For the first time ever, the Information School (iSchool) at UW-Madison is accepting applications for a newly launched Master of Science Information degree. The degree complements the iSchool’s long standing Masters of Arts degree in Library and Information Studies, extending the iSchool’s information and data management education and career preparation into new areas.
The first MS Information cohorts for both the in-person and online degree options will start in fall 2021. Students may select concentration areas in user experience (UX) design, applied data analytics and information/data management.
Students pursuing the degree will examine problems at the intersection of people, information and technology, and gain expertise in information science fundamentals as well as developing user-centered design, data/information analytics and literacy, and communication skills. Students will work with faculty to design and manage systems that support values such as privacy, accessibility, fairness, justice and transparency.
This program is designed to help individuals with various backgrounds be equipped with the analytical and technical skills essential to becoming critical and well-versed professionals.
While the degree has a technical and analytical orientation, the curriculum does not require students to have previous experience or a degree in computer science or statistics. “The data and information sciences represent a great toolkit for analyzing problems and supporting decision-making, and it’s a toolkit that creative and innovative people can have a lot of fun using,” says B. Ian Hutchins, a professor with the iSchool. 
According to Kristin Eschenfelder, iSchool faculty member and Associate Director of UW-Madison’s School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS), the new degree aligns with CDIS’s goal to extend access to computing and data-related educational opportunities to a wide range of students across UW-Madison and the state of Wisconsin.
Applications are open for Fall 2021. For more information, visit www.ischool.wisc.edu or contact program coordinator Jenny Greiber (jgreiber@wisc.edu).