UNC SILS ›› Degrees & Programs ›› MSIS Curriculum

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Information Science degree requires:

48 semester hours of graduate-level course work
- 24 hours of required core courses (see table below)
- 24 hours of elective courses (see Course selection below)
Satisfactory completion of a comprehensive examination
Satisfactory completion of a master's paper or project

Core courses

The MSIS curriculum is designed around five functional areas:

organization
collection and retrieval
information-related behavior
design and evaluation
management

Core courses address each of these areas. In addition, MSIS graduates are expected to have expertise in basic information technology and in research methods.

Function	Required Courses
Organization	INLS 520 (150): Organization of Information
Collection/Retrieval	INLS 509 (172): Information Retrieval
Information-Related Behavior	INLS 500 (180): Human Information Interactions
Design/Evaluation	INLS 582 (162): Systems Analysis INLS 780 (201): Research Methods
Management	INLS 585 (131): Management for Information Professionals
Other Requirements	Courses
Master's Paper	INLS 992 (392): Master's Paper
Information Technology	INLS 461 (102): Information Tools (students with demonstrated expertise in basic computing skills may exempt this course)

Course selection

Students select courses in consultation with their faculty advisor, according to their interests and career objectives.

Most of the required 48 hours will be taken within SILS. Many students enrolled in the information science program also elect to take one or more courses in other departments on campus (such as the Kenan-Flagler Business School, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, or the Department of Computer Science) or at nearby universities (principally Duke and N.C. State).

Students without extensive practical experience are encouraged to enroll in the Professional Field Experience course (INLS 708 (299)). This structured practicum provides the opportunity for students to apply theoretical knowledge to an individually selected work environment.

Students with specialized interests can register for independent study with a faculty member. Master's degree candidates may apply only six credits of Study in Information and Library Science (INLS 696 (300)) toward the 48-credit-hour requirement. No more than three credits may be applied from study with a particular faculty member.

Specializations

Within this degree, students may develop their own specializations through their choice of courses. Four examples of possible specializations are human information behavior, database and information retrieval systems, networking and Internet technologies, and management of information systems.

Human Information Behavior
INLS 510 (115) Natural Language Processing
INLS 512 (170) Applications of Natural Language Processing
INLS 715 (213) User Perspectives in Info. Systems and Services
INLS 718 (257) User Interface Design
INLS 885 (382) Seminar in Communication

Database and Information Retrieval Systems
INLS 525 (165) Records Management
INLS 576 (183) Distributed Systems and Administration
INLS 623 (157) Database Systems I
INLS 723 (258) Database Systems II
INLS 760 (259) Web Databases
INLS 724 (265) Abstracting and Indexing for Info. Retrieval
INLS 802 (372) Seminar in Information Retrieval

Networking and Internet Technologies
INLS 572 (181) Internet Applications
INLS 574 (182) Introduction to Local Area Networks
INLS 576 (183) Distributed Systems and Administration
INLS 578 (184) Protocols and Network Management
INLS 566 (187) Information Security
INLS 668 (191) Advanced Internet Applications

Management of Information Systems
INLS 782 (203) Information Systems Effectiveness
INLS 785 (234) Human Resources Management
INLS 786 (237) Marketing of Information Services
INLS 747 (247) Special Libraries and Knowledge Management