The focus of the Information Science Ph.D. program is on systems and their use, rather than on the computing and communication technologies that underlie and sustain them. Moreover, Information Science examines the social, cultural, economic, historical, legal, and political contexts in which information systems are employed, both to inform the design of such systems and to understand their impact on individuals, social groups, and institutions. The field's interdisciplinary research combines multiple methodologies, including mathematical analysis, computer modeling, software system design, experimental studies, and critical social evaluations, from such traditional disciplines as computer science, cognitive psychology, social science, cultural studies, and history.
The program has four concentrations:
Information Systems examines the computer science problems of representing, organizing, storing, manipulating, and using digital information.
Human Computer Interaction uses an interactive, user-centered design approach to study the interplay between technology and what people do with technology.
Cognition focuses on the human mind, which is the ultimate producer and user of information.
Social Aspects of Information studies the cultural, economic, historical, legal, political, and social contexts in which digital information is a major factor.
A student who is awarded a Ph.D. in Information Science will need to achieve three objectives: (a) breadth in the disciplines that contribute to the field, (b) depth in several aspects of the field, (c) original research, on a topic from one or more of the Information Science concentrations.
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Cornell University.
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