Carolina blue was added to the usual assembly of black commencement gowns this spring when the top-ranked School of Information and Library Science at UNC at Chapel Hill recognized the first graduates of its undergraduate program in information science.

The bachelor’s degree in information science (BSIS) integrates the study of the creation and management of information content, the characteristics and needs of the people who create and use information, and the technologies used to support the creation and manipulation of information. UNC at Chapel Hill is the only university in the state offering such a degree and is one of only a handful of schools nationwide offering such a program.

The degree prepares graduates for a variety of careers in the information industry, including information architecture, database design and implementation, web design and implementation, networking support and information consulting. All three members of this first graduating class completed double majors: two combining information science with a business degree, and one completing a second major in computer science.

“I did the IS major program because I found it pretty interesting and felt the need to bulk up my academic background with a more solid foundation in technology and information systems,” said Shane Chang, one of the graduates double majoring in business. Chang, like his classmates Jun Wu and Danny Nguyen, will apply his background in information science to the many problems organizations face in an information-oriented society.

The information science major, offered beginning in fall 2002, sprang from the success of the school’s undergraduate minor in information systems, which was introduced in 1997. Students take a set of core courses, including courses on retrieving and evaluating information, systems analysis and design, and database design and networking, plus electives in areas such as networking, management of information resources and information design.

“The major in information science builds on the extraordinary popularity of our undergraduate minor,” said SILS Dean Joanne Gard Marshall. “The full degree provides opportunities for Chapel Hill undergraduates to get the background they need to move into key positions in the information sector in Research Triangle Park and around the globe."

Admission in the program is open to UNC undergraduate students who have completed at least the first semester of their sophomore year. Participation is limited, and admission is competitive. Applications for spring 2004 will be available this September. For more information on the BSIS, contact Beth Boyette, assistant student services manager, at 919/962-0208 or bboyette@email.unc.edu.

The School of Information and Library Science is home to approximately 270 master’s degree students, six certificate of advanced study students, 49 doctoral students, 30 undergraduate majors, 56 minors and 20 full-time faculty members. In addition to the undergraduate major in information science, the school offers master’s degrees in information science and library science, a certificate of advanced study, a doctor of philosophy in information and library science and an undergraduate minor in information systems.