Library and Information Studies PhD at University of Wisconsin Madison

About

The Ph.D. program at the UWMadison Information School (iSchool) cultivates a cooperative, supportive intellectual environment that allows a small group of highly qualified students to excel in their doctoral studies. By admitting a small cohort of doctoral students each year, we can ensure that each student develops close working relationships with faculty members, receives strong and consistent advising, and is fully funded.

The iSchool Ph.D. program is writing intensive, requiring students produce a substantial body of written work as they prepare to research and compose their dissertations. We provide a structure in which students conduct original research and prepare results for presentation and publication in scholarly conferences and journals. iSchool faculty members work closely with Ph.D. students to help them polish their research for publication, and most students graduate with several published articles.

Because it is part of an internationally top-ranked research university, the iSchool offers students the opportunity to engage in the rich variety of educational experiences both within the school and in the broader University of WisconsinMadison campus.

For more information, including instructions on admissions, please see the iSchool PhD program webpage.

To see the research interests and expertise of iSchool faculty members, please refer to theiSchool Faculty Research Page.

Residence And Community

The iSchool Ph.D. program is a residential program. Students must be able to attend classes in person at UWMadison for three years. Most students continue to live near Madison as they research and write their dissertations. Four to five years of full-time study is typical for students to complete the degree. The school strongly prefers full-time Ph.D. students.

ABOUT THE INFORMATION SCHOOL

PROGRAMS

The Information School or the iSchool at UWMadisonâ€ is a professional school offering several degrees and non-credit education that prepare students for future careers in the information professions:

The iSchool M.A. degreeis a professional master's that offers five concentration areas:Librarianship,Archives in a Digital Age,Data/Information Management and Analytics,User Experience Design and Information Technologies,Organization of Information. See the M.A. Guide page here.
The Capstone Certificate in User Experience Designis an educational credential aimed at working adults who seek further education to advance their careers or move into new fields without the commitment of a full masters degree. See the Capstone Certificate Guide page here.
The Capstone Certificate in Data Analytics for Decision-Making is an educational credential aimed at working adults who seek further education to advance their careers or move into new fields without the commitment of a full masters degree. See the Capstone Certificate Guide page here.
The Ph.D. degreeprovides advanced academic preparation for those wishing to pursue careers in academia, industrial research or policy making.
Undergraduate Digital Studies certificateprovides undergraduate coursework in information technologies and society and information management. See the Undergraduate Certificate Guide page here.
The iSchool offersnoncredit continuing education short coursesthat help information professionals stay up to date.

COMMUNITY

The Information School at UWMadison is well known for itspublic-good, community-engagement orientation. It is home to several student organizations that shepherd long-term, information-justice projects including the Jail Library Group, the Tribal Library Archives and Museums Group, and the Allied Drive Literacy Project. Student groups at the iSchoolare very active and organize and sponsor events.

The iSchool Library,whose windows overlook the shores of Lake Mendota and the oak trees of Muir Knoll, is a very popular campus space for study and relaxation. The Information School Library is also home to:

RADD"Recovering Analog and Digital Data" equipment for audio/video digitization and digital-data rescue that provides fee-for-service recovery of data from a wide variety of media types.
The Text Technologies Press:typography and letterpress printing equipment for teaching book history, book arts, design, art, and making.

RESEARCH and SCHOLARSHIP

The Information School faculty are known for scholarly work in the areas of:

data and information policy and ethics
user behaviors and literacies, print culture
library and information technology history
electronic publishing
information and communication technologies (ICT) and development, and transnational diaspora use of ICT
the social aspects of information and communications systems

Faculty have made valuable scholarly contributions in the areas of medical information and medical information technologies, online search behavior and search effectiveness, publisher e-journal licensing practices, information technology history, print culture and library history, information ethics and policy, and youth and new media. For more information see theiSchool Research Overview Page.

Faculty and staff are widely involved in different research areas on campus. For example, the iSchool is home to theCenter for the History of Print and Digital Culture, a research center focused on authorship, reading, publication and distribution of print and digital materials. The Information School faculty members are involved with the Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies, the Digital Humanities Research Network, the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, and the Center for Financial Security.

Employ specific methodologies appropriate to areas of study.
Demonstrate basic capacities to employ new digital data collection and analysis methodologies.
Demonstrate knowledge of a range of theories in research areas as well as core LIS theories.
Able to add to existing bodies of theory, scholarship or scientific knowledge through critique, testing or extension in scholarly output.
Demonstrate scholarly excellence.
Demonstrate skills and experience in teaching.
Demonstrate mastery of scholarly writing genre.
Demonstrate strong oral communication skills.
Demonstrate involvement in the LIS academic community.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

English Program Requirements

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper. Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if:

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

USD 25,504

Application Fee

USD 60

Library and Information Studies PhD

University of Wisconsin Madison

University of Wisconsin Madison

Key Facts

Start & Deadlines