Our History
What is now the School of Information was founded in 1948 to educate information professionals. While our name and degrees have changed a few times since then, we have always balanced the values of information access as a human and social benefit with the intellectual and technical skills needed to lead developments in the Information Age. Today the iSchool is a premier research and education program for the 21st century field of information. Our program is consistently ranked among the top programs in Information Studies internationally.
A Top Ranked Program
US News & World Report ranks our graduate program #5 in the nation and the Center for World University Rankings lists us in the top 10 among information schools worldwide.Approximately 300 graduate students study in our master's, Certificate of Advanced Study, and doctoral programs. The iSchool also launched a new undergraduate program in Informatics with the first class of freshmen beginning in Fall 2021. The school boasts more than twenty world-class faculty who come from diverse, interdisciplinary backgrounds, a range of joint appointees from across The University of Texas at Austin, and numerous adjunct faculty selected for their expertise and leadership in information research, instruction, and service.
A Tradition of Leadership In Research & Public Engagement
The iSchool is involved in several major programmatic collaborations with national and international organizations as well as at The University of Texas at Austin. Beyond these efforts, iSchool faculty, staff, and students collaborate with colleagues across the university, with firms, non-profit agencies, and governmental organizations in Austin and beyond, and with researchers and institutions worldwide.
iSchools Organization
Founding Member
The UT Austin iSchool is a founding member of the international iSchools organization, and has a long history of interdisciplinary scholarship and research focused on the human, social, cultural, and technical aspects of information.
Public Interest Technology - University Network (PIT-UN)
Charter Member
UT Austin, represented in the network by the iSchool, is a charter member of PIT-UN, which is a national effort to grow a new generation of civic-minded technologists.
Texas Computing
Founding Member
The School of Information is a founding member of the Texas Computing initiative, a cross-university collaboration that brings together exceptional faculty, unique interdisciplinary programs, and a large talented pool of students to create opportunities for learning and research unrivaled in the world.
Bridging Barriers: Good Systems
iSchool faculty are leaders in the University of Texas Bridging Barriers Good Systems project. This major multi-disciplinary, multi-year, multi-million dollar cross-campus grand challenge focuses on designing AI technologies that benefit society.
