Undergraduate Information Sciences Minor
The Information Sciences Minor (known as the Information Studies and Technology minor prior to the 2019-2020 catalog year) will teach you about the impact of information and information technology on individuals, organizations and society. You will acquire information and technology literacy skills enabling you to know how and where to find information, how to use it strategically, and how to design information containers and access systems in a variety of settings. You will also learn how policies governing access and control of information resources are set and how policy affects individuals, organizations and society.
The Information Sciences Minor complements majors in many fields, including liberal arts and sciences, engineering, applied life sciences, commerce, business administration, the humanities, education and human ecology.
Requirements for the Information Sciences Minor
The Minor requires 18 hours of coursework. The courses required to complete the Minor vary based on the Undergraduate Catalog year, as detailed below:
- For students following the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog and beyond:
- Three required courses:
- INSC 201: Foundations of Information Sciences
- INSC 210: Foundations of Information Technology
- INCS 311: User Centered Design
- Three elective courses from the list below, with at least two (6 hours) being INSC 400-level courses.
- CCI 150: Communication in an Information Age
- Any INSC courses not required.
- Three required courses:
- For students following the 2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog:
- Three required courses:
- INSC 201: Foundations of Information Sciences
- INSC 210: Foundations of Information Technology
- INCS 311: User Centered Design
- Three elective courses from the list below:
- CCI 150: Communication in an Information Age
- Any INSC courses not required
- Three required courses:
- For students following the 2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog or earlier:
- Three required courses:
- CCI 150: Communication in an Information Age
- INSC 102: Technologies for Information Retrieval
- INSC 310: Information Seeking: Resources and Strategies
- Three elective INSC courses (9 hours)
- Three required courses:
Course Delivery
Our courses are offered in a variety of modalities to allow some flexibility in completing the Information Sciences Minor. This includes: (1) On-campus, which is the traditional method of face-to-face course delivery; (2) Synchronous, or “live,” online, where students attend class in real-time; (3) Asynchronous online, which consists of students working on their own time to complete their work during timeframes designated by the instructor; and (4) Hybrid online, which combines synchronous and asynchronous components.
Declaring for the Information Sciences Minor
Students should declare their intent to complete the Minor as early as possible by completing the Information Sciences Minor Planning Form. When completing the form, please indicate which catalog year you are following to meet the Minor requirements. If you choose catalog year 2018-2019 or earlier, you may take any INSC courses to meet the requirements for the minor but be prepared that we will need to submit a petition as course numbers, titles, and descriptions have changed in recent years. If you wish the Minor to be listed on your transcript, you must declare your intent to complete the Minor when you submit your application for a degree.
You may email any questions about this process or our Minor to sis@utk.edu.
➡️ View – IS Minor Planning Form