Formal Partnership with UC Berkeley
Written by Vincent Grimaldi
It is with great pleasure that we officially announce a partnership between the i3 Program and the UC Berkeley School of Information, which has been in the making for many months.
We first want to reiterate our gratitude to Dr. Jenna Burrell who presented her research on Connected Learning’ and the Equity Agenda: a Microsociology of Minecraft Play at this year’s Concluding Institute. Dr. Burrell’s interdisciplinary approach is a prime example of the type of research prospective i3 scholars may contribute to during their time as graduate students. Information science programs like UC Berkeley are often characterized by their ability to converge different classical academic backgrounds, allowing the resulting synergy to drive forward novel research protocols.
A special thank you to the Associate Director of Admissions Shelley Kim for presenting information about the programs within the School of Information, spending time with our cohort, and answering their questions.
We are especially excited about this partnership as it creates a unique opportunity for i3 scholars present and future to alleviate many of the financial barriers associated with pursuing their graduate degree. Members of the iSchool Inclusion Institute will be eligible for varying levels of tuition remission and graduate stipends at UC Berkeley across their three master’s programs in the School of Information. In addition, i3ers admitted as Ph.D. students are guaranteed full funding for the duration of the program.
We are happy to note that there is no GRE requirement and the application fee is waived for i3 scholars. Decisions like these open up post-secondary opportunities to a wider range of possible scholars who are passionate about pursuing careers in the information sciences.
In addition to the Ph.D. Program, UC Berkeley’s School of Information offers three Master’s Degrees including two fully online programs: (1) Master’s of Information and Cybersecurity and (2) Master’s of Information in Data Science. The flexibility of the online programs may allow applicants with substantial work experience to keep their full-time job with the ability to complete their master’s degree part-time. Admitted applicants may also choose to matriculate as full-time students. (3) The Masters of Information Management and Systems is a 2-year program that is to be completed in-person.
Aptly named for the mission of increasing demographic representation of marginalized populations at iSchools across the globe, the iSchool Inclusion Institute is looking forward to this new partnership as UC Berkeley aims to fulfill their own aspirations of enhancing diversity on campus. The iSchool Inclusion Institute is deeply committed to equipping scholars with the tools necessary to thrive in graduate study and has a talented group of students from underrepresented populations who are hungry to take advantage of this opportunity. In the future, we hope many i3ers will leverage the research experience generated from their 20-month team projects and continue their contributions to the field as Information professionals.