Msis Program Handbook
Msis Program Handbook
Msis Program Handbook
Revised: 1/27/2022
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Table of Contents
Welcome ................................................................................................................................................. 1
Advising .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Faculty Advisor.................................................................................................................................... 2
Graduate Advisor ................................................................................................................................ 2
Academic Advising .............................................................................................................................. 2
Degree Requirements.............................................................................................................................. 2
Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Courses .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Core Courses (3 credit hours).............................................................................................................. 3
Elective Courses (30 credit hours) ....................................................................................................... 3
Capstone Experience (Including E-Portfolio) ........................................................................................ 3
Endorsement of Specialization ............................................................................................................ 4
Graduate Portfolio Program ................................................................................................................. 5
Eligibility to Enroll in Courses............................................................................................................... 5
Scheduling of Classes ......................................................................................................................... 5
Registration ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Maximum Course Load ....................................................................................................................... 6
Symbols: Credit (CR) and No Credit (NC) ............................................................................................ 6
Symbols: Incomplete (X)...................................................................................................................... 6
Grades and Grading ............................................................................................................................ 7
Standard of Work and Continuance in the Graduate School................................................................. 7
Time Limit ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Graduation .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Student Expectations............................................................................................................................... 8
Student Responsibility ......................................................................................................................... 8
Academic Integrity ............................................................................................................................... 8
Student Honor Code ............................................................................................................................ 8
Student Employment ........................................................................................................................... 9
Transfer Credit .................................................................................................................................. 10
Student Experiences.............................................................................................................................. 10
Student Organizations ....................................................................................................................... 10
Canvas.............................................................................................................................................. 10
Student Support in the iSchool............................................................................................................... 10
CARE Counselor ............................................................................................................................... 10
Career Development Office (CDO) .................................................................................................... 11
Diversity and Inclusion Resources ..................................................................................................... 11
Information Commons ....................................................................................................................... 11
UT Student Resources .......................................................................................................................... 12
Welcome
We welcome you to the School of Information (iSchool) at The University of Texas at
Austin. Our faculty and staff are committed to helping you to achieve your professional
goals in a supportive learning environment.
Note: Every effort was made to ensure that the information contained in this updated
edition of the MSIS Handbook is accurate as of the date listed on the cover page.
However, The University of Texas at Austin is a highly complex and dynamic institution,
and some of the information may become out of date. Therefore, we highly recommend
that students reach out to administrators, faculty, and staff with any questions while
completing their master’s degree.
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Advising
Faculty Advisor
The iSchool assigns an individual faculty advisor to all students in the program.
Students may consult with their faculty advisors for academic advising and planning
their program of study. Some internal iSchool actions require approval of a student’s
faculty advisor, such as approval of outside electives and Endorsement of
Specialization completion forms.
Students may change faculty advisors at any point in the program following their initial
registration/enrollment. To change faculty advisors, students must obtain approval from
their new faculty advisor and must notify their current faculty advisor and the graduate
program administrator of the approved change.
Graduate Advisor
The graduate advisor is a member of the School of Information Graduate Studies
Committee and is normally appointed for a two-year term of service. The graduate
advisor is the formal liaison between the iSchool and the Graduate School. Certain
actions require the signature of the graduate advisor, such as add/drop forms, transfer
credit petitions, leave of absence forms, individual studies form, and other special
petitions.
Academic Advising
Although advising in the School of Information is optional for MSIS students, students
may meet with their faculty advisor to for course planning and guidance with their
program of study. Academic advising guidelines are available at:
► https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/courses/advising-msis-students
Degree Requirements
Overview
The master's degree program entails 36 semester hours of coursework. All students
must take three semester credit hours of core courses during their first year of studies.
Thirty credit hours of electives are to be taken from the range of courses offered by the
School of Information and/or a mix of courses within the School of Information and
elsewhere at UT Austin. Finally, each student must complete the Capstone Experience
under one of the Capstone Experience Courses.
Courses
Courses in the Master of Science in Information Studies curriculum have three
elements:
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► Core - Required course that all School of Information students must take early in
their program (3 semester credit hours)
► Electives - Elective courses (30 semester credit hours)
► Capstone Experience - Capstone experience course (3 semester credit hours)
Capstone Options:
Students must complete one of the following options as an exit course only in their final
semester:
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► INF 388L: Professional Experience and Project - The PEP is intended to allow
you to apply the knowledge you gleaned from your coursework to a real-world
problem in a real-world setting. In a single semester, you will complete a fieldwork-
based project under the primary guidance of a field supervisor from the
organization sponsoring your project.
Note: The thesis option requires enrollment over two semesters, one in which you
study and the other in which you write. Since the master’s thesis requires two
consecutive semesters of course work, students who would like pursue the thesis
option must make that decision before the end of the second semester in the
program (if attending full-time).
Capstone courses are offered on a credit/no-credit basis. All students, regardless of the
capstone option they choose, must attend and participate in the aggregated capstone
course. This course requires creation of an electronic portfolio as well as preparation
and presentation of a poster at the Summer/Fall Capstone Poster Session or Spring
Open House at the end of the student’s capstone semester.
Endorsement of Specialization
The School of Information offers MSIS students the option to pursue an Endorsement of
Specialization (EoS). The Endorsement of Specialization recognizes that a student has
created a program of concentrated study within the 36 credit hours required for the
Master of Science in Information Studies. The MSIS curriculum offers any number of
options for students to craft a concentration or specialization once they have completed
their required courses. Suggested areas of study and curriculum requirements can be
located at:
► https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/programs/endorsement
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To declare the EoS, students must submit the EoS completion form at the end of their
final semester in the program.
Scheduling of Classes
The School of Information graduate courses are usually offered in three-hour blocks
(classes meet once per week for three hours). The iSchool schedules courses
throughout the day, with classes meeting in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
Course offerings vary each semester, depending on enrollment and faculty availability.
Registration
For continuing students, the registration system opens in:
Continuing students will have additional registration and add/drop periods closer to the
start of the semester.
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Students should check their Registration Information Sheet (RIS) to learn about their
registration access periods:
► https://onestop.utexas.edu/registration-and-degree-planning/registering-for-
classes/registration-times
There are financial and non-financial bars that can prevent students from being able to
register. To learn more, please see:
► https://onestop.utexas.edu/registration-and-degree-planning/registering-for-
classes/clearing-bars
To earn a mark of "credit," a graduate student must have completed the course work at
a level equivalent to a grade of C or better.
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For more information on standards of work, please consult the University of Texas at
Austin General Information catalog (http://registrar.utexas.edu/catalogs/gi11-12).
Letter Numeric
Description
Grade Value
Time Limit
Students must complete all requirements for a graduate degree program at the
University of Texas at Austin within one six-year period. The School of Information
imposes the same requirement on its non-degree programs. Coursework more than six
years old is lost; it may be reinstated only in exceptional circumstances by special
permission of the dean of Graduate Studies, upon recommendation of the School of
Information Graduate Studies Committee.
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Graduation
Master’s and doctoral students nearing degree completion should begin to prepare for
graduation from The University of Texas at Austin. Students must apply online for
graduation in the semester they expect to complete their degrees. The School of
Information graduate program administrator shares graduation application information
and deadlines each semester.
► https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academics/graduation/deadlines-and-submission-
instructions
Student Expectations
Student Responsibility
A student is responsible for knowing the requirements for the degree or nondegree
program that they are pursuing and for enrolling in courses that fit into that program.
The Graduate Catalog is the official catalog for all graduate students. Students should
consult both the General Information and Graduate Catalog to become familiar with UT
and Graduate School-specific policies, rules, and regulations:
► https://catalog.utexas.edu
Academic Integrity
From the UT Dean of Students: A fundamental principle for any educational institution,
academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at
Austin. More specifically, you and other students are expected to maintain absolute
integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work undertaken at the
University. This is a very basic expectation that is further reinforced by the University's
Honor Code. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams, and other
scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to:
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► https://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/conduct/standardsofconduct.php
Student Employment
Academic Employment - Academic employment includes appointments such as
teaching assistants, graduate research assistants, and assistant instructors. Academic
appointments include various benefits, such as a stipend for the hours worked, and
depending on the appointment, some tuition assistance.
► https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academic-employment
► https://gradschool.utexas.edu/finances/student-employment/non-academic-
employment
Conditions for Employment - Students are encouraged to become familiar with the
conditions for employment as graduate students. Some of these requirements include
full-time enrollment (nine credit hours in the fall and spring; three credit hours in the
summer), satisfactory degree progress, satisfactory academic status (3.0GPA), limit on
incompletes and grades of D or F. For more information, including exceptions to the
above and requirements for Assistant Instructors, please see:
► https://gradschool.utexas.edu/finances/student-employment/conditions
20/30 Hour Limit - Graduate students employed during their first two long semesters
may not be appointed for more than 20 hours. Beyond the first two long semesters,
students may not be appointed for more than 30 hours.
International Students - International students may not work more than 20 hours
during long semesters.
► https://hr.utexas.edu/student
► https://ischool.utexas.edu/career/students
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Transfer Credit
The Graduate School allows students to petition to transfer a maximum of six credit
hours of graduate course work completed outside of UT Austin under certain conditions.
► https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academics/policies/transfer-credit
To initiate the process, please consult with the iSchool’s graduate program
administrator.
Student Experiences
Student Organizations
There are several student organizations active within the iSchool. The Student
Association for the School of Information (SASI) is the official student organization
representing all iSchool students. In addition to SASI, there are other more special-
interest organizations with which students may get involved in the School of Information:
► https://ischool.utexas.edu/people/student-organizations
Beyond iSchool student organizations, there are numerous groups and organizations
across UT Austin:
► https://utexas.campuslabs.com/engage
Canvas
Canvas is the Learning Management System (LMS) utilized at UT Austin. For Canvas
resources, tutorials, and support, please see:
► https://canvas.utexas.edu
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health issues for advisors, faculty and dean’s staff. CARE services are confidential and
are not connected to academic records.
Please feel free to Rachel Van Middlesworth, Graduate Career Placement Specialist.
► https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/career/students
► https://www.utexas.edu/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion
Students from minority groups can always find peers here at UT. The Division of
Diversity and Community Engagement is the main place to find related supports,
activities and contacts:
► https://diversity.utexas.edu
Information Commons
The Information Commons is a team of undergraduates, graduate students, and staff
who provide resources and services that support learning, research, and community-
building activities at the School of Information. Commons facilities are located within all
iSchool locations and feature collaboration stations, access to a variety of computing
hardware/software, meeting spaces, printing services and equipment check-outs.
Support staff are available in all iSchool learning spaces to provide technical assistance,
training, and additional access to resources.
► https://ischool.utexas.edu/people/information-commons
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UT Student Resources
MyUT (my.utexas.edu) - All of UT’s resources, all in one place. Download the official
MyUT app from the App Store or Google Play.
► Groups and Classes - For many issues that college students face, group
counseling is the best treatment choice. Group counseling provides students with
the unique opportunity of utilizing peer interaction to work toward their goals.
► Short-Term Individual Counseling - Short-term individual counseling is basically a
collaborative effort between you and your counselor. Our goal is to provide an
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open, supportive, and confidential environment for you to address the issues that
are concerning you.
► Thrive at UT - Thrive is a free iPhone app designed to enhance UT Austin student
well-being and help better manage the ups and downs of campus life. Students will
find short videos of actual UT Austin students sharing their own stories as well as
interactive activities designed to help them apply these concepts to their own
unique experience.
► 24/7 CMHC Crisis Line - CMHC Crisis Line is a confidential service of CMHC that
offers an opportunity for UT-Austin students to talk with trained counselors about
urgent concerns. A counselor is available every day of the year, including holidays.
► Alcohol & Other Drug Initial Consultations - Students can confidentially speak with
a licensed professional counselor about their own or someone else's use of
alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
► Mindful Eating Program - Our Mindful Eating Program is for students dealing with
food, weight, or body image concerns.
► MindBody Lab - The MindBody Lab is a self-paced environment located in the
Counseling and Mental Health Center on the 5th floor of the Student Services
Building designed to help students explore interactive tools to help cope with
stress.
► Integrated Health Program - The Integrated Health Program is a collaboration
between University Health Services and the Counseling and Mental Health Center
at The University of Texas at Austin. This program brings mental health providers
to University Health Services, creating a holistic team approach in the treatment of
UHS patients.
► Prevention and Outreach - Prevention and Outreach: CMHC's Prevention and
Outreach services empower students to take care of themselves and each other in
order to foster a thriving academic community at UT Austin. Our programs raise
awareness, reduce stigma about mental health concerns, address barriers to
academic excellence in order to promote wellness.
SSD is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and their office is
located on the fourth floor of the Student Services Building. Take some time to browse
through our website to find information on how to register with SSD, guidelines for
documentation, and information about their accommodations and services. General
resources for the UT community may be found on UT’s Disability Resource page.
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and referrals to relevant campus and community resources. Emergency situations
include but are not limited to:
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