Frequently Asked Questions
- Why do individuals enter the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
- What kinds of organizations do individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program work for?
- What professional fields do individuals in the program come from?
- Do individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program already have advanced degrees in other fields?
- Are some college majors or backgrounds more appropriate than others for individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
- Must individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program be currently working in information environments?
- Must individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program have a knowledge of or experience with information technology?
- What sorts of coursework does the program include?
- Is there a master’s project in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
- Are individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management program able to take courses elsewhere in Columbia University?
- Are individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program able to take courses on a part-time basis and in the evening?
- Does the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program offer opportunities for students to meet professionals working in business, government, and nonprofit organizations and to hear about their responsibilities and careers?
- Do students in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program have a student association?
- What are the backgrounds and professional careers of the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program faculty?
- Are students in the Information and Digital Resource Management program full members of the Columbia University community?
- What are special strengths of the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
Why do individuals enter the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
Individuals come to the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program for many reasons and from different backgrounds. Many are mid-career professionals who want to expand and systematize their knowledge. Some want to advance in their current careers. Others are seeking a career change. Still others have businesses of their own or are in the process of starting businesses of their own. However, not all individuals are mid-career professionals. Individuals with new B.A. and B.S. degrees who are just beginning their professional careers also enter the program.
What kinds of organizations do individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program work for?
The Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program is especially appropriate for individuals who are working in or want to work in business, government, and nonprofit organizations. It is also appropriate for those who already have businesses of their own or want to start businesses of their own.
What professional fields do individuals in the program come from?
Individuals in the program come from a variety of professional fields, including the banking, insurance, and financial services industries, publishing, print and broadcast media, law, medicine, arts administration, archive management, medical information administration, social services, human resources, general administration and management.
Do individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program already have advanced degrees in other fields?
Most students in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program do not have advanced degrees in other fields. Others do have advanced degrees in other fields, for example, the M.B.A. and J.D. Still others in the program are recent college graduates with B.A. or B.S. degrees.
Are some college majors or backgrounds more appropriate than others for individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
No. All college majors and backgrounds are appropriate for applicants to and students in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program, including majors and backgrounds in the humanities, social sciences, natural and physical sciences, languages, and business.
Must individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program be currently working in information environments?
No. Students in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program come from a variety of backgrounds in business, government, and nonprofit organizations, and from a variety of professional fields, including the banking, insurance, and financial services industries, publishing, print and broadcast media; law; medicine, arts administration, archive management, medical information administration, social services, human resources, general administration and management.
Must individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program have a knowledge of or experience with information technology?
No. The Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program is not an information technology program and it does not assume students in the program plan to work principally with technology or as specialists in information technology. The program’s core courses prepare individuals to work with others in their organizations who do have information technology responsibilities.
What sorts of coursework does the program include?
Each course in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program has a classroom component, which includes reading, discussion, lectures, guest speakers, and site visits. In addition, each course has a practical, applied component in which, under the supervision of the instructor, each student designs and works on an individual project that grows out of the course readings and lectures and that, when possible and appropriate, is also related to the student’s own workplace and career plans.
Is there a master’s project in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
Yes. Each student in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program prepares a master's project. A typical project grows out of the smaller projects the student prepares for individual courses. When possible and appropriate, the master's project is also related to the student's own workplace or future professional and business plans. Students begin working with instructors the first term they enroll in order to plan their projects. In their fourth, fifth and sixth terms in the program, students take a master's project seminar in which they prepare a substantial research paper or portfolio and present their work orally to the class and invited guests.
Are individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management program able to take courses elsewhere in Columbia University?
Yes. As part of the degree requirements for the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program, students take two elective courses beyond the required core courses. These elective courses must be taken in other schools or departments of the University. Students must discuss their elective courses in advance with the director of the Information and Digital Resource Management program.
Are individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program able to take courses on a part-time basis and in the evening?
The Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program is designed as a part-time, evening program. A typical student takes two courses each term during the regular academic year. Students are also encouraged to take elective courses in other schools or departments of the University during the Summer Term.
Does the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program offer opportunities for students to meet professionals working in business, government, and nonprofit organizations and to hear about their responsibilities and careers?
The program sponsors a speaker series that brings professionals from business, government, and nonprofit organizations to campus to speak on issues critical to their own fields and to interact with students, faculty, and others from the Columbia University and broader professional community. Guest speakers from business, government, and nonprofit organizations are frequently invited to speak in individual courses, and site visits are included as an aspect of most courses.
Do students in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program have a student association?
Students in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program are in the process of organizing a student association and planning the activities the association will sponsor. New students in the program are welcome to participate in the planning and activities.
What are the backgrounds and professional careers of the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program faculty?
Program faculty in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program have backgrounds in and work professionally in a variety of fields, including knowledge management, law, history, philosophy, political science, business, public policy and administration, international education administration, and records and archive management. Faculty come from Columbia University and from professional positions in government, business, and nonprofit organizations.
Are students in the Information and Digital Resource Management program full members of the Columbia University community?
Yes. Individuals in the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program have access to all the facilities of Columbia University, including the libraries and the gymnasium.
What are special strengths of the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program?
The breadth and diversity in the professional backgrounds, workplaces, and career plans of the Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. students is the greatest strength of the program. This breadth and diversity of experience enlivens and enriches the classroom discussions, and significantly expands the knowledge and perspective of both students and faculty.
The Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program has a practical, career-development orientation. The program and faculty are committed to encouraging students to draw on their own professional experiences and career plans as they go forward with their classroom and master’s project work in the program.
Students in the program are able to take two elective courses in other schools and departments of Columbia University in order to expand their substantive knowledge in the particular professional fields they are in or plan to enter.
The Information and Digital Resource Management M.S. program is especially committed to keeping abreast of critical and emerging issues relating to emerging social media, digital resources and the international information economy. For example, the program requires an important course on legal and policy issues for information professionals.
