This program does not directly admit students. It is a degree for students admitted into the PhD Information who leave the PhD program without fulfilling all the PhD requirements but who have completed all requirements for the Masters of Science: Research.
Admissions
The MS (named option Research) is offered for work leading to the PhD. Students may not apply directly for this named option, and should instead see the admissions information for the PhD.
Funding
Graduate School Resources
The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Named Option Requirements
Mode of Instruction
| Face to Face | Evening/Weekend | Online | Hybrid | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | No |
Mode of Instruction Definitions
Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.
Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.
Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.
Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats. Contact the program for more specific information.
Online: These programs are offered 100% online. Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.
Curricular Requirements
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 30 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 16 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 15 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244. |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203. |
| Other Grade Requirements | Within the student's total program, one grade of BC or C is allowable in either a required or elective course if it is balanced by a grade of A or AB earned either prior to or concurrently with the unsatisfactory grade. Students receiving a BC or C move into probationary status. A second grade of BC or C or any grade of D or F will normally result in the student being dropped from the program. In addition, a student's graduate-program cumulative grade point average must be maintained at 3.00 or above. |
| Assessments and Examinations | No formal examination is required. |
| Language Requirements | None. |
Required Courses
Students in the MS Information: Research named option must complete any 30 credits from the below list of approved courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| L I S 910 | Smr-Research Design & Methodology for Library & Information Studies | 3 |
| L I S 925 | Professional Writing and Reading (PWR) Seminar | 1 |
| L I S 931 | Seminar in Information Policy, Management and Institutions | 3 |
| L I S 940 | Seminar in Information Use and Users in Context | 3 |
| L I S 950 | Seminar in LIS Foundations: Histories, Philosophies and Debates | 3 |
| L I S 975 | Seminar in Information Organization and Access | 3 |
| L I S 603 | Research and Assessment for Information Professionals | 3 |
| COM ARTS 762 | Communication Research Methods | 3 |
| JOURN 658 | Communication Research Methods | 4 |
| L I S/COM ARTS 705 | Introductory Analytics for Decision Making | 3 |
| STAT 371 | Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| SOC/C&E SOC 360 | Statistics for Sociologists I | 4 |
| SOC 362 | Statistics for Sociologists III | 4 |
| ED PSYCH 760 | Statistical Methods Applied to Education I | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 761 | Statistical Methods Applied to Education II | 3 |
| COMP SCI 319 | Data Science Programming I for Research | 3 |
| SOC/C&E SOC 365 | Data Management for Social Science Research | 3-4 |
| L I S 768 | Digital Humanities Analytics | 3 |
| ELPA 823 | Data Management for Education Policy Analysis | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 551 | Quantitative Ethnography | 3 |
| STAT 303 | R for Statistics I | 1 |
| STAT 304 | R for Statistics II | 1 |
| STAT 305 | R for Statistics III | 1 |
| L I S 639 | Pedagogical Theory and Practice for Information Professionals | 3 |
| CURRIC 818 | Teaching Controversial Issues | 3 |
| CURRIC 844 | Culturally Relevant Pedagogy | 3 |
| L I S/CURRIC 620 | Field Project in Library and Information Agencies | 3 |
| L I S 999 | Independent Reading and Research | 1-4 |
Graduate School Policies
The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.
Named Option-Specific Policies
Prior Coursework
Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions
The program will not accept credits taken outside of UW-Madison to be used toward the degree.
Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison
The program will allow up to 3 credits of approved MS Information or Computer Science coursework taken as an undergraduate to transfer toward the degree. The coursework must be from the approved MS curriculum or approved by an Information School advisor.
Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison
With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 9 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison University Special student. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master’s degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Probation
Registration is not a guarantee of enrollment under conditions of unsatisfactory progress. Students who fall into unsatisfactory progress will have an academic hold placed on their record; they should discuss clearing the hold with their adviser.
- Good standing: progressing according to standards.
- Probation: not progressing according to standards but permitted to enroll; potential loss of scholarships.
- Unsatisfactory progress: not progressing according to standards; not permitted to enroll, dismissal, leave of absence.
A student may be placed on probation or suspended from the Graduate School for low grades or for failing to resolve incompletes in a timely fashion. In special cases the Graduate School permits students who do not meet these minimum standards to continue on probation upon recommendation and support of their advisor. See iSchool Student Handbook.
Advisor / Committee
All continuing students are required to meet with the staff advisor prior to registering for each semester in order to remove registration holds and ensure timely progress towards degree completion. Students may switch advisors at any time by completing a change of advisor form.
Credits Per Term Allowed
15 credits (however, 12 credits are highly encouraged)
Time Limits
The maximum period for completion of the MS (under special circumstances) is seven calendar years. Contact the department for more information.
Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.
Grievances and Appeals
These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:
- Bias or Hate Reporting
- Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
- Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
- Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
- Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
- Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
- Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
- Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
- Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
- Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
- Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)
L&S Policy for Graduate Student Academic Appeals
Graduate students have the right to appeal an academic decision related to an L&S graduate program if the student believes that the decision is inconsistent with published policy.
Academic decisions that may be appealed include:
- Dismissal from the graduate program
- Failure to pass a qualifying or preliminary examination
- Failure to achieve satisfactory academic progress
- Academic disciplinary action related to failure to meet professional conduct standards
Issues such as the following cannot be appealed using this process:
- A faculty member declining to serve as a graduate student’s advisor.
- Decisions regarding the student’s disciplinary knowledge, evaluation of the quality of work, or similar judgements. These are the domain of the department faculty.
- Course grades. These can be appealed instead using the L&S Policy for Grade Appeal.
- Incidents of bias or hate, hostile and intimidating behavior, or discrimination (Title IX, Office of Compliance). Direct these to the linked campus offices appropriate for the incident(s).
Appeal Process for Graduate Students
A graduate student wishing to appeal an academic decision must follow the process in the order listed below. Note time limits within each step.
- The student should first seek informal resolution, if possible, by discussing the concern with their academic advisor, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and/or the department chair.
- If the program has an appeal policy listed in their graduate program handbook, the student should follow the policy as written, including adhering to any indicated deadlines. In the absence of a specific departmental process, the chair or designee will be the reviewer and decision maker, and the student should submit a written appeal to the chair within 15 business days of the academic decision. The chair or designee will notify the student in writing of their decision.
- If the departmental process upholds the original decision, the graduate student may next initiate an appeal to L&S. To do so, the student must submit a written appeal to the L&S Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs within 15 business days of notification of the department’s decision.
- To the fullest extent possible, the written appeal should include, in a single document: a clear and concise statement of the academic decision being appealed, any relevant background on what led to the decision, the specific policies involved, the relief sought, any relevant documentation related to the departmental appeal, and the names and titles of any individuals contributing to or involved in the decision.
- The Assistant Dean will work with the Academic Associate Dean of the appropriate division to consider the appeal. They may seek additional information and/or meetings related to the case.
- The Assistant Dean and Academic Associate Dean will provide a written decision within 20 business days.
- If L&S upholds the original decision, the graduate student may appeal to the Graduate School. More information can be found on their website: Grievances and Appeals (see: Graduate School Appeal Process).
Other
n/a
Professional Development
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.