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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degrees & Programs
In This Section

Pathways

Pathways allow students to focus on course options within a certain area of career interest. BSIS students may take electives within a pathway or across multiple pathways.

Understand the critical, social, and cultural contexts of information science
Sample job titles: Digital Asset Coordinator, Research Assistant, Information Technology Manager, IT Operations Manager, Project Manager, Consultant, Application Manager, Research Investigator

Sample courses:

  • IS 145 Mapping Inequalities
  • IS 266 Community Innovation
  • IS 308 Race, Gender, and Info Tech
  • IS 309 Computers and Culture
  • IS 381 Introduction to Literacies for Youth
  • IS 340 Project Management
  • IS 410 Storytelling
  • IS 430 Foundations Info Processing
  • IS 464 Information Assurance
  • IS 490 Social Media and Global Change
  • INFO 102 Little Bits to Big Ideas
  • INFO 303 Writing Across Media
  • INFO 325 Social Media and Global Change
  • INFO 326 New Media, Culture and Society
  • INFO 345 Digital & Gender Culture

Complementing disciplines (consider taking courses, minors, dual-degrees, or certificates within these areas to complement degree): Business, Sociology, Media, History, Culture Studies (various areas), Global Studies, Leadership Studies, Communication, Political Science, Criminology Law & Society, Linguistics, Gender & Women’s Studies, Public Relations, Human Centered Design
Understand the impact of data in governance, business, culture to educate citizenry in a democracy, and inform policy
Sample job titles: Business Intelligence Analyst, Operations Analyst, Business Intelligence & Data Analyst, Technical Solution Specialist, Associate IT Operations Analyst, Training and Knowledge Management (KM) Specialist, Privacy Consultant, Service Desk Analyst, Information Technology Services Specialist

Sample courses:

  • IS 145 Mapping Inequalities
  • IS 265 Innovation Illinois
  • IS 266 Community Innovation
  • IS 305 Program for Info Problems II
  • IS 311 ​​History and Foundations of Info Society
  • IS 324 Social Network Analysis
  • IS 357 Introduction to Data Storytelling
  • IS 370 Concepts of Behavioral Theory
  • IS 407 Introduction to Data Science
  • IS 411 Information Systems Analysis
  • INFO 325 Social Media and Global Change
  • INFO 326 New Media, Culture and Society
  • INFO 345 Digital & Gender Culture

Complementing disciplines (consider taking courses, minors, dual-degrees, or certificates within these areas to complement degree): Business, Sociology, Media, Communication, Political Science, Economics, Criminology Law & Society, Global Markets & Society, Technology & Entrepreneurship, Human Centered Design
Understand the data life cycle and be able to analyze, interpret, explain, qualify, and contextualize data at scale
Sample job titles: Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Client Data Science Analyst, Market Research Analyst, Analytics & Data Strategy Consultant, Data Governance Analyst, Healthcare Analytics Consultant, Data & Business Analyst, Tech/IT Consultant, Technical Programmatic Solutions Specialist, Technology Analyst

Sample courses:

  • IS/STAT 107 Data Science Discovery
  • IS/STAT 207 Data Science Exploration
  • IS 305 ​​Program for Info Problems II
  • IS 357 Introduction to Data Storytelling
  • IS 401 Introduction to Network Info Systems
  • IS 407 Introduction to Data Science
  • IS 411 Information Systems Analysis
  • IS 417 Data Science in the Humanities
  • IS 430 Foundations Info Processing
  • IS 445 Data Visualization
  • IS 467 Ethics & Policy for Data Science
  • IS 497 Topics in Data Analytics & Data Science
  • INFO 407 Intro to Programming Python for Data Science
  • INFO 427 Data, Machines and the Python

Complementing disciplines (consider taking courses, minors, dual-degrees, or certificates within these areas to complement degree): Computer Science, Statistics, Data Science Certificate, Business, Economics
Able to build useful and usable information systems.
Sample job titles: Digital Producer, Web Developer, UX Product Designer, User Experience (UX) Researcher, UX Designer, UX Writer, UX Design Innovator, User Experience Consultant, Human-Computer Interaction Researcher, Human-Centered AI Designer, Mobile Developer, Digital/Mobile Application Developer

Sample courses:

  • IS 226 Introduction to HCI
  • IS 229 Web Design Fundamentals
  • IS 236 User Research & Evaluation
  • IS 316 Design of Usable Interfaces
  • IS 334 Usable Privacy and Security
  • IS 406 Cognition in the Wild
  • IS 409 Web Technologies & Techniques
  • IS 416 Adaptive Minds and Computers
  • IS 419 Entrepreneurial IT Design
  • IS 429 Web Content Strategy & Management
  • IS 449 Web Application Development
  • IS 459 Mobile Applications
  • IS 466 Accessible & Inclusive Techs
  • IS 496 Topics in Human-Centered Design & Systems
  • IS 499 Topics in Web Design & Development

Complementing disciplines (consider taking courses, minors, dual-degrees, or certificates within these areas to complement degree): Graphic Design, Art & Design, Psychology, Computer Science, Human Centered Design
Understand the power of narrative in human society, gain familiarity with storytelling tools and techniques, with professional applications in business, publishing, youth services, curation and the game industry
Sample job titles: Video Game Tester, Customer & Product Insights, Game Reviewer, Game Design Trainee, Game Operations Trainee

Sample courses:

  • IS 199 Social History of Games & Gaming
  • IS 310 Computing in the Humanities
  • IS 357 Introduction to Data Storytelling
  • IS 368 Youth Community Engagement
  • IS 370 Concepts of Behavioral Theory
  • IS 381 Introduction to Literacies for Youth
  • IS 424 Social Computing
  • IS 436 Playful Design Methods
  • IS 441 Strategic Communication
  • INFO 405 Introduction to Video Game Dev Process
  • INFO 407 Introduction to Programming Python for Data Science
  • INFO 409 Narrative Games & Simulations
  • INFO 416 Makerspace: Game Studies
  • INFO 418 Makerspace: Escape Rooms

Complementing disciplines (consider taking courses, minors, dual-degrees, or certificates within these areas to complement degree): Art & Design, Graphic Design, Sociology, English, Communication, Media, Game Studies
Understand the role of cultural heritage and other memory institutions in our society and become familiar with the practices and professions associated with the collection, organization, preservation, curation and dissemination of information
Sample job titles: Manager of Digital Content, Manager of Exhibitions, Digital Asset Manager, Museum Educator, Curator of Exhibits

Sample courses:

  • IS 229 Web Design Fundamentals
  • IS 304 Advanced Research Design
  • IS 310 Computing in the Humanities
  • IS 311 ​​History Fndts of Info Society
  • IS 357 Introduction to Data Storytelling
  • IS 368 Youth Community Engagement
  • IS 370 Concepts of Behavioral Theory
  • IS 378 Concepts of Behavioral Theory
  • IS 381 Introduction to Literacies for Youth
  • IS 390 Foundations of Community Engagement
  • IS 401 Introduction Network Info Systems
  • IS 418 Community Engagement
  • IS 420 Community Informatics
  • IS 426 Museum Informatics
  • IS 446 Systems Analysis and Design
  • IS 451 Bibliography of Africa
  • IS 456 Information Storage & Retrieval

Complementing disciplines (consider taking courses, minors, dual-degrees, or certificates within these areas to complement degree): History, Sociology, English, Creative Writing, Communication, Media