dedicated advisor from the INFO advising office. In addition, students are partnered with professional mentors from INFO’s extensive professional network who have expertise and experience relevant to the student’s interests and goals.

Students also participate in Inquiry Groups—cross-cohort communities of practice that connect small groups of students with shared institutional contexts. Guided by a full-time faculty mentor and enriched by the college’s professional network, each group engages in a self-directed readings seminar to explore problems of practice, research questions, and relevant literature. Inquiry Groups meet monthly in a synchronous online format and extend learning beyond the virtual classroom by attending an annual conference together—at least three over the course of the program. Faculty mentors provide ongoing feedback, and as students reach the capstone stage, Inquiry Groups become a vital source of writing, research, and peer support.

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:

• beth bonsignore, Associate Research Professor, Director of KidsTeam for Youth Technology Design, Expert in Working with Children and Families in Informal Learning Contexts
• Jen Golbeck, Professor, ACM Distinguished Member, Sought After Speaker/Expert by Organizations Including Netflix, TEDx, and NPR
• Renee Hill, Principal Lecturer, Associate Dean for OACES, LJ/ALISE Excellence in Teaching Awardee
• Paul Jaeger, Professor, Editor, The Library Quarterly, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, LJ/ALISE Excellence in Teaching Awardee, Associate Director of the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA)
• Beth St. Jean, Associate Professor, Renowned Expert at the Intersection of Information Behavior and Health, Awarded by ASIS&T, ACM, ALISE

The Info Leader Doctorate is a practitioner-oriented doctoral program designed to advance information professionals along existing career paths while opening doors to new leadership opportunities. In fields where professional doctorates beyond the master’s level have historically been limited, the program offers a rigorous, practice-focused pathway to develop advanced leadership skills, strategic insight, and real-world expertise. Graduates are prepared to lead responsive, high-impact information organizations and strengthen the communities they serve.

Ideal for working professionals in libraries, archives, museums, higher education, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, the Info Leader Doctorate supports a leadership trajectory toward roles such as Library, Museum, or Archival Director; Branch Manager or Supervisor; Systems Librarian; Head Archivist or Special Collections Librarian; Chief Curator; Director of Education or Collections; Head of Digital Initiatives; and Museum Director or CEO.

Maryland residents: $928 per credit; approximately $45,000 for full program

All others, non-Maryland residents: $1,928 per credit; approximately $93,000 for full program

View the detailed breakdown of tuition & fees.

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 20, 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.

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 3.0 GPA 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.
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.