IUPUI Campus Bulletin 2014-2016

IUPUI 2014-2016 » Schools » IU School of Informatics and Computing

School of Informatics and Computing

Welcome to the IU School of Informatics and Computing!

Moore's Law says that computing power doubles every 18 months. Regardless of whether that law is literally correct, it illustrates the rapid changes in information technology that will continue for the foreseeable future. The School of Informatics and Computing prepares students to meet the continuing demand for information technology professionals who know how to grow and adapt to this environment of rapid technological change.

Informatics is focused on the best applications of technologies and emphasizes the social and psychological aspects of information technology. Some have called informatics "technology with a human face." Informatics prepares professionals to use information technology to solve problems in a variety of settings. The degrees emphasize the development of new uses for technologies, always keeping in mind the needs of people and the best and most appropriate uses for technology.

Informatics and Computing students have:

• a technical understanding of how computing systems and programs operate
• an ability to adapt/assess and apply new trends in information technology (IT)
• well-developed problem-solving skills
• experience working on a team, such as those formed for the senior capstone experience
• well-developed communications skills to clearly convey solutions and observations to others
• an understanding of social and ethical principles as they relate to IT issues
• the ability to create 3-D animations to help explain surgery to patients
• accelerated drug discovery through information technology
• developed computer applications to manage disaster relief
• explored human interactions with computers, mobile devices, and robots

Informatics is all of this - and so much more. Harnessing the power and possibility of technology, Informatics turns data and information into knowledge that people can use every day. In the world of information and technology, it's the bridge to all things useful. Informatics is the future.

Degrees from the School of Informatics and Computing are unique because they involve students in learning how information technology relates to a traditional discipline in the sciences, liberal arts, or professions. Students of Informatics learn to solve real problems that directly impact our lives and the lives of those around us. They use their technology and problem solving skills to make a difference in the world. For students interested in a career with infinite potential, Informatics stands out as a strong, flexible and dynamic field of study.

The undergraduate curriculum looks at information technology from a balanced perspective. It includes a technical core in the areas of mathematical foundations, distributed information, human-computer interaction, social/organization informatics, and media arts and science. In addition to knowledge of core informatics and of informatics in the context of a traditional discipline, students must take a set of general-education courses to ensure that they can communicate clearly in both written and spoken English, read effectively, and reason quantitatively. They must be able to raise and rationally debate ethical concerns suggested by information technologies and their interactions with other people. Students also must have some knowledge of the world and its peoples, and their cultural, artistic, and scientific achievements. To this end, the general-education requirement exposes students to the arts and humanities, social and historical studies, and the natural sciences.

Graduate program curricula apply information technology to a specific domain. Graduate students in the School of Informatics and Computing study under faculty who are leaders in the areas of bioinformatics, health informatics, human-computer interaction, library science and media arts and science. Students in the School of Informatics and Computing's graduate programs also learn from a community of fellow student visionaries, with classmates who come from all over the world and across disciplines to advance informatics research and build life-long careers.

The School of Informatics and Computing offers a variety of educational programs to meet a variety of needs in the evolving world of information technology:

• Bachelor of Science in Informatics degree
• Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration
• Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Media Arts and Science
• Master of Library Science - with options for dual degrees in History (M.A.), Philanthropic Studies (M.A.), Health Informatics (M.A.), Law (J.D.) and Public Management (certificate)
• Professional Master of Science degrees in Bioinformatics, Health Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction
• Undergraduate certificates in Informatics, Medical Coding, Legal Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction, and
• Graduate certificates in Human-Computer Interaction, Clinical Informatics, Informatics for Public Health Professionals, Health Information Management and Exchange, Health Information Security and Health Information Systems Architecture.

The School of Informatics and Computing also offers four innovative, accelerated 5-year B.S./M.S. degree programs in the following areas:

• B.S. Informatics + M.S. Bioinformatics
• B.S. Informatics + M.S. Health Informatics
• B.S. Informatics + M.S. Human-Computer Interaction
• B.S. Media Arts & Science + M.S. Human-Computer Interaction

Last Updated: 2/04/2014