Information Science : IU Indianapolis Bulletin

IU Indianapolis Bulletin » Schools » Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering » Graduate » Degree Programs » Ph.D. » Information Science

The Ph.D. in Information Science

The 90 credit hours shall consist of courses in the Information Science core areas, theory and methodology, specializations, and dissertation work. Ph.D. students must take at least 18 credit hours of courses in Library and Information Science at or above the 500 level. Students will take a minimum of 36 hours of formal courses, reading courses, or directed research exclusive of the dissertation. Students who enter with no graduate background can expect to take additional hours of formal courses, reading courses, or directed research exclusive of the dissertation.

Degree requirements and process for the Information Science Ph.D.

All requirements for the degree must be completed within eight years from the date of first enrollment in the program. Candidacy expires seven 7 years from the date that the student passed the qualifying exam.

Core courses (18 credits)

INFO-I 600 Professionalism and Pedagogy in Informatics
LIS-S 690 Seminar in Information Science Research I
LIS-S 691 Seminar in Information Science Research II
LIS-S 608 Community Analysis and Engagement Strategies
2 Information Science electives

Methods courses (12 credits)

Research practice (9 credits)

INFO-I 790 Research Rotation (take 3 times)

Minor/electives (15 credits)

All students shall be required to have a minor from either the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering or another school at IU Indy. The minor must complement the student’s degree but may not overlap with its coursework. Minors shall be selected with the advisor’s recommendation. The selected minor should be appropriate for the student’s focus or specialization within LIS. Some of the courses included in the minor may also be counted towards the student’s Theory and Methodology requirement or other requirements.

Dissertation (36 credits)

INFO-I 890 Thesis Reading and Research

Qualifying Examination, Written and Oral

A student must successfully complete a written and oral qualifying examination before the fifth semester of the program. The written exam has a breadth part and a depth part. The breadth part covers the program’s core courses. The depth part additionally covers material from the student’s research.

The oral exam takes place shortly after the student passes the written exam. The oral exam is based on the student’s response to the written exam and the core courses. The both the written and oral exams are prepared and evaluated by faculty in the school who are familiar with the content of the core courses.

The student must pass both the written exam and the oral exam before advancing to candidacy. The student may retake once either the written exam or oral exam, but not both, if they do not pass that part on the first attempt. For further details, consult with the data science program director.

Dissertation (30 cr.)

A dissertation is a written elaboration of original research that makes creative contributions to the student’s chosen area of specialization. The student will enroll multiple times in INFO I890 Thesis Readings and Research (1-12 cr.) while completing the dissertation. All requirements must be completed within seven years of passing the qualifying exams. The dissertation process includes the following components:

Proposal: This is an in-depth oral review undertaken by students who have made significant progress in their research. The proposal will be defended at a public colloquium. The student must complete the proposal within one year of passing the qualifying exams.
Defense: The student must defend his or her dissertation in an open seminar scheduled when doctoral research is almost complete.