Information Science (BA)

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

Information Science is fundamentally concerned with the human-centered aspects of computing and information—ranging from how individuals interact with computing devices, to studying people through their social and information network use, and understanding the way computing systems affect our society and culture.

Who Should Major in Information Science?

Students interested in the human-centered aspects of computing and information, such as algorithmic fairness; ethics, law, and policy; computational social science; digital humanities; human-computer and human-robot interaction; interaction and critical design; machine learning; market and mechanism design, natural language processing; network analysis; science and technology studies; and user experience (UX) and design.

Who is Eligible to Major in Information Science?

Students in the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Science (Cornell CALS) and the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). A&S students earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Information Science; Cornell CALS students earn a Bachelor of Science (BS).

  • The BA and BS in Information Science share the same requirements and elective course options.
  • The differences are in each admitting college's foundational requirements.

Academic Standards

Affiliation

Current A&S students looking to affiliate with the IS major, change majors to IS, or add IS as a second major should start taking courses to meet the criteria for admission as outlined below. Contact the IS Advising office to schedule an advising meeting. Once students have met the admission criteria (or final courses needed are in progress), students should apply online. Applications are not evaluated until all affiliation coursework is complete.

All potential majors are reviewed on a case-by-case basis relative to the following criteria:

Completion of 4 courses:

1) Introductory Programming: Choose one

CS 1110Introduction to Computing: A Design and Development Perspective4
CS 1112Introduction to Computing: An Engineering and Science Perspective4

Note:

Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A (score of 5), International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science (score of 6 or 7), or a passing Computer Science Advanced Standing Exam (CASE) score may be used to fulfill the programming requirement. If comparable transfer coursework has been completed at an external institution, the course must first be reviewed by the Computer Science Department for equivalency.

2) Calculus or Statistics: Choose one

Calculus
MATH 1106Modeling with Calculus for the Life Sciences4
MATH 1110Calculus I4
MATH 1910Calculus for Engineers4
Statistics
Preferred:
ENGRD 2700Eng Probability and Statistics: Modeling and Data Science4
STSCI 2200Statistics I (crosslisted)4
STSCI 3110Applied Probability and Statistics4
Allowed Alternatives:
AEM 2100Introductory Statistics4
CEE 3040Uncertainty Analysis in Engineering4
ECON 3130Probability and Statistics4
PUBPOL 2100Introduction to Statistics4
PSYCH 2500Statistics and Research Design3
SOC 3010Statistics for Sociological Research4
STSCI 2100Introductory Statistics and Data Science (crosslisted)4
STSCI 2150Introductory Statistics for Biology4

Note:

  • AP Calculus AB (score of 4 or 5), AP Calculus BC (score of 4 or 5), IB Mathematics (AA or AI; score of 6 or 7), General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced (“A”) Level Mathematics (score of A*, A, B, or C), or a passing Mathematics Department Placement Exam score may be used to fulfill the calculus requirement.
  • AP Statistics credit is not accepted for the IS major.
  • If comparable calculus or statistics transfer coursework has been completed at an external institution, the course must first be reviewed by the Mathematics or Statistics and Data Science Department, respectively, for equivalency.

3) Core Courses: Choose two

INFO 1200Information Ethics, Law, and Policy (crosslisted)3
or INFO 1260 Choices and Consequences in Computing
INFO 1300Introductory Design and Programming for the Web4
INFO 2450Communication and Technology (crosslisted)3
INFO 2850Networks3
INFO 2950Introduction to Data Science 14
or INFO 2951 Introduction to Data Science with R
1

Due to an overlap in content, students may only receive academic credit for INFO 2950 or INFO 2951, not both. 

Note:

  • Students may count CS 2800 + CS 2110 together in place of INFO 2950 for affiliation purposes only. Once admitted to the major, INFO 2950 or INFO 2951 must be completed.
  • Students can count INFO 1380 in place of one core course for the purposes of affiliation, only. After affiliation, students will still need to complete all listed core classes.

Grade & GPA Requirement

  • A grade of C or higher in each of the completed courses used to declare the major.
  • A GPA of 2.5 or higher for courses used to declare the major.
  • A cumulative overall GPA of 2.3 or higher.

Note

  • Courses used for the purpose of declaring the major may be repeated if the original course grade was below a C. The most recent grade will be used for all repeated courses. Core INFO courses must be taken at Cornell.

  • Students entering or currently in their senior year of study intending to change majors to IS or add IS as a second major must submit a course plan to demonstrate they can complete all degree requirements by their current expected graduation date.​ Course plans must be sent to ISAdvising@cornell.edu and students must schedule a meeting with an IS advisor.​

Timeline

  • Applications received between January 1st and January 31st are processed by March 1st.
  • Applications received between February 1st and May 31st are processed by July 1st.
  • Applications received between June 1st and September 14th are processed by October 15th.
  • Applications received between September 15th and December 31st are processed by mid-January.

​Grading

All courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade. Affiliated students must earn a C- or higher in all courses used for the major.

Academic Standing

Students must meet the following criteria for good standing at the end of each semester:

  • Maintain a cumulative overall GPA of 2.3 or higher
  • Earn an semester GPA of 2.3 or higher
  • Earn a weighted GPA for the IS major of 2.5 or higher
  • Complete all courses for the IS major with a grade of C- or higher
  • Complete at least 12 academic credits per semester
  • Complete all core INFO courses prior to the start of the final semester of study (students must pre-enroll in any remaining core coursework by the end of their 3-2 semester)​

Honors in Information Science

To qualify for departmental honors, students must apply by the end of their seventh semester and meet the GPA requirement of 3.5 or higher at the time of application, maintained through their graduation date. Students intending to pursue honors must complete the following course work in addition to their IS major courses:

  • Three additional credit hours of INFO coursework at or above the 5000-level (letter-graded courses only; no seminars or 2-credit project courses);
  • Six credit hours of INFO 4900 Independent Reading and Research with one or more IS faculty members, spread over at least two semesters (at least 3.0 credits each semester) and with grades of A– or higher. It is expected that the INFO 4900 research will result in a project report.

The 9 credit hours of work for departmental honors cannot be counted towards any other degree requirement.