Cornell University Registrar

Graduate Field

Information Science

Program Description

Information Science is an interdisciplinary program within the Faculty of Computing and Information Science. It brings together faculty, researchers and students who share an interest in studying digital information.

Information Science examines information systems in their social, cultural, economic, historical, legal, and political contexts. Computer science is an important part of the program, but the emphasis is on systems and their use, rather than on the technologies that underlie them.

Information Systems draws from Computer Science and Operations Research; Human Computer Interaction from Communication, Psychology, and Cognitive Studies; Social Studies of Computing from Science & Technology Studies, Law, and Economics, with many others.

The Information Science program is home to several large research groups, including the Human-Computer Interaction group, digital libraries research, and the ePrint arXiv.

Concentrations by Subject

• Cognition
• Human computer interaction
• Information science
• Information systems
• Social aspects of information

Program Information

• Instruction Mode: In Person
• Location: Ithaca, NY
• Minimum Credits for Degree: 30

Program Requirements

Credit Requirements

The requirements for completion of an MPS degree in Information Science are designed to give students broad exposure to the Information Science field and provide the flexibility for students to combine Information Science with their individual career goals.

To complete the MPS degree in Information Science, you should complete at least 30 credits of courses at a 5000-level or higher, while taking no more than 19 credits per semester, distributed as follows:

I. Information Science Courses

Complete at least 18 credits of courses in Information Science, divided into two categories: 

• Human and Social Systems (HSS, minimum 9 credits): courses that focus on the human and social aspects of computing systems and digital technology.
• Information Systems (IS, minimum 9 credits): courses that focus on the technical and technological aspects of computing systems. 

Focus areas: to aid in selecting courses, students may choose one or more focus areas that are congruent with their career goals. Choosing a focus area is not required and serves as guidance for course selection.

Note: A small number of Information Science courses may fulfill either IS/HSS category according to the student’s choice, but they cannot be double-counted in both categories.

II. MPS Project

Students must complete at least 1 project (3 credits) by enrolling in the MPS Project course (INFO 5900) in the Fall or in the Spring. Students may complete 2 projects, one in the Fall and one in the Spring. 

• Alternatively, students may complete the MPS Project requirement through the Digital Technology Immersion course (NBA 6480, Spring only), offered through the Johnson Business School. Note that there are limited seats in NBA 6480.

III. Professional Career Development

All MPS students are required to successfully complete Professional Career Development (INFO 5905, 0.5 credit, S/U, Fall/Spring). Early Credit students must take this in their second semester.

Students may waive the Professional Career Development requirement if they have received a job offer or have a job awaiting them after graduation. To petition to waive this requirement, email Rebecca Salk, rebecca.salk@cornell.edu prior to the start of the semester. Attach the waiver approval to your checklist for future reference. 

IV. Electives

Any remaining credits to fulfill the 30-credit requirement may be taken as elective courses. Elective courses prepare you for a professional career by complementing and extending your Information Science degree.

• A list of pre-approved electives can be found in the MPS course spreadsheet. 
• All INFO/CS/STSCI courses at a 5000-level or higher that are not categorized as IS/HSS are automatically pre-approved as electives. 
• INFO 7900 Independent Research is a pre-approved elective. To enroll in INFO 7900, students must communicate with and receive an approval from the faculty member they are interested in doing research with. 
• To receive an approval for an elective that is not pre-approved, email the Director of the MPS program, Gilly Leshed, the following information:
  • Course ID
  • Course title
  • Course description found in the Cornell Class Roster 
  • Justification on why you want to take the course and its relevancy to your MPS degree.

Grade Requirements

• Information Science and Elective courses: a minimum grade of C. Two of these credits may be taken as pass/fail (S/U), including INFO 5905 Professional Career Development.
• MPS Project: a minimum grade of B.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.

MPS Checklist

Each student will receive a link to an individualized spreadsheet in which they will enter the courses they have taken in each of the requirement categories. Students are expected to keep the checklist up-to-date to track their progress toward completing the degree requirements.

For More Information

Students are welcome to consult with Gilly Leshed, Director of the MPS program, or Olivia Howarth, Assistant Director of the MPS program about their academic plan.

University Graduation Requirements

Requirements for All Students

In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.

Academic Requirements

A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.

Non-academic Requirements

Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.

Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.