Information Science

Information Science. Love people? Love technology? You'll fit in perfectly.

Students looking at info graphic at a showcase

Inform your future.

Data analyst, user experience and interaction designer, data scientist, information analyst, and business consultant. These are just a few of the careers that await you. From journalism to music to healthcare, you will gain the tools, experience and ability to address the problems that matter to you, creating an impact on our society.

Students present a final project at the spring showcase to other students.

Pencils down. Laptops up.

From day one, hands-on foundational courses give you the skills to work with information at the scale and speed of today’s technology. You'll learn to collect, analyze, interpret and use the data that shapes our world and study the ways people interact with all things digital. By the time you graduate, you’ll be able to create engaging social and technological solutions to real problems faced in industry, the public sector, and research institutions. Image credit: Kimberly Coffin, CMCI

Three men and one woman put sticky notes on a glass wall.

Experience from the real world.

With our faculty’s experience and connections to some of the biggest names in industry, you’ll never have to ask if you will use this in the real world. Our faculty share their experiences from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, Twitter, Intel, and Tableau, just to name a few. And CU is an integral part of Boulder's tech market—emerging as one of the most entrepreneurial in the country.

Welcome to the Department of Information Science.

Love people? Love technology? You’ll fit in perfectly.

Information science is the study of the relationships between people, places and technology and how they are intertwined. Our data-driven, interdisciplinary approach—drawing on social science, computer science and the humanities—allows students to develop the conceptual understanding and practical skills needed to succeed in a future characterized by new ways of working, communicating and creating. A degree in information science enables students to imagine what technology makes possible, invent new ways to use technology and positively impact the world.

Housed within ��ɫ��Ƶ’s College of Media, Communication and Information, our department is proud to cultivate an inclusive community of scholars who share a commitment to excellence and innovation in research and teaching. Our research program is exceptionally strong in human-computer interaction, data science and social and collaborative computing, and our faculty expertise covers a broad range of areas including information visualization, machine learning, technology ethics, health informatics education and learning and more. Students can pursue bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as minors in both information science and data science.

We welcome graduate students from a range of backgrounds, such as computer science, social science and quantitative research. Many of our graduate students participate in cutting-edge research labs and build community by joining the INFO Graduate Student Association.

Undergraduate students can take advantage of our Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s program (BAM) to seamlessly earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. They have opportunities to work on real-world research projects with faculty and graduate students and can join our INFO Buffs club to find a friendly group of passionate peers with similar interests.

The Department of Information Science is committed to exploring how the future of information, data and technology can embrace and embody principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our community, curriculum and research efforts are deeply informed by the DEI and inclusive excellence principles of our broader college. Our focus on seeing these goals realized in the technologies and information systems that permeate our lives is reflected in our work in this domain, including our department’s role in leading CMCI’s Center for Race, Media and Technology.

Read about our world-class faculty experts, admissions process and research labs to learn more.

Undergraduate Opportunities

As an undergraduate student in the Department of Information Science, you will learn to collect, analyze and interpret many different information sources to understand our world. You’ll study how we interact with all things digital, including software, devices and algorithms. By the time you graduate, you’ll be able to create social and technological solutions that are truly engaging for those who use them, apply those solutions to real problems and evaluate their effectiveness.

You will also apply information science to the topics that matter to you. From journalism to music to healthcare, you will gain tools that can address many problems. By applying your new knowledge, you’ll address real problems and create an impact on our society.

Learn more: BS Degree

Learn more: Info Science Minor

Learn more: Data Science Minor

Learn more: Bachelor's-Accelerated Master's ("BAM")

For Prospective Students

Undergraduate Advising

How to Apply

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Student Voices: Why CU?

Jack Stein, undergraduate student

"The information science department at CU has introduced me to so many professors and faculty that genuinely care about my growth as a student. They have been more than willing to help me learn and thrive while teaching me skills to help me understand our increasingly digital world."

Casey Paul, BAM student

“The professors and faculty in INFO are unmatched. They care about each and every one of their students as well as helping them thrive in whatever topic they choose to study.”

Priscilla Rain Hopper, BAM student

“The Information Science department is the best place to obtain an education. The number one reason I decided to come to CU was for the knowledge and experiences I knew I would gain from this major. What I have achieved since freshman year has been absolutely due to the skills, connections and opportunities this phenomenal department has given me.”

Janghee Cho, PhD candidate

“Our department has a very inclusive culture. I’m always encouraged to bring my unique perspective and experiences to our community. And my colleagues all have diverse backgrounds, which is really helpful as I am exploring research areas.”

Graduate Programs

Our program is designed to help students tailor their education towards their own research interests and skillsets while developing a shared body of knowledge around methods, computational techniques, theoretical frameworks, and design practices.

Information Science is a broad discipline, and our students come from a range of backgrounds. Some have computer science degrees and come prepared to take on information science with a toolkit of computational and data science methods. Some have little to no experience in computing but have backgrounds in social science or qualitative research. Some come to us with a rich knowledge of domains (e.g., public health, education or journalism) to which information science research and techniques can be applied. Some come straight out of undergraduate programs, others have already completed graduate degrees and others have years of professional experience. Wherever your experience lies, we encourage you to explore our programs and join us!

Learn more: Bachelor's-Accelerated Master's ("BAM")

Learn more: MS

Learn more: PhD