About

The School of Information is a graduate research and education community committed to the study of information and data as they impact the human experience. This requires the insights of scholars from diverse fields, including information and computer science, design, social sciences, management, law, and policy.

Roughly 120 graduate students and two dozen faculty members are based on the UC Berkeley campus, in UC Berkeley’s historic South Hall, with another 1100 students online. Together, they form a collective of scholars and practitioners, boldly leading the way with education and fundamental research that translates into new knowledge, practices, policies, and solutions.

The I School offers three professional master’s degrees and an academic doctoral degree: 

• Our full-time MIMS program trains students for careers as information professionals and emphasizes small classes and project-based learning.
• Our MIDS program prepares forward-thinking professionals to lead in data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI).
• Our MICS program develops students’ mastery of information security practices and technologies as well as the economic, legal, behavioral, and ethical impacts of cybersecurity.
• Our Ph.D. program equips scholars to develop solutions and shape policies that influence how people seek, use, and share information.

Welcome to the I School

The Community

Students are the heart of the I School. We welcome you to join our community of students who come to us from a wide range of backgrounds, nations, cultures, and experiences. Our four degree programs, two on campus and two online, combine academic excellence with the intimacy and camaraderie that foster successful learning and discovery. Our multidisciplinary faculty includes world-class scholars, as well as experienced professionals from leading Bay Area companies — all focused on understanding and shaping the technologies that are transforming our world. Our alumni network is a source of invaluable connections to policymakers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

The School

I School faculty and graduate students work together on cutting-edge research in areas ranging from cybersecurity and biosensing to digital humanities and information policy. Our curriculum emphasizes teamwork and project-based learning. We provide students with the conceptual understandings that allow them to apply knowledge and skills in concrete contexts, and prepare them to master new skills in fast-changing domains. We are committed to training leaders in the ever-evolving and expanding fields that are being transformed by information technology. We believe students should know not only how to solve problems, but also how to define the problems that need to be solved. Our programs and classes are small enough to support intense student engagement, and we encourage collaboration among the students, faculty, and staff in the I School community.

Our Location & Region

We are fortunate to be part of a world-class research university with access to the tremendous breadth and depth of the intellectual resources at the University of California, Berkeley. At the same time, our proximity to Silicon Valley and the wider San Francisco Bay Area has helped to shape the I School culture: we are nimble and well-networked internally and externally, and we believe in learning through experimentation. Of course we can’t conclude this welcome without mentioning the advantages of the wonderful climate and natural beauty of the greater Bay Area.

Please come and visit us in South Hall.

What is an iSchool or Information School?

The I School, or “iSchool,” movement began as traditional library science programs evolved to reflect the digital age, addressing new challenges and opportunities brought by information technologies. 

An information school is focused on studying information and data sciences; we explore how people, organizations, and systems interact with information, focusing on the role of technology in these interactions. 

What distinguishes us: 

1. Interdisciplinary Approach: I Schools bring together fields like computer science, sociology, business, psychology, and policy to examine how information is managed, accessed, and used. We solve real-world challenges with an interdisciplinary mindset.
2. Focus on Human-Computer Interaction: We study not only information technologies but also the social, ethical, and behavioral dimensions of technology.
3. Research and Impact: We engage in research that drives advancements in data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, information ethics, and more. We strive to create meaningful impact, often in areas such as healthcare, education, business, and public policy.