University of California, Berkeley School of Information
The UC BerkeleySchool of Information or the I School is a graduate school offering four degree programs: a professional master's degree in Information Management and Systems, a professional master's degree in Information and Data Science, a professional master's degree in Information and Cybersecurity, and an academic doctoral degree. Created in 1994, the I School is UC Berkeley's newest school. It was previously known as the School of Information Management and Systems until 2006. Its roots trace back to UC Berkeley's School of Librarianship founded in the 1920s. The program is located in UC Berkeley's South Hall, near Sather Tower in the center of the UC Berkeley campus.
Curriculum
MIMS program
The Master of Information Management & Systems program is a 48 unit, two-year program designed to train students for careers as information professionals. Students who complete the program are awarded the Masters of Information Management and Systems degree. During the first year MIMS students take required courses in Information Organization and Retrieval, Distributed Computing Applications and Infrastructure, Social and Organizational Issues of Information, and Information Law and Policy. During the second year students may choose from elective courses both at the I School and in other departments. The final prerequisite for the MIMS degree is the completing of a group or individual thesis project.
MIDS program
The Master of Information and Data Science program is a Masters program that trains data science professionals and managers. The MIDS program is distinguished by its disciplinary breadth with course requirements including research design, ethics and privacy, data visualization, along with data engineering, machine learning, and statistical analyses. The program is made up of 27 units that with three program paths: a standard path that students complete in approximately 20 months where students are enrolled in 2 classes on average, per term; an accelerated path where students may take three courses per term and graduate in as few as 12 months; and a decelerated path where students may take one course per term and complete the degree program in no more than 32 months.
Ph.D. program
The doctoral program is a research-oriented program in which the student chooses specific fields of specialization, prepares sufficiently in the literature and the research of those fields to pass written and oral examinations, and completes original research culminating in the written dissertation. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is conferred in recognition of a candidate's grasp of a broad field of learning and distinguished accomplishment in that field through contribution of an original piece of research revealing high critical ability and powers of imagination and synthesis.
MICS program
The Master of Information and Cybersecurity degree program advances a holistic approach to cybersecurity, engaging students in technical as well as human aspects of the discipline. Courses include cryptography, software security, operating system security, network security, privacy engineering, cyber risk management, applied machine learning for cybersecurity, usable privacy and security, and the economic, legal, behavioral, and ethical impacts of cybersecurity. The Master's in Cybersecurity is delivered online through weekly small class size video conferencing with faculty, and pre-recorded video lectures.
The School of Information is located in historic South Hall. Built in 1873, it is the oldest building in the University of California system. South Hall is located in the heart of campus, near the Doe Library and the Campanile. It is known to have the smallest bear statue on the Berkeley campus. The small bear was added by Michael H. Casey, who did the ornamental castings for the restored facade in 1997.
