Be part of one of the fastest growing fields in the nation by applying to the Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS) program at the School of Information and Library Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today!
Applications for North Carolina's only BSIS program and the minor in Information Systems are now being accepted for the Spring 2011 semester. The application deadline is October 1, 2010.
Information science (IS) combines working with people, designing technology and developing information content.
For example, as an IS major, a student might be involved in designing/developing the Web site that reports the scores of the Tar Heel teams. The student would be concerned with the people trying to view the site (True Blue Fans), the technology used to support the site (the Web and perhaps a database behind the site) and the game scores (along with relevant quotes from the players, news items, etc.).
The BSIS program draws on our award-winning faculty's strengths such as usability human-computer interaction, open source development, database design, information retrieval and human-information behavior and is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of careers in the information industry. Our graduates go into positions of:
- Project Managers
- Social Media Managers
- Web Masters
- Knowledge Management Analysts
- Information Technology Analysts
- Software Quality Engineers
- Risk Management: Vulnerability Analysis, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuation
- Research Assistants
- And many more!
They work at organizations such as Credit Suisse, the U.S. FBI, Progress Energy, SAS, CISCO, the Department of Homeland Security, Aetna, Lulu Enterprises and the U.S. Census Bureau, to name just a few.
According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 30 fastest-growing occupations from now until 2016 include a number of information science occupations. Network systems and data communications is listed as the number one fastest growing occupation in the nation. Computer software engineers, systems software developers and database administrators are included on the list that require a bachelor's degree.
Some of the exciting, emerging and growing fields of information science that students may wish to explore include:
- Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
- Open Culture: Open Source Software, Open Access
- Intelligence: market intelligence, business and competitive intelligence
- Search Engine Marketing or Search Engine Optimization
- Cyber and Internet Security
- Data Forensics: e-discovery, data recovery
- Scientific Informatics
Undergraduate students who have completed at least the first semester of their sophomore year may apply for admission to either the major or minor program.
Two scholarships for $1,000 each will be awarded to newly admitted students into the BSIS major who meet the criteria of high scholastic achievement and a stellar essay.
For more information about our programs, contact us by calling 919-962-8366 or sending e-mail to:
or by visiting the Web at:
sils.unc.edu/programs/undergraduate
Quotes from our graduates...
"The level of close interaction I was able to enjoy not only with my peers, but also with the outstanding professors, allowed me to feel like part of a family and not a major. Having access to and familiarity with the Dean and other staff is a college student’s dream, especially at a large public institution like UNC. The relationships I built will continue well into the future. The breadth and relevance of the coursework ensures that I will now be able to work and excel in almost any field. The SILS program makes every student’s success a priority and it truly made my Carolina experience."
- Mia Barnes, BSIS '09, Management and Program Analyst, FBI, Operational Technology Division, Forensics Support
"SILS taught me how to understand and work with information systems by learning to think critically about information processes that are effecting organizations today."
- Jimmy Nguyen, BSIS '09, Technical Analyst, Information Technology Investment Banking Prime Services, Credit Suisse
"SILS gave me technical experience, but more importantly it helped me find out how to quickly find appropriate information and answers to problems, such that I can pick up a new technology easily."
- Garnett Matney, BSIS '09, Technical Analyst, Information Technology Investment Banking Prime Services, Credit Suisse
"I think the BSIS program is excellent because it provides a comprehensive look at many different subject areas, while allowing for in-depth study into the topic of your personal choice. This way, you get to learn about and experience different methods for handling information and the technology behind these methods. I also think that the BSIS program provides an unparalleled faculty-student mentoring experience. Because of the small class sizes, I feel as though I get to know each teacher personally as well as increase my learning exponentially because of their leadership in the field."
- Ashlee Edwards, BSIS '11
"I liked it so much I stayed for the doctoral program!"
- Julia Kampov-Polevoi, BSIS '08, current doctoral student
