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Doctor of Philosophy

Information Science

Program of Study

Fundamentals of Information Technology

(4 modules):

  • Python
  • R
  • Data Visualization
  • One additional approved option

Core Courses 

  • Managing Information and Technology in Organizations 
  • Information and Society
  • Information Organization 
  • Information and Computing

Research Methods

  • Research Seminar Sequence
  • Information Science Research Conference
  • Research Design in Information Science
  • Doctoral course in statistics/quantitative analysis 
     

Primary Specialization and Field Exam

Six to seven courses in your area of interest. 
 

Secondary Specialization

Three courses in another specialization area.


Comprehensive Exam


Dissertation


Additional Information

PhD Student Manual

See the Graduate Bulletin for details.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Areas of Specialization

Geographic Information Science

Required courses: Geographic Thought, Advanced Cartography, Geographic Information Systems

Sample electives: Digital Image Analysis, Advanced Cartography, GIS in Criminal Justice, Graduate Internship in Geography

 

Information Assurance 

Required coursework in: information systems, networks, databases, and statistics.

Sample electives: Data Mining, Cryptography, Information Retrieval, Auditing of Advanced Accounting Systems, Information Security, Computer Forensics

 

Information, Government, and Democratic Society 

Required courses: Foundations of Government Information Strategy and Management, Theories and Research in Political Communication

Sample electives: Message Design and Social Influence, Technology and Contemporary Organizational Life, Responsible Use of Criminal Justice Information, International Law and Organization

 

Information in Organizational Environments 

Choose from two tracks: General Organizational Studies; and Human-Computer Interaction and Organizational Transformation

Sample courses: Cultural Analysis of Organization, Organizational Behavior and Theory, Group Dynamics, Managing Productivity and Quality of Work Life, Complex Organizations and Bureaucracy, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

 

Knowledge Organization and Management

Required courses: Information and Knowledge Organization, Information Storage and Retrieval

Sample electives: Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, Logic and Philosophy, Intro to Mathematical Logic

 

Data Analytics

Required courses: Databases and Data Management; Predictive Analytics OR Machine Learning; and Data Mining OR Analytics and Data Mining

Sample courses: Spatial Statistics, Remote Sensing, Image Analysis, Database and Business Intelligence, Data Mining, Bayesian Data Analysis, Simulation Modeling for Decision Making, Simulation for Policy Analysis and Design

 

Information for Risk in Emergency Management & Security

Required courses: Fundamentals of Emergency Management, Risk Analysis and Fundamentals of Homeland Security

Sample electives by topic: weather, climate change and societal impacts; health communication and health disparities; planning risk and continuity; intelligence & U.S. national security policymaking; and geographic information systems

programofstudy

International Students

This degree is designated as a STEM program. International students maintaining F-1 status are allowed to apply for up to 12 months of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) following completion/graduation from their degree program. Currently, this degree program is also designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an eligible degree for the F-1 STEM OPT work authorization extension; students who secure qualifying employment may be eligible to apply for the STEM OPT extension for a cumulative total of up to 36 months of F-1 OPT work authorization.

Program Faculty
Rukhsana Ahmed
Associate Professor
College of Arts and Sciences; Communication
Gary Ackerman
Associate Professor and Associate Dean
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Brandon Behlendorf
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
DeeDee Bennett Gayle
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
George Berg
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Eric Best
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Peter Brandon
Professor
College of Arts and Sciences; Sociology
Alexander Buyantuev
Associate Professor, Program Director - Geography MA
College of Arts and Sciences; Geography & Planning
M. Abdullah Canbaz
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Shobha Chengalur-Smith
Professor
School of Business; Information Systems and Business Analytics
Suraj Commuri
Associate Professor and Chair, Marketing
School of Business; Marketing
Kimberly Cornell
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Stephen Coulthart
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Catherine Dumas
Visiting Assistant Professor Director of INF PhD Program
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Philip B. Eppard
Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Ingrid Fisher
Associate Professor
School of Business; Accounting and Law
Angel Ford
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
J. Ramon Gil-Garcia
Professor
Public Administration & Policy; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Mila Gascó-Hernandez
Associate Professor & Research Director for the Center for Technology in Government
Public Administration & Policy; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Carol Anne Germain
Associate Teaching Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Norman Gervais
Professor of Practice
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Sanjay Goel
Professor and Chair, Information Security and Digital Forensics
School of Business; Information Security and Digital Forensics
Jennifer J. Goodall
Vice Dean
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Alex Greer
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Robert P. Griffin
Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Lester Hadsell
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Matthew C. Ingram
Associate Professor
Public Administration & Policy; Political Science; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy; Latin American, Caribbean & U.S. Latino Studies; School of Criminal Justice
Hemalata Iyer
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Sam Jackson
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Shiguo Jiang
Associate Professor and Program Director of Geography BA
College of Arts and Sciences; Geography & Planning
Omer Keskin
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Victoria Kisekka McFarland
Assistant Professor
School of Business; Information Security and Digital Forensics
Emily Klein
Visiting Assistant Professor, EMH Training Director
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Rey Koslowski
Professor, Director of the Master of International Affairs Program
Political Science; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Archana Krishnan
Associate Professor
College of Arts and Sciences; Communication
Phung Lai
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Catherine T. Lawson
Associate Professor, Program Director - Masters of Regional Planning
College of Arts and Sciences; Geography & Planning
Luis Felipe Luna-Reyes
Chair of Public Administration and Policy, Professor
Public Administration & Policy; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Erika Martin
Professor
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy; Public Administration & Policy; School of Public Health
Terry "Terri" Merz
DCS CISSP CISM, Joint Appointee from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Senior Research Scientist/Research Fellow/Adjunct Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Brian Nussbaum
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Theresa A. Pardo
Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development
Division for Research & Economic Development; Public Administration & Policy; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy; Information Sciences and Technology; Center for Technology in Government (CTG UAlbany)
Samantha Penta
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
C. Ariel Pinto
Professor and Chair Department of Cybersecurity
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Eliot H. Rich
Associate Professor and Chair, Information Systems and Business Analytics
School of Business; Information Systems and Business Analytics
David L. Rousseau
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Peter Shea
Professor
School of Education; Educational Theory & Practice
Amber Silver
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Donghee Sinn
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Joette Stefl-Mabry
Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Eric Stern
Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Abdulhamit Subasi
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
Jeannette Sutton
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Kinsun Tam
Associate Professor
School of Business; Accounting and Law
Unal Tatar
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Giri Kumar Tayi
Professor
School of Business; Information Systems and Business Analytics
David Turetsky
Professor of Practice
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Raymond K. Van Ness
Associate Professor
School of Business; Management
Kevin Williams
Interim Dean of the School of Business and Professor
School of Business; Psychology
Kevin Williams
Interim Dean of the School of Business and Professor
School of Business; Psychology
Benjamin Yankson
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity
Michael Young
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; Information Sciences and Technology
faculty

Admissions Requirements

admissions
Deadlines

Departmental Assistantship Consideration

Fall: January 15
Spring: Not Available
Summer: Not Available
 

No Departmental Assistantship Consideration

Fall: January 15
Spring: Not Available
Summer: Not Available

Required Application Materials
  • Transcripts from all schools attended
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official GRE scores*
  • Resume
  • Statement of Goals

*The GRE will be waived as a requirement for admission to the Information Science doctoral program for Fall 2024 applicants.

The statement is generally one to two pages discussing what you have to offer the program and what you wish to get out of the program.  It should include a brief description of the applicant's field of interest, related background, desired area of study and research emphasis or career goals. 

Special Notes

This program offers an internship, field experience, study abroad component, or clinical experience in the course listing as an option to fulfill course requirements. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions. If applicants have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of the intended academic program.

Student Learning Objectives

Learning objectives that UAlbany students are expected to attain through their course of study within their academic program.

PhD
  • Demonstrate fundamental knowledge in five areas of information science.
  • Demonstrate knowledge in a chosen primary specialization area.
  • Demonstrate competence in research methodology, methods, and tools.
  • Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the research literature in the chosen field.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the issues and research in a secondary area of specialization. Demonstrate competence in independent research.
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