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University of Washington Information School

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Doctorate in Information Science

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Degree Requirements

  1. Programs
  2. Ph.D.
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  4. Degree Requirements

To be awarded a Ph.D. in Information Science from the UW Information School, you must meet the following requirements:

  • 18 graded credits in courses at the 500 level and above
  • 60 credits taken prior to general exam
  • 27 dissertation credits (INSC 800)
  • 90 total credits, 60 of which must be from UW

In addition to meeting the minimum course and credit requirements outlined above, you must also successfully:

  • Pass a preliminary review in the quarter following the completion of 20 quarter hours of study as well as pass 2nd year review. (See the Student Review Policy and Procedure.)
  • Pass a general examination after achieving 60 credits and completing required coursework by the end of the second quarter third year of study to attain formal candidacy for the Ph.D. program (Candidate’s Certificate)
  • Successfully defend a dissertation proposal before a supervisory committee by the end of the second quarter of the fourth year of study
  • Successfully defend a dissertation before a supervisory committee (Final Examination) by the end of the fifth year of study or before 10 years from the date of admission have passed
  • Satisfy the UW Graduate School doctoral degree requirements

Expected time for program completion

Full-Time Study

The iSchool strongly recommends full-time study for the Ph.D. in Information Science. Estimated time to degree completion is 5 to 6 years.

The standard program for full-time study is two years for the coursework and practica component followed by a general exam to determine candidacy. You will then normally complete another two to four years of full-time study. These two to four years generally involve six months to one year of preparation for the defense of the dissertation proposal followed by the completion and defense of the dissertation.

Part-Time Study

Some Ph.D. students cannot afford full-time study and would prefer to study for their doctorate part-time. The iSchool acknowledges this preference but also recognizes how important it is to establish and foster the collegiality, intellectual community and relationships that are essential to active participation in a research culture. This reality necessitates that candidates enroll as full-time students for the first year of study. If you then choose to complete your PhD part-time, completion of the degree will normally take longer than the time estimated above for full-time study.

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News

Students (from left) Harman Zhang, Sara Duan, Justin Dong, Noa Avitan and David Pham

Informatics team helps music streamer earn money for artists

Thursday, May 22, 2025
For a music creator, getting paid by listeners around the world should be as simple as a fan clicking “subscribe.” But for many artists in less developed countries, existing streaming platforms make that difficult or out of reach.An...
Read more
Alex Heller, Alina Weseloh and Ilias Bowen-Sicalides

MLIS team preserves a piece of radio history

Friday, May 16, 2025
From 1973 to 2011, the Evergreen Radio Reading Service served blind and print-disabled listeners across the state of Washington. Now, with its recordings stored in a fragile audio archive and at risk of permanent loss, a team of MLIS...
Read more

Events

May 28
 
4:00-5:00PM

MLIS Law Librarianship Information Session

Zoom / Online
May 29
 
5:30-6:30PM

iSchool Library Leadership Spotlight Series: Melody Sky Weaver

Virtual
May 30
 
11:30-1:15PM

Faculty Meeting

Bloedel Hall 070
Jun 2
 
12:00-1:00PM

MSIM Mid-Career Last Chance Q&A

Zoom / Online
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