Our Master's in Informatics program provides a multidisciplinary track that allows students to integrate their technical skills and computer science methods with an array of disciplines. Informatics encompasses bioinformatics, complex networks and systems, computing, culture and society, proactive health informatics, human-computer interaction design, intelligent and interactive systems, security informatics, and virtual heritage, giving students multiple paths to innovation that touch on the technological, social, and scientific impact of information technology.”
The Master of Science in Informatics (MSI) is a 36-credit degree program offered by the Informatics Department in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Of the required 36 credit hours, at least 27 credits must be taken in approved Informatics courses. The remaining 9 credits can be any graduate level course within or outside of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, including Computer Science, Information and Library Sciences, Intelligent Systems Engineering, and Data Science. The courses that each student takes must have a coherent focus within the general field of informatics. Each M.S. Info student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will guide the student in the selection of courses. Students should be able to complete the degree in four semesters of full-time graduate work (three, 3-credit courses per semester).
The MSI program is designed for students who are contemplating entering a specific track in the Ph.D. Informatics program and have a specific faculty member who is recommending them to apply to the MSI program. By starting off in the M.S. Informatics, the student is introduced to the subject matter which will help them decide if the Ph.D. Informatics program is right for them. If it is the right program, the student can complete the MSI degree (2-year program) and then apply to the Ph.D. Informatics program. Students may be able to transfer up to 30 credits of graduate work towards the Ph.D. degree. In special circumstances, after completing the first year of the MSI program, a faculty member may recommend that the student apply to the Ph.D. Informatics program. When this happens, students who complete 1-year of the MSI program may be able to transfer some of those credits to the Ph.D. Informatics program; however, it really depends on what courses were taken.
