About This Program
Students of this program can expect to be prepared as effective information architects. Graduates of this program hold positions such as Computer and Information Research Scientists, Usability Designers and Researchers, Web Developers, Computer Network Architects, Database Administrators, Computer Systems Analysts, Information Security Analysts, Software Developers, Network and Computer Systems Administrators, and more. Median compensation ranges from $78,075 to $110,620.
Students who complete this information architecture program will receive their Master of Science degree. It is designed as an addition to the University of Wisconsin's Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology degree, but it is not necessary to have completed that program to be eligible for admission into this one.
All students enrolled in the MSIST information architecture program must take eight core courses and then select an additional four courses to take. The core courses of this program are User-Centered Interaction Design; Introduction to Data Science; Survey of Information Security; Survey of Web and Mobile Development; Project Design, Implementation, and Evaluation Capstone; Mathematical and Computing Fundamentals; Software Development in Python; and Software Engineering Principles.
The twelve credits' worth of electives (four courses each, at 3 credit hours per course) depends completely on the track the student chooses. Students can choose from the following tracks: User Interaction & Human Computer Interaction Track, Web and Mobile Application Design Track, Information Security Track, Data Science track, and a Generalist Track.
The degree program requires completion of a minimum of 36 credit hours, which means approximately 12 information architecture classes in total (assuming all courses are 3 credit hours per course). This can be achieved in two years' time for full-time students, although it will differ depending on whether students are full-time or part-time, taking all their courses online or else taking some in person, and so on.
The program mostly takes place online, which means students anywhere can enroll. It also means that enrolling in this program will not allow international students to get a J1 or F1 visa to study in the United States, unfortunately. Students must achieve a "B" grade or higher in each of the core courses. If they don't, they must retake that course (and pay the tuition for it again). You only have two opportunities to pass a course. If after retaking a course and not achieving a "B" or higher, the student may be dismissed from the program.
A limited number of students enrolled in this information architecture program can serve as teaching assistants, which reduces their tuition costs. Be sure to apply in a timely manner if this interests you. Tuition costs $1,292 per credit for residents of Wisconsin, and $2,107 per credit for non-residents. Residents of other Midwestern states may have other rates. This does not include other fees.
