Courses of Study 2023-2024 
    
    Nov 25, 2024  
Courses of Study 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Information Science


Faculty


W. Arms, S. Azenkot, L. Blume, C. Cardie, C. Cheyre, T. Choudhury, S. Cleare, C. Csikszentmihalyi, C. Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, N. Dell, D. Easley, S. Fussell, G. Gay, P. Ginsparg, C. Gomes,  F. Guimbretiere, K. Harms, H. Hirsh, S. Jackson, T. Joachims, W. Ju, M. Jung, R. Kizilcec, J. Kleinberg, A. Koenecke, L. Lee, G. Leshed, K. Levy, I. Lundberg, M. Macy, D. Mimno, M. Naaman, R. Nandakumar, H. Nissenbaum, T. Parikh, M. Pollack, J. Rzeszotarski, P. Sengers, B. Soltoff, D. Susser, E. Tardos, A. Taylor, A. Vashistha, G. Vidan, M. Wilkens, D. Williamson, Q. Yang, Y. Yin, C. Zhang

Information Science, Systems, and Technology


Contact: Information Science at 521 and 521A Rhodes Hall (607) 255-3615 and (607) 255-0772, or visit the website.

Digital information technologies have become pervasive in science, engineering, manufacturing, business, finance, culture, law, and government, dramatically changing the way people work and live. The proliferation and significance of these new technologies demands a new focus in engineering education—one that remains rigorous and technically oriented but is simultaneously devoted to integrating engineering design, theory, and practice within the social and organizational contexts in which these complex digital information systems are employed.

The information science, systems, and technology (ISST) major studies the design and management of complex information systems. Just as structural engineers and nanofabricators use physics at radically different scales, so also there is a scale difference between the focus of the ISST major and the more traditional, look-under-the-hood majors in computer science and operations research and industrial engineering. Rather than focusing on the computing and communication technologies that underlie digital information systems, the ISST major emphasizes information systems engineering in broad application contexts, where issues at the confluence of information science, technology, and management are the primary concerns.

Note: Students may not double major in both CS and ISST or ORIE and ISST.

In addition to completing all ISST major requirements, students will need to finish all of the necessary college-level requirements prior to graduation for a minimum of 124 total credit hours.

Engineering distribution courses


Majors are required to take ENGRD 2700 - Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics  as an engineering distribution course. ENGRD 2110 - Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures  is required for the major and is recommended as the second engineering distribution course.

Major program


Concentrations


Students specialize in a particular area of interest in Information Science, Systems, and Technology by selecting one primary concentration (Data Science, Interactive Technologies, or Networks, Crowds and Markets), and one secondary concentration from the seven concentration options that will provide in-depth study in that area. Courses under each concentration come from within and outside the department. If you’re not sure which concentration to pursue, read the information below on each one to determine which best suits your interests and career goals.

Behavioral Science – This concentration provides students with an in-depth understanding of the behavioral and social aspects of interacting with and through information technology.

Data Science – This concentration will equip students to learn about the world through data analytics.

Digital Culture and Production – This concentration explores computing as a cultural phenomenon. It equips students to analyze technology’s role in society and culture, to understand it historically, and to produce media artifacts.

Information Ethics, Law, and Policy – This concentration provides training and insight into the ethical, legal, and policy dimensions of contemporary information technology.

Interactive Technologies – This concentration provides students with the analytical and technical skills they need to design and build functional technical systems.

Networks, Crowds, and Markets – This concentration helps students to understand formal models, data and policy issues surrounding networked systems.

UX (User Experience) – This concentration is designed to help students gain a better understanding of user experience design through studies in design and user perception.

Major Approved Electives

In addition to the courses in their chosen concentration, students are required to choose two major approved electives per the elective guidelines that will contribute to their studies in either breadth or depth. INFO 2300 counts as a major-approved elective.

Concentration Requirements

Data Science

For your primary concentration, choose one course from A, B, C, and D. If you count data science as your secondary concentration, then choose one course form B, C, and D.

A. Data Analysis
B. Domain Expertise
C. Big Data Ethics, Policy and Society
D. Data Communication

Interactive Technologies

For your primary concentration, take one course each from A, B, and C; and one additional course from any of the three categories. If you count Interactive Technologies as your secondary concentration, then take one course each from A, B, and C.

A. Building with Hardware
B. Working with Data/Software
C. Context/Application Domans

Network, Crowds, and Markets

For your primary concentration, choose two courses from A, one course from B, and one from C. If you count Networks, Crowds, and Markets as your secondary concentration, then choose one course each from A, B, and C.

A. Models
B. Data
C. Policy/Values

Behavioral Science

If you count Behavioral Science as your secondary concentration, choose one course each from A, B, and C.

A. Understanding Social Behavior
B. Social Data Analytics
C. Behavior in Sociological, Network, and Design Contexts

Please note: you will choose one course from one of the Context sections – either Sociological, Network, or Design, but NOT one from each.

C1. Behavior in Sociological Context:
C2. Behavior in Network Context:
C3. Behavior in Design Context:

Digital Culture and Production

If you count Digital Culture and Production as your secondary concentration, choose one course from A and B, plus an additional course from either A or B.

A. Digital Culture and History
B. Media, Art, Design

Information Ethics, Law, and Policy

If you count Information Ethics, Law, and Policy as your secondary concentration, choose one course each from A, B, and C.

A. Frameworks and Institutions
B. Methods and Analysis
C. Cases/Topics

UX (User Experience) Design

If you count UX Design as your secondary concentration, choose one course each from A, B, and C.

A. Core Principles of Designs
B. Design in Context
C. Knowing the User
Note:

*INFO 3300  and INFO 4300   may be used toward the core requirements or Area II, but not both.

† INFO 3152 INFO 4152 INFO 4154  or INFO 4320  may count toward Area II or Area V, but not both.

CS 4786  can be used for Area III or Area II, but not both.

Note:

Students who take PSYCH 3420  may also count their prerequisite, PSYCH 2050 . Students who take PSYCH 3800  may also count PSYCH 2800 . At most one of these 2000-level prerequisites can be counted.

INFO 3152 INFO 4152 INFO 4154  or INFO 4320  may count toward Area II or Area V, but not both.

INFO 4240  may count toward area V or VI, but not both.

Note:

*Only one of the following can be taken for IS credit:  INFO 3152 ORIE 4350  or ECON 4020  (previously offered as ECON 3680). Students who take ECON 4020 may also count its prerequisite, ECON 3130  toward the Social Systems primary/secondary track requirement.

INFO 4240  may count toward Area V. Human Centered Systems or Area VI. Social Systems, but not both.

The Minor


A minor in Information Science is available to undergraduate students in all colleges. The minor has been designed to ensure that students have substantial grounding in all three tracks: Human-Centered Systems, Information Systems, and Social Systems. Detailed information about the minor can be found in the CIS section  of Courses of Study as well as on the Information Science website.

Information Science, Systems, and Technology Honors Program


The B.S. degree with honors is granted to engineering students who satisfy the requirements given on the “Undergraduate Study and Graduation Requirements  ” page as well as the following requirements.

  1. Cumulative GPA ≥ 3.5
  2. 3 credit hours of ISST graded course work at or above the 5000-level (graded courses only; no 1 or 2 credit seminars or 2 credit project courses)
  3. 6 credit hours of INFO 4900 - Independent Reading and Research  with an ISST faculty member, spread over at least two semesters, with at least A– each semester 

    or

    3 credit hours of INFO 4900 - Independent Reading and Research  with an ISST faculty member and 3 credit hours of INFO 4910 - Teaching in Information Science , both with grades of at least A–.

The ISST research is expected to result in a programming project or a written report (or both).

The 9 credits required for honors are in addition to the minimum requirements for the major.