Online Information Science Degree Programs

There is no place that has benefitted from the surge of technology more than the library. In fact, what was once a stuffy, stoic environment is now alive with change and potential. Information science (IS) degrees can prepare you to master the collection, organization, and use of data in a technological landscape.

Career Options in Information Science

LISCareer, a career development center for Library and Information Science professionals, reveals six primary career tracks for graduates with IS degrees:

• Technology: includes growing career subgroups that feature Web masters, database specialists, systems analysts, and network administrators
• Libraries: public, academic, corporate, medical and others. Combining IS credentials with librarian experience can pay well
• Government: being able to organize mass amounts of data and resources is an ideal talent for government administrators at the local, state, and federal levels
• Corporate: a growing niche in information science. Companies typically pay big bucks for career training in record keeping, sorting and reporting
• Freelance: many IS professionals prefer the flexibility and variety that comes with taking focus, short-term projects. Indexing is a common type
• Other: the collection of uncommon careers that demand professionals with IS credentials

Information Science Salary Potential and Job Outlook

Those graduates that parlay information sciences career training into a technology track should find a welcoming job market. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer scientists and database administrators held about 542,000 jobs in 2006, including approximately 58,000 who were self-employed. The industry is projected to increase 37 percent over the coming decade, and that's much faster than national average for all occupations through 2016.

The salary ranges for the top five professions employing graduates with information sciences degrees include database manager ($84,750 - $116,000), network architect ($78,000 - $112,250), database developer ($73,500 - $103,000), senior web developer ($71,000 - $102,000), and database administrator ($70,250 - $102,000).

Information Science Degrees and Coursework

There are a couple of stalwart undergraduate degrees associated with the information science field. For careers in business technology, the management information systems (MIS) degree fuses computer skills and industry principles. Those wishing to follow the knowledge management track have the option of career training in library and information science (L&IS), a mix of technology and media. Degree levels for each path include bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees.

Not surprisingly, both the MIS and L&IS curriculums share some common coursework. Both feature basic and advance training in database management, networking, and hardware and software principles. Should you choose an MIS track, your studies may emphasize business and management-oriented coursework and business computing courses. L&IS students may focus on media, data management, and indexing.

Online Career Training Options

Career training options for information sciences students include on-campus, online, or in a hybrid program. The advantage for you when you take online courses is that you should benefit from the rich technology component that is inherent in the distance learning format. However, if you're a student who learns better through face-to-face instruction from a professor, hybrid online-campus courses can be just as meaningful.

• Technology
• Information Systems