The Ph.D. in Information Science is composed of coursework, practica, and dissertation components. The aim of the coursework component is to prepare you to think like an information scientist and to lay the foundations for developing a dissertation in this field. See a list of completed dissertations. 

Students are introduced to the origins, scope, key concepts and variables, issues, methods, theoretical frameworks, and assumptions that define the discipline of information science. You will debate the merits of contradictory perspectives, read the empirical and conceptual literature of the discipline and critique the work of key theorists and researchers. You will design, implement, and critique information systems.

Students complete the following required INSC courses:

• INSC 500 Faculty Seminar (Autumn)
• INSC 501 Theoretical Foundations for Information Science (Winter)
• INSC 570 Research Design (Autumn)
• INSC 571 Quantitative Methods in Information Science (Winter)
• INSC 572 Qualitative Methods in Information Science (Spring)
• INSC 573 Design Inquiry and Methods in Information Science (Spring)*

Required Practica

• INSC 565 Teaching Practicum I
• INSC 566 Teaching Practicum II
• INSC 575 Research Practicum I
• INSC 576 Research Practicum II
• Course descriptions can be found in the UW Course Catalog.

In consultation with a faculty advisor, you will also select additional elective coursework. Elective courses offered by the iSchool vary, reflecting faculty research expertise and diversity, and are intended to broaden the doctoral student academic experience. You are encouraged to pursue your intellectual and academic interests by taking courses offered by the iSchool as well as those offered by other academic units on the UW campus.

*INSC 573 is a required course for Ph.D. Students who enter the program in Autumn 2017 and later.