Undergraduate Programs

Degree Programs

B.S. in Informatics

General Requirements

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 122 credit hours for the Bachelor of Science degree. The campus at which a student is admitted will award the degree. Students may transfer no more than 60 credit hours toward a Bachelor of Science degree. Students must complete the specific degree requirements of the School of Informatics as listed below.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in courses at the 300-400 (junior-senior) level.
  • Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C). Any course taken to satisfy the requirements of the major must be completed with a minimum grade of C- unless otherwise specified.
  • Students are expected to complete the requirements for their undergraduate degree within eight years of admission to the School of Informatics. Students are allowed to continue beyond this time period only at the discretion of the dean. If a student has not taken classes for three years or more, that student must satisfy program requirements of the School of Informatics in effect at the time of reactivation. Requests for deviation from requirements listed in the bulletin must be approved in writing by the dean, whose decision is final.
  • Courses that fulfill the requirements for a cognate area also may meet the general education distribution requirements.
  • Cognate area courses cannot count as informatics core courses or informatics elective courses.
  • If cognate area courses are equivalent to informatics core courses, students should substitute additional informatics elective courses in place of informatics core courses to meet the 34 credit hour requirement.
  • Courses that fulfill the requirements for a bachelor's degree in informatics also may apply to a minor outside of the School of Informatics.
  • Students must file a degree application with the School of Informatics office by March 1 for December graduation and October 1 for May, June, or August graduation. Failure to file by the deadline may delay the official date of graduation.
Course Requirements

The course work required for the B.S. in Informatics consists of five parts:

  1. Informatics Core Courses (including INFO-I100 First Year Experience)
  2. Informatics Electives
  3. Cognate Area Courses
  4. General Education Requirements
  5. General Electives
1. Informatics Core Courses
  • INFO I101: Introduction to Informatics (3/4 cr.)
  • INFO I201: Mathematical Foundations of Informatics (3/4 cr.)
  • INFO I202: Social Informatics (3 cr.)
  • NEWM N221: Media Applications I (3 cr.)
  • INFO I210: Information Infrastructure I (3/4 cr.)
  • INFO I211: Information Infrastructure II (3/4 cr.)
  • NEWM N222: Media Applications II (3 cr.)
  • INFO I270: Introduction to Human Computer Interaction (3 cr.)
  • INFO I308: Information Representation (3 cr.)
  • INFO I3XX: Research Inquiry (3 cr.)
  • INFO I3XX: Project Management (3 cr.)
  • INFO Y195: Directed Study (1 cr.)
  • INFO Y295: Directed Study (1 cr.)
  • INFO Y395: Career Development for Informatics Majors (1 cr.)
  • INFO I421: Applications of Data Mining and Management (3 cr.)
  • INFO I453: Computer and Information Ethics (3 cr.)

Select three courses from any INFO-I 300/400 Level

Capstone Course

Select one of the following capstone options:

  • INFO I494/I495: Design and Development of an Information System (3/3 cr.) (senior standing; capstone project), two semester course
  • INFO I492/I493: Thesis (3/3 cr.) (senior standing; capstone experience)
  • INFO I491: Capstone Project Internship (3-6 cr.) (senior standing; capstone experience)
  • INFO Research Practicum (3/3 cr.) (senior standing; capstone project; two semester course)

Recommended Courses

The following course is recommended for students who lack a strong computing background. This course is considered a general elective course.

  • INFO I112: Basic Tools of Informatics-Programming and Database Concepts (3 cr.)
2. Informatics Electives (6 cr.)

Any course in the department of computer and information science, computer programming technology, informatics, new media, or journalism at the 300 level or above may count as an elective.

Note: The above courses are subject to the successful completion of prerequisites or approval of the instructor. Students also may count other courses with informatics content as informatics electives upon approval of the dean.

3. Cognate Area Courses (15-21 cr.)

Departments offering informatics cognate courses are listed on the informatics Web site (www.informatics.iupui.edu). Students should, in consultation with their academic advisors, choose cognate areas before their sophomore year. Students must receive a grade of C- or higher in each course, and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

4. General Education Requirements

English Composition (3 cr.)

  • ENG W131: Elementary Composition I (or equivalent)

Students must check the listings for courses in the Schedule of Classes each semester to make certain the course section they have chosen fulfills the requirement.

Oral Communication (3 cr.)

  • COMM R110:Fundamentals of Speech Communication

Quantitative and Analytical Skills (6 cr.)

Three (3) hours from any of the following MATH courses:

  • M118 
  • 119
  • 151 
  • 153 
  • 154 
  • 163 
  • 164

Three (3) hours from any of the following STAT courses:

  • 301
  • 350

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (9 cr.)

Informatics students must have basic training in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, which will assist them in their lives and give them a broader perspective from which to approach the applications of information technology.

One arts and humanities course (3 cr.) selected from the following:

  • AFRO A150: Survey of the Culture of Black Americans (3 cr.)
  • AMST A103: Topics in American Studies (3 cr.)
  • CLAS C205: Classical Mythology (3 cr.)
  • CMLT C190: Introduction to Film (3 cr.)
  • COMM T130: Introduction to Theatre (3 cr.)
  • ENG L105: Appreciation of Literature (3 cr.)
  • ENG L115: Literature for Today (3 cr.)
  • FLAC F200: World Cultures Through Literature (3 cr.)
  • FOLK F101: Introduction to Folklore (3 cr.)
  • HER H100: Art Appreciation (3 cr.)
  • HER H101: History of Art I (3 cr.)
  • HER H102: History of Art II (3 cr.)
  • HIST H105: American History I (3 cr.)
  • HIST H106: American History II (3 cr.)
  • HIST H108: Perspectives on the World to 1800 (3 cr.)
  • HIST H113: History of Western Civilization I (3 cr.)
  • HIST H217: The Nature of History (3 cr.)
  • PHIL P110: Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.)
  • PHIL P120: Ethics (3 cr.)
  • REL R133: Introduction to Religion (3 cr.)
  • REL R173: American Religion (3 cr.)
  • REL R180: Introduction to Christianity (3 cr.)
  • REL R212: Comparative Religions (3 cr.)
  • MUS M174: Music for the Listener (3 cr.)
  • WOST W105: Introduction to Women's Studies (3 cr.)

One social science course (3 cr.) selected from the following:

  • AFRO A150: Survey of the Culture of Black Americans (3 cr.)
  • ANTH A104: Culture and Society (3 cr.)
  • COMM C180: Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.)
  • ECON E101: Survey of Current Economic Issues and Problems (3 cr.)
  • ECON E201: Introduction to Microeconomics (3 cr.)
  • ECON E202: Introduction to Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
  • ENG G104: Language Awareness (3 cr.)
  • FOLK F101: Introduction to Folklore (3 cr.)
  • GEOG G110: Introduction to Human Geography (3 cr.)
  • GEOG G130: World Geography (3 cr.)
  • HIST H117: Introduction to Historical Analysis (3 cr.)
  • POLS Y101: Principles of Political Science (3 cr.)
  • POLS Y103: Introduction to American Politics (3 cr.)
  • POLS Y213: Introduction to Public Policy (3 cr.)
  • POLS Y219: International Relations (3 cr.)
  • PSY B104: Psychology as a Social Science (3 cr.)
  • PSY B310: Life Span Development (3 cr.)
  • SOC R100: Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.)
  • SOC R121: Social Problems (3 cr.)
  • WOST W105: Introduction to Women's Studies (3 cr.)

One comparative world cultures course (3 cr.) selected from the following:

  • ANTH A104: Culture and Society (3 cr.)
  • CLAS C205: Classical Mythology (3 cr.)
  • FLAC F200: World Cultures through Literature (3 cr.)
  • GEOG G110: Introduction to Human Geography (3 cr.)
  • HIST H108: Perspectives on the World to 1800 (3 cr.)
  • POLS Y217: Introduction to Comparative Politics (3 cr.)
  • REL R133: Introduction to Religion (3 cr.)
  • REL R212: Comparative Religions (3 cr.)
5. General Electives

Courses for the remaining credits will be decided by the individual student, in consultation with an advisor, to fulfill additional career and/or personal interests. Students may take a maximum of 4 credit hours of HPER elective physical education courses numbered Exxx.

Dual Baccalaureate Degree

In certain circumstances students may be permitted to pursue a B.S. in Informatics and complete an undergraduate degree in another degree-granting school of the university. Check with an academic advisor for more details.

Second Baccalaureate Degree

In certain cases the dean may admit bachelor's degree holders to candidacy for a second bachelor's degree. When such admission is granted, the candidate must earn at least 60 additional credit hours and meet the requirements of the School of Informatics. Students seeking second degree candidacy should review the guidelines available from the informatics office. Students with a bachelor's degree who wish to further their education should also consider becoming qualified for admission to a graduate program.


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