Undergraduate Minor in Information Studies and Technology

The IS&T Minor will teach you about the impact of information and information technology on society, individuals and organizations. 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 organizations, individuals and society.

The Minor in IS&T complements majors in all fields, including liberal arts and sciences, engineering, applied life sciences, commerce, business administration, education and human ecology.

Requirements for the IS&T Minor

The Minor requires 18 hours of coursework, which must include:

• CI150: Communication in an Information Age
• IS102: Technologies for Information Retrieval
• IS310 Information Seeking: Resources and Strategies
• Nine (9) hours of additional courses at 300- or 400-level, normally taken as SIS minor courses (see the course description page)

Undergraduate Minor Courses

• CI 150: Communication in an Information Age (Required)
• IS 102: Technologies for Information Retrieval (Required)
• IS 301: Introduction to Web Technologies
• IS 310: Information Seeking: Resources & Strategies (Required)
• IS 330: Books and Related Materials for Children
• IS 350: Information Consumer
• IS 351: Race, Gender, and Information Technology
• IS 410: History of the Book
• IS 450: Writing about Science and Medicine
• IS 451: Information Management in Organizations
• IS 460: Internet Applications and Technologies
• IS 461: Information Architecture and the User Experience
• IS 470: Advanced Internet Applications and Technologies
• IS 495: Special Topics

Descriptions of all SIS undergraduate courses are available on the “Courses” page.

Declaring for the Minor in IS&T

Students should declare their intent to complete the IS&T Minor as early as possible by contacting the IS&T minor faculty coordinator at sis-istminor@utk.edu and completing a student IS&T Minor Planning Form. You must declare your intent to complete the Minor when you submit the application for a degree, if you wish the Minor to be listed on your transcript.

Admission to IS&T Courses

All students are welcome to take courses offered as part of the IS&T Minor. Students who have officially committed to the Minor will be given priority during registration.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  How can the IS&T Minor help distinguish me in the job market?

A.The Minor in IS&T will indicate to future employers or graduate programs that you have expertise in information technologies and that you understand the role of information in your field and twenty-first century society.

Q.  What majors would be benefit from the IS&T Minor?

A. The minor complements majors in all fields, including liberal arts and sciences, engineering, agriculture, applied life sciences, commerce, business administration, education and human ecology.

• Students of business will improve their ability to gather and synthesize performance metrics and competitive intelligence.
• Students in science and engineering will be able to more effectively manage complex data from multiple sources.
• Students in arts and sciences will learn how information and communications technologies are revolutionizing work in the humanities.
• Life sciences students will be prepared to use and manage forthcoming digitized patient health information systems.

Q.  What skills will I develop with the IS&T Minor?

A. Students electing the IS&T Minor will:

• understand the impact of information and information technology on society, individuals and organizations
• learn information and technology literacy skills
• learn how and where to find information
• learn how to use information strategically
• learn how to design information containers and access systems in a variety of settings

Q. What sort of preparation do I need for the IS&T minor?

A. No special background or preparation is required to begin taking courses for the IS&T Minor.

Q. Who can I contact to learn more?

A. If you have any questions, you can contact the IS&T Minor faculty coordinator by sending e-mail to: sis-istminor@utk.edu.

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