The School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Oklahoma, an iSchool affiliate, is accepting applications to our Ph.D. in Information Science program for our 2019-2020 cohort. The program will prepare graduates to lead in creative research and teaching in academic environments, policymaking, and consulting for corporate, nonprofit, or governmental institutions.
The goals of the program are:
- To cultivate a community of students capable of conducting original, sustained, and effective research in the field of information studies that solves significant problems;
- To foster students to become catalysts for change and leading advocates who effectively address the information needs of a diverse, pluralistic society in culturally responsible and sensitive ways;
- To prepare students to educate the next generation of information professionals in a highly technological and information-based society.
We are looking for exceptional students with interests in a variety of areas including, but not limited to:
Information behavior, including health information behavior; the use of information and technology by individuals of all ages; and scholarly communication;
Digital youth, including young adults and children’s interactions with technology and libraries; digital literacy and practices; makerspaces; social media; and digital ethics;
Social and cultural studies, including all aspects of archival research and practice; marginalized and unrepresented communities; multicultural librarianship; social justice; history; race and gender studies; and libraries and society;
Digital humanities, including use of computational tools and methods to explore humanities-based questions, user-centered design of digital humanities online resources, developing collaborative spaces and practices to facilitate digital humanities scholarship;
Information systems, including information retrieval, data analytics; informetrics; bibliometrics; and informatics; knowledge management; and text mining; and
Information policy, including philosophy of information; information theory development and diffusion; and the information industry.
The University of Oklahoma is a diverse and inclusive university that offers a variety of multicultural activities and resources. The university also supports robust departments focusing on Native American Studies, Women & Gender Studies, and African & African-American Studies. SLIS is located on two campuses, in Norman and in Tulsa, and comprises a faculty with diverse research and teaching interests that can be further explored on our website at http://slis.ou.edu/. SLIS is a unit of the College of Arts and Sciences, and offers opportunities for students to access courses from other departments as related to their specific interests. SLIS faculty are involved in multiple projects and have received funding from national sources such as IMLS and the Mellon Foundation.
Degree Requirements:
A total of 90 hours beyond the bachelors is required for the degree. Up to 30 hours may be transferred in from a relevant master’s program with permission from SLIS. All students must complete a general examination, present a dissertation prospectus, and submit and defend a dissertation representing an original contribution to the field.
Students may pursue the Ph.D. on a full-time or part-time basis. All degree requirements must be completed within 10 years of beginning the program.
There are a number of graduate assistant positions across the university in libraries, archives, and other departments, and SLIS will work with students in finding funding opportunities.
For full consideration, applications are due no later than January 15, 2020. Additional information can be found at http://www.ou.edu/cas/slis/programs/phd.
For questions or more information, please contact the SLIS Director, Dr. Susan Burke, at [email protected], or 405-325-3921.