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Informatics Degree Options

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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:

Note: Degree options are not credentials; they do not necessarily guarantee jobs in particular industries, and employers will not necessarily view them as indicators of your skills. Instead, think of degree options as collections of courses that can help you focus your studies on particular skills, ideas and industries.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

UW Bothell IAC electives:

UW Tacoma IAC electives:

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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