Information Science, B.S.
Entrance Requirements
New freshmen who meet University admissions standards are eligible for admission to degree programs offered by the School of Information Science.
A student who wishes to enter the School of Information Science from another college on the Columbia campus must be in good standing and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. A student who wishes to enter the School of Information Science from another USC campus must fulfill one of the following requirements:
- Be in good standing, meet the admission requirements for a baccalaureate degree on the Columbia campus, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- Be in good standing and have completed 30 semester hours with a GPA of 2.00 or higher on a USC campus.
A student who wishes to enter the School of Information Science from another institution must have a cumulative GPA of 2.25.
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 31-44 |
| 2. College Requirements | 0 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 40-53 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 36 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-44 hours)
CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-7 hours)
SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)
- Two approved Carolina Core Scientific Literacy courses from the natural sciences, including one laboratory course
GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)
Students in the School of Information Science are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 110 or 121 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)
- any CC-GHS course
GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)
- any CC-GSS course
AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)
- any CC-AIU course
CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course
ISCI recommends one of the following:
INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)
- ENGL 102 - must be passed with a grade of C or higher
Note: ISCI 202 may not be used to fulfill the INF Carolina Core requirement
VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course (ISCI recommends SAEL 200)
- 1
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
2. College Requirements (0 hours)
No college-required courses for this program.
3. Program Requirements (40-53 hours)
Supporting Courses (15 hours)
Complete the required credit hours for each category below.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Technology/Systems | ||
| Select three hours of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Computer Concepts | ||
| General Applications Programming | ||
| Computer Information Systems in Business | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Introduction to Human Computer Interaction | ||
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | ||
| Select three hours of the Diversity and Social Advocacy track of GLD | 3 | |
| Business/Management | ||
| Select three hours of the following: | 3 | |
| Survey of Accounting | ||
| Introduction to Financial Accounting | ||
| Introduction to Economics | ||
| Principles of Marketing | ||
| Principles of Management | ||
| Management in Data Driven Organizations | ||
| Additional Professional Courses | ||
| Select two from any of the courses listed in the categories above 1 | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Electives (25-38 hours)
Choose any course with approval of an academic advisor to reach hours to graduate.
Note: Courses used to satisfy Carolina Core requirements may not also count as electives.
4. Major Requirements (36 hours)
a minimum grade of C is required in all major courses
Major Courses (24 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ISCI 201 | Data, Information & Society | 3 |
| ISCI 202 | Information Literacy and Technology | 3 |
| or ISCI 310 | Information Science Data Analysis and Evaluation | |
| ISCI 250 | Information Design | 3 |
| ISCI 301 | Text Mining in Big Data Analytics | 3 |
| ISCI 410 | Knowledge Work as an Organizational Asset | 3 |
| or ISCI 415 | Social Issues in Information and Communications Technologies | |
| ISCI 434 | Introduction to Knowledge Discovery | 3 |
| ISCI 560 | Data Visualization | 3 |
| ISCI 494 | Independent Study in Information Science | 3 |
| or ISCI 496 | Internship in Information Science | |
| Total Credit Hours | 24 | |
Major Electives (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 12 hours from ISCI 100-level and above and the JOUR courses listed below. No more than 6 hours maybe selected from JOUR courses. | 12 | |
| Principles of Visual Communications | ||
| Special Topics in Mass Communications | ||
| Special Topics in Sports Media | ||
| Journalism Trends | ||
| Social Media for Sports Media | ||
| Graphics for Visual Communications | ||
| Photography for Visual Communications | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.