Overview

History

The School of Informatics and Computing offers a new kind of computing education—one where students not only learn how technology works, but also what it can accomplish.  Our interdisciplinary approach to research, as well as our innovative curriculum, is designed to instill a new generation of students with the knowledge, imagination, and flexibility to tackle complex issues from global warming to national security. We are training a new kind of thinker, one who is ready to solve the problems of the 21st century.

Computing education has a long and storied history at Indiana University. The Department of Computer Science, founded in 1971, has graduated thousands of students who have gone on to become leaders and innovators in technology development.

The founding of the IU School of Informatics in 2000 added a new dimension to our technology programs. The School of Informatics was the first IT school of its kind—an innovative, interdisciplinary program where technology fuels discoveries in fields as diverse as music and microbiology. We offered the first Ph.D. in Informatics, as well as one of the first master’s degrees in cybersecurity.

Recognizing the vital connection between these fields and wanting to provide students with a richer educational experience, the Department of Computer Science and the School of Informatics joined forces in 2005. Now known as the School of Informatics and Computing at IU Bloomington, the school was named one of Computerworld magazine’s 10 innovative programs that are “IT Schools to Watch” in 2008.