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Informatics

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Informatics Degree Options

  1. Programs
  2. Informatics
  3. Degree Options

I am the iSchool

Shannon Gatta: Shannon Gatta, Informatics: "I'll have been going to college on and off for about nine years by the time I graduate in 2020. ... I've taken my time to graduate, but after five internships, I've found my niche." Read more.

In addition to the Bachelor of Science, you may also complete a degree option and have that option noted on your transcripts. The available options are:

  • Biomedical & Health Informatics
  • Data Science
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Information Architecture
  • Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
  • Student-Designed Concentration

Biomedical & Health Informatics

There is a strong and growing need for information technology training in biology, medicine and health. Health IT employers and hospitals are in desperate need for students cross-trained in both health care and informatics. There is also an increasing number of master's and Ph.D. programs across the country in this area. If you might be interested in these careers and programs, the Biomedical & Health Informatics (BHI) degree option is great preparation for all these pathways.

This degree option leverages the strengths of the Information School and the Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education (BIME) department of UW Medicine. BIME 300 Transformational Technologies for Biology, Medicine, and Health is the foundational course for the BHI option. To meet the requirements for this option, you must take 11-15 credits of BHI electives in addition to BIME 300. Students may choose from the approved electives listed below or petition for additional courses to count toward this option here.

  • BIME 435 Informatics in Healthcare
  • INFO 468 Designing for Personal Health & Wellness
  • INFO 478 Population Health Informatics

Data Science

Data Science is an emerging interdisciplinary field that works to extract knowledge or insight from data. It combines fields such as information science, computer science, statistics, design, and social science. The Data Science degree option provides strong preparation for entry-level data science positions or for the UW's interdisciplinary Master of Science in Data Science program, which provides more advanced training in data science methods and practices.

To meet the requirements for this option, 16-20 additional credits in Data Science must be taken beyond the Informatics core courses, from the following choices. Students may petition for additional courses to count toward this option here.

  • INFO 370 Core Methods in Data Science
  • INFO 371 Advanced Methods in Data Science
  • INFO 430 (formerly 445) Database Design & Management
  • INFO 474 Interactive Information Visualization

Human-Computer Interaction

The iSchool’s work in human-computer interaction (HCI) strives to make information and computing useful, usable, and accessible to all. The Informatics HCI option allows you to blend your technical skills and expertise with a broader perspective on how design and development work impacts users.

Courses explore the design, construction, and evaluation of interactive technologies for use by individuals, groups, and organizations, and the social implications of these systems. This work encompasses user interfaces, accessibility concerns, new design techniques and methods for interactive systems and collaboration. Coursework also examines the values implicit in the design and development of technology.

To meet the requirements for the HCI option, students must take 16-20 credits from the approved list of courses below. Students may petition for additional courses to count toward this option here.

  • INFO 362 Visual Information Design (Formerly INFO 424 Information Visualization & Aesthetics)
  • INFO 365 Mobile Application Design
  • INFO 447 Computer-Supported Cooperative Work
  • INFO 442 (formerly 461) Cooperative Software Development
  • INFO 463 Input and Interaction 
  • INFO 464 (formerly 444) Value Sensitive Design
  • INFO 465 Technology, Time and Design
  • INFO 466 Moral Reasoning and Interaction Design
  • INFO 474 Interactive Information Visualization

Information Architecture 

Information architecture (IA) is a crucial component in the development of successful websites, software, intranets, and online communities. Architects structure the underlying information and its presentation in a logical and intuitive way so that people can put information to use.

As an Informatics major with an IA option, you will master the skills needed to organize and label information for improved navigation and search. You will build frameworks to effectively collect, store and deliver information. You will also learn to design the databases and XML storehouses that drive complex and interactive websites, including the navigation, content layout, personalization, and transactional features of the site.

To meet the requirements for this option, 16-20 additional credits in IA must be taken beyond the Informatics core courses, from the following choices. Students may petition for additional courses to count toward this option here.

  • INFO 331 (formerly 330) Introduction to Information Architecture
  • INFO 431 Metadata Design
  • INFO 433 Content Strategy in Information Architecture
  • INFO 441 (formerly 344) Server-Side Development
  • INFO 430 (formerly 445) Database Design & Management

Information Assurance and Cybersecurity

Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (IAC) is the practice of creating and managing safe and secure systems. It is crucial for organizations public and private, large and small. In the IAC option, you will be equipped with the knowledge to create, deploy, use, and manage systems that preserve individual and organizational privacy and security.

This tri-campus concentration leverages the strengths of the Information School, the Computing and Software Systems program at UW Bothell, and the Institute of Technology at UW Tacoma. Its curriculum is guided by a committee of industry advisors. After a course in the technical, policy, and management foundations of IAC, you may take electives at any campus to learn such specialties as information assurance policy, secure coding, or networking and systems administration.

INFO 310 is the foundational course for the IAC option. (It is not part of the core curriculum for other Informatics students.) To meet the requirements for this option, you must take 11-15 credits of IAC electives in addition to INFO 310. Only one basic networking elective (either INFO 341, CSS 432, or T INFO 250) may count toward the IAC option. Students may petition for additional courses to count toward this option here.

UW Seattle IAC electives:

  • INFO 312 Enterprise Risk Management
  • INFO 314 (formerly 341) Computer Networks and Distributed Applications
  • INFO 415 Emerging Topics in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (topics vary)

UW Bothell IAC electives:

  • CSS 337 Secure Systems
  • CSS 411 Computer Technology and Public Policy
  • CSS 415 Emerging Topics in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (topics vary)
  • CSS 432 Network Design

UW Tacoma IAC electives:

  • T INFO 250 Foundations of Information Networking
  • T INFO 415 Emerging Topics in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (topics vary)
  • T INFO 441 Network Security
  • T INFO 442 Computer Security
  • T INFO 443 Digital Forensics

Student-Designed Concentration

Students may choose to develop their own concentration, with approval from the academic adviser. Student-designed concentrations are created out of a list of approved courses and also result in the Bachelor of Science degree. Students may petition for additional courses to count toward this option here.

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News

Alexis Hiniker

How do Alexa and Siri affect kids? iSchool's Hiniker investigates

Friday, January 8, 2021
Many families have unwittingly been taking part in a huge social experiment. They’ve invited conversational agents such as Siri and Alexa into their homes, but how do these new technologies affect children’s social development? The...
Read more

Researchers work to bridge digital divide in Tacoma

Tuesday, January 5, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has shown how internet access has become a crucial lifeline for many. It has also highlighted a key facet of Jason Young’s research at the Information School: the gap between those who have broadband internet...
Read more

Events

Jan 26
 
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Everett Public Library Information Session

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Washington Library Association (WLA) Information Session

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