Informatics

The Information School

Informatics is the study of people, information, and technology. Students are prepared to design, build, manage, and secure information systems that make a difference in society, organizations, and individual lives. The curriculum uses an experiential learning approach that emphasizes problem solving, group work, research, writing, oral presentations, and technology.

* A small percentage of students are admitted to this major directly as freshmen. The majority will be admitted through the standard admission process after enrolling at the UW.

Major category: Capacity-constrained

Minor available

Curricular options: Human-Computer Interaction, Information Architecture, Information Assurance & Cybersecurity, Biomedical & Health Informatics, Data Science

Topic: Arts, Business, Computing, Engineering-option

website   Degree requirements

Applicant type

Freshman

Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)

Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).


Transfer

Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring

Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.

  • Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
  • Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
  • Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
  • UW college and school graduation requirements

Department admission information

  • Departmental application deadline: for AUT; October 1 for WIN
  • Please contact the department for details about the application process.
This major is capacity-constrained. Completion of prerequisites does not guarantee admission.

Suggested first- and second-year college courses: INFO 200, an English composition course, CSE 142, CSE 143, STAT 221, STAT 311, STAT 390 or QMETH 201, courses that develop strong analytical, qualitative and quantitative reasoning skills, courses that develop strong written and oral communication skills, as well as courses that provide exposure to a variety of social science fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology or philosophy.

Minimum grade of 2.0 in each course.

Admission for current UW students and transfers occurs twice a year for autumn and winter quarters. Apply online at the department website.

  • Autumn quarter application deadline: First Friday of spring quarter for admission the following autumn quarter
  • Winter quarter application deadline: First Friday of autumn quarter for admission winter quarter

Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.

Courses required for the major:

  • INFO 200 SSc – Intellectual Foundations of Informatics
  • CSE 142 NSc RSN– Computer Programming I OR CSE 143 NSc RSN – Computer Programming II OR CSE 154 RSN – Web Programming OR CSE 160 NSc RSN – Data Programming OR CSE 163 RSN – Intermediate Data Programming OR INFO 180/STAT 180 RSN – Introduction to Data Science OR INFO 201 RSN – Foundational Skills for Data Science
  • STAT 220 NSc RSN – Statistical Reasoning OR STAT 221 NSc RSN – Statistical Concepts & Methods for Social Sciences OR STAT 311 NSc RSN – Elements of Stat Methods OR STAT 390 NSc – Statistical Methods in Engineering and Science OR QMETH 201 NSc RSN – Intro to Statistical Methods
  • Social Sciences (SSc) course

Notes:

  • Departmentally approved transfer equivalents may be used to substitute for prerequisite courses.
  • Most students apply the spring of their sophomore year and begin the program the following autumn as a junior.
  • Admission for autumn quarter and winter quarters is based on the following criteria: Overall academic performance; grades in courses required for admission to the major; responses to the application questions, and other evidence of interest in and commitment to the field (e.g., work experience, internships).
  • Equivalents to INFO 200 are not common. Therefore students who have or will transfer to the university can apply to the program and be admitted with the provision that they complete INFO 200 with a minimum grade of 2.0 before the end of their first year in the program.

Entering transfer information:

Total undergraduates: 699
Total from Washington community colleges: 35

Entering transfer GPA (from WA community colleges):

3.75 – 4.00: 15
3.50 – 3.74: 10
3.25 – 3.49: 3
3.00 – 3.24: 3
2.75 – 2.99: 2
2.50 – 2.74: 1
2.49 and below: 1


Career outcomes