Pictured | Tessa Ziwawo | Bachelor of Science in Informatics | South Bend, Indiana (hometown)
Club Affiliation | Management Information Systems Club

Bachelor of Science in Informatics

Informatics is understanding the impact of technology and information on people; the development of new uses for technology; and the application of information technology in the context of another field.

The BS in Informatics face-to-face degree follows the guidelines set out by the School of Informatics and Computing and other leading professional computing societies. Students in this degree program complete a core curriculum that builds an overall understanding of computers, computing environments, software development, and cognates (such as Bio Informatics, Business, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, English, Health Informatics, Life Sciences, Mathematics, New Media, Physics, Psychology, Social Informatics, and Web Development). The degree prepares students to enter challenging computing careers in the workplace or to embark on postgraduate programs in Informatics.

Academic Advising

Your academic advisor is a critical partner in fostering your success at IU South Bend and beyond. Your advisor will help you explore academic majors and careers, plan your degree, choose classes, learn about internships and study abroad, and much more. To see who is assigned as your advisor, visit your Student Online Advising Record in one.iu.edu. For more information about advising at IU South Bend, visit the website for the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Final responsibility for meeting degree requirements rests with the student.

Questions about advising? Email sbadvise@iu.edu or call (574) 520-4550.

Degree Requirements (120 cr.)

Degree Map >>

Students receiving the Bachelor of Science degree in Informatics must complete 120 total credit hours including:

• IU South Bend Campuswide General Education Curriculum (33 cr.)

7 credits of General Education requirements are fulfilled by courses required for the BS in Informatics as follows:

• MATH-M 118 fulfills Fundamental Literacies: Quantitative Reasoning (3 cr.)
• INFO-I 101 fulfills Extended Literacies: Computer Literacy (3 cr.)
• INFO-I 202 fulfills Tagged Courses: Information Literacy (1 cr.)

• Core Requirements (58-61 cr. must be completed with C- or higher; cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for another major or minor

• Core Courses (34 cr.)
• Cognate Area (15-18 cr.)
• Electives (9 cr.)

• Supporting Requirements (16-22 cr.)

• Mathematics Requirements (6 cr.)
• Physical and Life Sciences Requirements (10 cr.)
• World Languages Requirements (0-6 cr.)

• Free Electives (balance of credits needed to equal 120 credit requirement)

• Minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300– or 400–level.
• Courses required for the major must be completed with a grade of C– or higher, unless otherwise specified.
• A minimum CGPA of 2.0 is required.
• At least 22 of the 34 credit hours must be taken within Indiana University.
• 40 credit hours in informatics, to be satisfied with the following core and elective courses:
• All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted.

Core Requirements (43 cr.)

Core Courses (34 cr.)

• INFO-I 101 Introduction to Informatics (4 cr.)
  A grade of C or better is required. Placement exam is available.
• INFO-I 201 Mathematical Foundations of Informatics (4 cr.)
• INFO-I 202 Social Informatics
• INFO-I 210 Information Infrastructure I (4 cr.)
  Test out is available
• INFO-I 211 Information Infrastructure II (4 cr.)
  Test out is available
• INFO-I 308 Information Representation

Select two of the following courses:

• INFO-I 300 Human-Computer Interaction Design and Programming
• INFO-I 303 Organizational Informatics
• INFO-I 310 Multimedia Arts and Technology
• INFO-I 320 Distributed Systems and Collaborative Computing

Select one of the following capstone options:

Option 1

• INFO-I 450 Design and Development of an Information System
• INFO-I 451 Design and Development of an Information System

Option 2 (check with the director of informatics for availability)

• INFO-I 460 Senior Thesis
• INFO-I 461 Senior Thesis

Cognate Area (15-18 cr.)

The BS in Informatics requires students to choose a cognate area, or specific area of focus to better determine what kinds of people or systems that he or she would like to work with.

A cognate area is an integrated program of courses taken outside of the School of Informatics. These courses emphasize the foundations, applications and/or implications of information technology in the chosen area.

For instance, New Media/Arts cognate allows students to explore and learn the new forms of artistic expressions and pattern creation using computers. Artists use computers as their medium in creating, storing, and distributing artifacts.

Below is the list of cognates. For an up-to-date list of cognates see the Informatics advisor.

• Bioinformatics >>
• Business >>
• Cognitive Science >>
• Computer Science >>
• Criminal Justice >>
• English >>
• Health Informatics >>
• Life Sciences >>
• Mathematics >>
• Music/Arts >>
• New Media/Arts >>
• Physics >>
• Psychology >>
• Social Informatics >>
• Web Development >>

Electives (9 cr.)

At least nine credit hours (three courses) chosen from informatics electives (300–level or higher). Prerequisite courses may be required. The selection of informatics electives will be expanded as additional cognate areas develop.

Informatics Courses

• INFO-I 300 Human-Computer Interaction Design and Programming
• INFO-I 303 Organizational Informatics
• INFO-I 310 Multimedia Arts and Technology
• INFO-I 320 Distributed Systems and  Collaborative Computing
• INFO-I 400 Topics in Informatics
  (e.g., bioinformatics, game programming)
• INFO-I 420 Internship in Informatics Professional Practice
• INFO-I 421 Applications of Data Mining
• INFO-I 499 Readings and Research in Informatics

Computer Science Courses

• CSCI-A 340 An Introduction to Web Programming
• CSCI-B 401 Fundamentals of Computing Theory
• CSCI-B 424 Parallel and Distributed Programming
• CSCI-B 438 Fundamentals of Computer Networks
• CSCI-B 451 Security in Computing
• CSCI-C 311 Programming Languages
• CSCI-C 335 Computer Structures (4 cr.)
• CSCI-C 421 Digital Design (4 cr.)
• CSCI-C 435 Operating Systems 1 (4 cr.)
• CSCI-C 455 Analysis of Algorithms I
• CSCI-C 463 Artificial Intelligence I
• CSCI-C 481 Interactive Computer Graphics
• CSCI-C 490 Seminar in Computer Science

Courses from Other Disciplines

• BIOL-L 311 Genetics
• BUS-K 301 Enterprise Resource Planning
• ENG-W 315 Writing for the Web
• ENG-W 367 Writing for Multiple Media
• INMS-N 302 Digital 3D Art and Design 2; OR
  INMS-N 303 Digital 3D Art and Design 3
• INMS-N 414 Interactive Game Design 3
• INMS-N 442 Workshop in Integrated Web Design 2; OR
  INMS-N 443 Workshop in Integrated Web Design 3; OR
  INMS-N 444 Workshop in Integrated Web Design
• MATH-M 365 Introduction to Probability and Statistics (4 cr.)
• PHYS-P 334 Fundamentals of Optics
• PSY-P 335 Cognitive Psychology
• PSY-P 438 Language and Cognition
• SOC-S 319 Science, Technology, and Society

Supporting Requirements (16-22 cr.)

• Mathematics Requirements (6 cr.) | A grade of C or higher in each course is required

• MATH-M 118 Finite Mathematics
• Statistics course (300–level or higher)

• Physical and Life Sciences (10 cr.) | Courses in at least two different sciences must be taken (Select from astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, or physics)
• World Languages (0-6 cr.) | Successful completion of a second-semester language class, designated as 102, or formal training, as evidenced by secondary or university diplomas, in a language other than English. The Department of World Language Studies (W.L.S.) offers a placement examination to determine into which semester a student should enroll and/or to qualify students for credit by examination.