Core Courses for the Informatics Minor
Students are required to take three core courses: INFO 102, CS 105 and INFO 202. In addition, students must complete 3 approved upper-level informatics electives (totaling at least 9 credit hours), most of which emphasize either Data, Society, or Expression. See Upper-level Courses for the Informatics Minor.
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Advising is available to undergraduate students who are currently pursuing or considering a minor in Informatics.
Three Required Core Courses
The three required core courses provide a general and solid foundation in CS and IT. All three are introductory in nature and meet the university’s General Education requirements. These courses may be taken in any order or simultaneously.
- INFO 202 – Social Aspects of Information Technologies – Explores how information technologies transform society and affect a range of social, political and economic issues from the individual to societal levels.
- INFO 102 – Little Bits to Big Ideas – SPRING ONLY – Broad introduction to the nature, capabilities, and limitations of computing. Topics range from the way data is represented and stored, to the way today’s computers work, to the general ideas of algorithms and computational efficiency, to the future of computing.
- CS 105 – Introduction to Computing- Non-Tech – Computing as an essential tool of academic and professional activities. Functions and interrelationships of computer system components: hardware, systems and applications software, and networks. Widely used application packages such as spreadsheets and databases. Concepts and practice of programming for the solution of simple problems in different application areas. Intended for non-science and non-engineering majors. (Can substitute STAT 107 or CS 101, CS 124, CS 125, or the ECE 120 & 220 sequence)
Some programs have slightly different requirements…
CS and ECE majors (including CS + majors), and CS minors need to take INFO 202 and then four additional upper-level courses instead of the usual three. These upper-level courses cannot be CS courses, and they typically have a non-technical focus. Upper-level courses must be approved by the Informatics Advisor before counting toward the Minor.
Information System majors (in Gies College of Business) may not use BADM courses as their three upper-level electives. This only applies to Information System majors, and not the other majors in Gies.
Students in one of the majors in the School of Art & Design in FAA may not use ARTD or ARTS courses as their three upper-level electives.
The School of Information Sciences BSIS majors can NOT declare the Informatics minor due to the extent of overlap.