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iSchool, English Department to offer dual master's degree

The School of Information has added its seventh dual master’s degree. The new program, a partnership with the Department of English, is geared toward students who wish to combine a research interest in English with the professional and intellectual opportunities available in the field of Information Studies.

“Developments in information science impact every area of human inquiry, and this new program offers students the opportunity to study and work at the cutting edge of digital humanities scholarship,” said Andrew Dillon, iSchool dean and professor.

Areas with particularly strong overlap between English and Information Studies include bibliography and textural criticism, digital literacy, popular culture and cultural studies, rhetoric, and the study of women, gender and literature, said program coordinator Tanya Clement, an associate professor in the iSchool and a foremost scholar in the field of digital humanities.

“People in English studies are experts in language and how it’s used in cultural artifacts,” Clement said. “Because of the nature of computers, which work best with language and text, there’s a natural fit between the two fields.”

Clement said the program will prepare graduates for careers as information professionals and should appeal to students with ambitions in information organization, database design, digital humanities, usability and information policy, among other areas.

“We’re hoping this degree will create additional possibilities for students to study the humanities who worry about job placement or working outside of academia,” Clement said.

With a coursework requirement of 30 hours in English and 31 hours in the iSchool, the dual program will allow students to complete both a Master of Arts in English and a Master of Science Information in Information Studies in three academic years, which is at least one semester less than it takes to complete the two degrees individually. The program will begin admitting students—including those who are already enrolled in either individual program—in Fall 2018.

In addition to English, the School of Information offers dual-degree opportunities that pair Information Studies with a number of disciplines:

 

  • Master of Science in Information Studies / MA in English
  • Master of Science in Information Studies / MA in Latin American Studies
  • Master of Science in Information Studies / MA in Women's and Gender Studies
  • Master of Science in Information Studies / MA in Middle Eastern Studies
  • Master of Science in Information Studies / Juris Doctor UT School of Law
  • Master of Science in Information Studies / Master of Global Policy Studies
  • Master of Science in Information Studies / Master of Public Affairs
  • Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Information Studies

For more information about the iSchool’s dual master’s degree offerings, visit https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/programs/dual_degrees.

July 29, 2016