About

The School of Information Sciences has strong roots in the library and information professions dating back to 1928. Accredited since 1972, the School has achieved regional, national, and international recognition through its award winning faculty, innovative research, and its Center for Information Studies. Its leading-edge curriculum and respect for intellectual diversity makes the program one of
choice both to Tennesseans and out-of-state students.

The School of Information Sciences takes pride in the fact that our students come not only from diverse professional backgrounds such as computer science, education, business, medicine, and law, but that they come from all over the world.

That students can take our entire master's program in a Web-based format speaks to the role that technology plays in the School. Distance education
students learn side-by-side with their in-class counterparts and have access to the same resources. Upon graduation, our students often find themselves
already placed in a wide-array of professional positions that merit good salaries and offer information rich, technologically advanced environments.

SIS faculty are visible internationally and are highly productive in publishing scholarly articles and books. The School wins federal grants and contracts, thanks to the scholarly focus of our faculty and the national
reputation that our Center for Information Studies has built. We are pleased to offer our students abundant collaborative research opportunities sponsored by employers such as Oak Ridge National Laboratories, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.

Twelve full-time faculty, plus regional and international lecturers and practitioners, teach some 200 students admitted to our Master of Science program. The School collaborates in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program and also offers an Undergraduate Minor in Information Studies & Technology. A comprehensive program review by the American Library Association in 2002 gave SIS the maximum 7-years of accreditation. We have a distinguished history that we proudly offer future students.

Our goal? To be ranked in the top ten library and information science schools in North America. Our vision for the future of the School of Information Sciences details how we plan to get there.

The School of Information Sciences’ Advisory Board consults with faculty and School administration on all matters concerning the livelihood and direction of the program.

The Strategic Plan for the School of Information Sciences has two components. The first part, the Strategy of Excellence, addresses three priority areas – University Mission, Collaborations and Partnerships, and Relationship Management – and enumerates goals for each priority area, for 2006 through 2010, with specific objectives to achieve those goals. A program of excellence looks beyond the usual concepts to goals that inspire and challenge traditional planning boundaries. Therefore, the second component of the Strategic Plan, Shaping the Future: Building on Success, features aspirational goals.

We invite you to contact us for more information about our program.