MIMS Student Handbook for Students Entering Before Fall 2017

This Guide applies only to students who entered the Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program in Fall 2016 or earlier. Students who began the MIMS program in or after Fall 2017 should refer to the current MIMS Handbook.

Quick links: Technology Requirement | Management Requirement

All students and faculty members are responsible for following University and Campus rules and regulations. In particular, students should carefully review the Guide to Graduate Policy published by the Graduate Division. Campus and university policies take precedence over policies of the School of Information. Students face a wide array of circumstances and sometimes require exceptions to the rules. Simple exceptions may be approved by the Head Graduate Advisor. Complex exceptions will be referred to the entire School of Information faculty. Exceptions to rules set by the Graduate Division must be approved by the Graduate Division.

Degree Requirements

A program of study including at least 48 semester units is required for the degree of Master of Information Management and Systems. Work toward the degree must be completed with a grade point average of at least B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). Students may elect to take courses on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis up to a limit of one third (i.e., 16 units) of the total units applied toward the degree.

See: Degree Requirements Checklist

Length of the MIMS Program and Academic Residence

The MIMS program is considered a full-time program; students are required to enroll in 12 units of graduate work each semester and complete the program within the two-year time frame.

The School of Information requires students to be registered for four consecutive semesters.

The Graduate Division requires that master's students complete a minimum of two semesters of academic residence. To meet the academic residence requirement for a single semester, a student must enroll in and complete a minimum of 4 units of upper division and/or graduate course work.

Course Requirements

I School Course Requirements

  • Courses 202, 203, 205, and 206 are required of all students and must be taken on a letter grade basis.
  • Students are also required to complete the Technology Requirement and the Management Requirement. All classes used to fulfill both of these requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
  • During the second year of the program each student must complete a course identified as satisfying the final project requirement, which must be taken for a letter grade.

Further courses to satisfy the 48 unit requirement may be chosen from the School's course catalog or from courses in other departments, with approval. Students may use 100- or 200-level courses towards the completion of their degree. Courses from other departments must be upper-division or graduate courses numbered in the 100-299 range and must be approved by a faculty advisor before credit will be accepted toward the degree.

A maximum of 10 units from other departments will be accepted as counting toward the MIMS degree. Additional outside units may be accepted by special arrangement with the MIMS head graduate advisor.

A maximum of 4 units of Individual Study (299) will count toward the degree. A maximum of 2 units of Field Study (297) will be accepted as counting toward the degree.

Technology Requirement
Students are required to satisfy a two-course technology requirement, consisting of Info 206 and one additional course.

Part 1: Students must complete Info 206, either by passing the course or placing out of the course (by passing the place-out exam). Info 206 must be taken for a letter grade.

Part 2: Students must complete one additional technology course, taken from the approved list. The course used to meet this requirement must be taken on a letter grade basis.

The list of technology breadth courses will be revisited each year in order to add new courses as appropriate. Currently the list consists of:

Management Requirement
Students are required to take one course to meet the management requirement. These courses generally focus on technology management or project management.

Currently the list consists of:

The list of courses will be revisited each year in order to add new courses as appropriate. The course used to meet this requirement must be taken on a letter grade basis.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Technology and the Management requirements have been structured to provide students with flexibility and the opportunity to take courses that meet their needs and interests. However, it makes no sense educationally to postpone meeting these requirements beyond the third semester in the MIMS program. This can ONLY be done with the prior approval of the Head Graduate Advisor.

Transfer of Units
Courses taken before admission to the School will normally not be accepted as fulfilling degree requirements. Under certain conditions as many as four semester units of work taken while enrolled in another comparable graduate degree program might be applied against degree requirements when a course with content equivalent to an I School elective course has been completed. Approval by the Graduate Division will be made at the time of filing for candidacy.

Grade Requirements

The Graduate Division requires that two-thirds of completed courses be taken for a letter grade, with only those courses in which a grade of C- or better was received counting toward the degree. The overall grade-point must average a 3.0 for upper division and graduate level courses. Any I grades (Incomplete work) must be cleared before the degree is awarded.

Successful Completion of Required Courses

All master's students are required to successfully complete each of the core courses with a passing grade. The Faculty of the School of Information has established the following guidelines for those cases in which a student has failed to complete with a passing grade (C- or better) a required core course in the master's program:

  • Those students who have not completed a core course or who received an F grade are expected to re-enroll and complete the course work during the next available offering of the course in order to meet degree requirements.
  • In cases where the failing grade is due to non-completion of specific course requirements such as papers or projects, the student should consult with the instructor about the possibility of making up those specific requirements instead of retaking the entire course.
  • Students who do not successfully complete a core course after re-enrolling are considered to have not met requirements for the degree unless there are special circumstances such as illness that prevented course completion. Only in such cases will the student be given another opportunity to complete the given course.

Filing for the Degree

All MIMS students will be advanced to candidacy at the start of their fourth semester. For more information about advancement to and lapsing of candidacy please see the Guide to Graduate Policy, published by the Graduate Division.

Good Standing

MIMS students will be considered “in good standing” if they are:

  • Making normal progress towards the degree by completing:
    • Info. 202, 203, 205, & 206 in Year 1;
    • the Technology and Management breadth requirements by the end of semester 3; and
    • a course satisfying the final project requirement (Info. 298A) in semester 4
  • Making progress towards the degree by taking a minimum of 12 units each semester (Students may take fewer than 12 units with permission from the Head Graduate Advisor)
  • Maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0
  • Making normal progress by completing the degree in 4 semesters
  • Achieving the minimum required grade of C– or better in all required core and breadth courses.

Advising

Faculty Counselors

Primary responsibility for advising master's students belongs to the I School faculty. Students are free to seek academic and career advice from their assigned faculty counselor or from any other member of the I School faculty. Informal advice from other members of the I School community is, of course, encouraged. There is no formal requirement to have course choices signed off by a faculty counselor except during the first semester, but we recommend that you consult your counselor about your choices.

Graduate Advisors

The Graduate Division appoints specific faculty members as Graduate Advisors who are deputized to sign certain petitions, forms and requests to the Graduate Division. These faculty members serve as liaisons with the Graduate Division and should be consulted regarding special requests for exceptions to Graduate Division policies. They are not to be confused with Faculty Counselors whom you should consult regarding course and career choices. Consult with the Student Affairs Officer regarding those situations requiring special requests and petitions to the Graduate Division.

Other Campus Resources

UC Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct

All I School students are responsible for knowing and following the UC Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct.

For Disabled Students

The campus offers many different resources for graduate students with disabilities. The purpose of an academic accommodation is to offer the graduate student an equal opportunity to meet the department’s academic standards and requirements. The Disabled Students Program at (510) 642-0518 serves graduate students with disabilities (who complete the process for establishing eligibility) by authorizing academic accommodations. Disabled Access Services at (510) 643-6473 or 643-6456 can usually assist with accommodations to extra-curricular events. Most physical access issues are addressed in the Campus Access Guide. Finally, problems with accommodations may be reported to the campus Disability Resolution Officer at (510) 642-2795.

Last updated:

June 26, 2017