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Home > MSI Degree >Information Policy

Information Policy (IPOL) Specialization

From intellectual property to IT standards, telecommunications to privacy, security, and digital governance, information policy has emerged in recent years as a dynamic and fast-growing field of public and organizational policy -- and a key shaper of the information landscapes of the future.

A strong and growing need exists across government, business, and the nonprofit sector for individuals with the skills and training to analyze, respond to, and make effective policy in this rapidly changing environment.

With core teaching faculty drawn from law, economics, history, and the information and social sciences, the School of Information's specialization in Information Policy is uniquely well-placed to offer both breadth and depth in the study of information policy.

IPOL faculty and students teach, learn, and conduct field-leading research in each of the following areas: intellectual property, IT standards, media and telecommunications policy, information privacy and security, competition and antitrust, research and innovation policy, and digital governance.

The IPOL specialization is open to students with training and experience across a variety of social, technical, and professional fields. Whether you're looking for an information policy career in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors, are an information professional seeking to understand the policy choices that govern the information field, or are intending to pursue advanced research in policy-relevant domains, the IPOL specialization provides a unique and rewarding graduate education.

Within the University of Michigan, SI benefits through shared resources and joint faculty appointments with these units:
  • The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
  • The Law School (with particular strengths in intellectual property and information law)
  • The Department of Communications (with particular strengths in media and telecommunications policy)

The IPOL specialization is geared to the interests of three primary SI groups:
  • Students pursuing information policy careers in the public, private, or non-profit sectors
  • Current and future information professionals from across the SI specializations whose work involves or will involve significant policy dimensions
  • Students pursuing advanced research or further professional training in policy-relevant domains such as law, public policy, or business administration

Specialization Requirements

In addition to the specialization requirements below, MSI students must meet all of the general requirements of the 48-credit MSI program, including core, distribution, cognate, and practical engagement requirements.

Required Course

All Information Policy students must take the specialization gateway course, preferably in their first semester at SI:
  • SI 507: Foundations of Information Policy Analysis and Design (3 credits)

Approved IPOL Courses

Students in the Information Policy specialization must take 9 additional credits from within the following set of courses:
  • SI 510: Special Topics: Data Security and Privacy: Legal, Policy and Enterprise Issues (3 credits)
  • SI 519: Special Topics: Intellectual Property and Information Law (3 credits)
  • SI 532: Digital Government I: Information Technology and Democratic Politics (1.5 credits)
  • SI 533: Digital Government II: Information Technology and Democratic Administration (1.5 credits)
  • SI 541: Systems, Networks, and Webs (3 credits)
  • SI 550: Seminar in Information Policy: Regulation and Politics (3 credits)
  • SI 562: Microeconomics for Information Professionals (1.5 credits)
  • SI 563: Game Theory (1.5 credits)
  • SI 579: Government Information: Issues, Resources, and Policy (3 credits)
  • SI 621: Ethics, Values, and Information Dilemmas (3 credits)
  • SI 628: Information Technology, Emerging Law, and Applied Policy (3 credits)
  • SI 655: Management of Electronic Records (3 credits)
  • SI 660: Competitive Strategy and Policy in the Information Industries (3 credits)
  • SI 676: Law and Management of the Information Corporation (3 credits)


Faculty

These SI faculty members have research and academic interests in the area of Information Policy.


The faculty coordinator for the Information Policy specialization is Assistant Professor Steven Jackson.

Other MSI Specializations

Information Policy is one of nine specializations within the Master of Science in Information program at the School of Information. For information about the other MSI specializations, visit their respective links:


Program requirements on this page are current for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Last updated: Nov 30, 2007 Home > MSI Degree >Information Policy
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Steven Jackson

"Government agencies, firms, and non-profits are making policy decisions every day that shape, constrain, and enable what the world of information will look like in the future. Our students learn to analyze and participate in making those decisions, and shaping that world."

Steven Jackson
Assistant Professor

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