Graduate Information Programs and Accreditation: Landscape Survey and Analysis ASIS&T Information Professions Accreditation Meeting September 9, 2008 Washington, D.C. Samantha Becker MLIS Candidate | The Information School MPA Candidate | Evans School of Public Affairs University of Washington

Methodology 2008 Petersons Graduate and Professional Programs – surveyed annually – accredited by USDE or CHEA – 6 volumes, 491 disciplinary fields Looked for programs with keywords – information – informatics – human-computer interaction – knowledge management

Methodology Visited websites of about ½ of the programs Built database with – institution name – administrative unit – degree(s) offered – title of major or concentration area

Example University of Oklahoma, Graduate College, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Library and Information Studies, Program in Library and Information Studies, Norman, OK Offers knowledge management (MS); library and information studies (MLIS); school library media specialist (certificate); M Ed/MLIS; MBA/MLIS.

Key Findings Approximately 900 information-related masters degrees Offered in 468 colleges and universities 220 distinct majors or concentration areas Most frequent majors – information systems (93) – management information systems (93) – information technology (57) – bioinformatics (51) – library and information science (43)

Key Findings – 1/3 of academic units on the computer information science spectrum – 1/3 bio- and health sciences, library science, public administration, communications, & education – 1/3 in academic units focused on business

Academic Units Found programs spread across 500 academic units The highest administrative unit for 85% of programs was a school, college, or faculty 30% of colleges and universities have information programs in more than one unit

Academic Units Larger institutions tend to have stand-alone departments concerned with information – Graduate schools have mostly an administrative function Medium sized institutions tend to have information programs in 2 nd level departments, mostly within colleges of arts & science Smaller institutions often have graduate schools that encompass all masters level programs

Major Disciplinary Areas

Information Disciplines Bates, M.J. (2007). "Defining the information disciplines in encyclopedia development" Information Research, 12(4) paper colis29. [Available at

Computer Information Science Spectrum 350 programs in computer technology fields – Engineering – Computer science – Information science

Program Types 220 majors or concentration areas Top 17 account for 60% of programs Split professional degrees/master of science month completion Internships or professional experience often required Capstone projects emphasized; fewer w/thesis requirements

Program Types 4 major categories – information systems – Informatics – Information technology – Information science

Information Systems 205 colleges and universities 305 programs Majors/concentrations include – information systems (93) – management information systems (93) – computer information systems (34) – information systems management (12)

Information Systems Program focus – analysis, design, and implementation of information systems – data management – project management – strategic management and use of information technology Differences mostly in level of technical preparation

Informatics 106 programs Focused on the use of information within specific disciplines – biology/genetics – health/medical sciences – chemistry – media

Informatics Bioinformatics/biomedical informatics – 53 programs – 15 in academic units with biology focus – 11 in medical schools – curricula includes advanced life sciences design and implementation of information systems statistical modeling and analysis many interested in managing and analyzing data from genetic research

Informatics Health informatics – 30 colleges and universities – 2/3 in medical, nursing, or health sciences units – 34 programs health informatics medical informatics nursing informatics – emphasizing use of information for evaluation of patient outcomes

Information Technology 95 colleges and universities 118 programs – 45% in business schools Majors/concentrations include – information technology (57) – information technology management (22) 59 master of science degrees 35 MBA

Information Technology Program focus – managing technology projects databases e-commerce systems computer networks – decision support – also business topics accounting, organizational development

Information Science 84 colleges/universities 98 programs Majors/concentrations include – library and information science (43) – computer and information science (26) – information science (11) – information studies (6)

Information Science Library and information science – ALA accredited – those within iCaucus schools have less emphasis on traditional library subjects (cataloging, reference services, collection development) Computer and information science – more emphasis on infrastructure architecture, networking, software engineering

Information Science Information science/information studies – more general or theoretical approach – emphasize human-computer interaction, information organization, information behavior – relatively small portion of information graduate school universe

Other Program Areas Information security – 30 programs – some designated as National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance by the NSA – emphasize cryptography, digital forensics, risk analysis E-Business/E-Commerce – 23 programs – 18 MBA – emphasize design and implementation of electronic commerce applications

Accreditation Agencies Two types of accrediting agencies – regional and national accredit entire institutions – specialized agencies accredit particular programs

Relevant Specialized Agencies American Library Association (ALA) Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

Recommendations Clarify the need for and purpose of a new accrediting agency Complement existing accrediting agencies Define the scope along the computer information spectrum Focus on domain-specific programs, especially business programs