PhD in Information Studies
Where Grand Challenges Meet Interdisciplinary Solutions
We live in the Information Age, offering unprecedented opportunities but also unmatched threats and challenges. Information systems and technologies are fundamentally shaping the behaviors of individuals, organizations, and society. To understand the dynamics of our world, and to help shape a future that reflects social values, research at the School of Information crosses disciplinary divides, bridges the arts and the sciences, and applies human insights to technological advances.
Our flexible curriculum and immersive mentorship with world-class faculty who are experts in their fields prepare students to become high-quality, high-impact researchers, scholars, and teachers. Throughout the doctoral program, students will learn to reason and evaluate ideas and data across disciplines, see beyond current approaches to problems, and cross disciplinary boundaries in search of answers to the grand challenges facing today's modern information society.
Join Our Community of Innovative Scholars
At the School of Information, you will work with faculty who are among the best in the world in their areas of expertise. You will be immersed in an environment that offers the facilities and resources of one of the premier research universities in the US, and live in a city that is both a rapidly growing center for IT research and development and one of the country's most vibrant cities in which to live and work.
Admissions & Funding
Learn about admissions procedures as well as funding available for doctoral students.
Program Overview
Our curriculum offers flexibility to tailor your coursework and explore research interests.
Meet Our Faculty
Over 20 full-time, world-class faculty come from diverse, interdisciplinary backgrounds.
Research at the iSchool
We're tackling the greatest challenges facing today's modern information society — how to understand the extraordinary complexity of information, to discover principles and processes for managing its massive scale, and exploring ways to leverage it to enhance our lives.
What Do We Look For?
The study of information extends beyond any existing field. Our PhD students come from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, and we welcome applications from interested candidates regardless of the field of study in which you completed your prior degree(s). A master's degree is not required to apply.
We seek the best and brightest people who thrive on challenges:
-
People dedicated to creating new forms of information systems that can augment human and organizational capabilities.
-
People committed to exploring the human and technological principles and processes that underlie information complexity.
-
People energized by a vision of a diverse society where access to relevant information is not a luxury, but a requirement.
-
People appreciative of the importance and challenge of preserving and disseminating information on the human cultural record.
If you want to join us in helping to forge a better information society: Apply to the PhD Program
Our Vision & Values
The School of Information is committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives through excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement. Our core values underpin our efforts to shape the field of information for human and social benefit.
About The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest public universities in the US. Beyond our top-ranked international graduate program, UT Austin is one of the world's premier research universities and is located in one of the sunniest and most vibrant cities in which to live and work: Austin, TX.