Informatics

Do you want to learn how to design better user interfaces? Are you curious to learn how to observe people when they use information technology and how to turn your findings into innovative products? Do you wonder how data privacy laws affect the design of software worldwide? Do you care about helping people in need with mobile apps? Are you interested in learning how organizations apply AI to their problems?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, UC Irvine’s Informatics major might be the choice for you.

The B.S. in Informatics is designed around a small set of core courses that introduce the fundamentals of Informatics (human computer interaction, design), software (programming, requirements analysis), and human behavior (social analysis of computerization). From there, students can pick clusters of classes in different advanced topics like human-computer interaction, health informatics, and organizations and information technology to advance their skills and develop their interests. The major is inherently interdisciplinary, with courses drawing on areas from sociology and psychology to management and public health, depending on the direction you choose.

Throughout the major, project courses offer students hands-on experiences in creative design practices, app development, ethnography, information management, business IT, and other topics. You learn how to apply your skills in different domains and work in different teams, culminating in a two-quarter capstone course in which you engage in a real-world project sponsored by a company or organization outside the university.

Overall, the major emphasizes people and design. It teaches you how existing technologies shape human behavior, society, and culture, and explores how we can design future technologies that better fit human and organizational practices. Given the fluid nature of people’s expectations for information technology and what tomorrow’s technology can offer, students learn how to adapt to the evolving nature of the profession — whether it is a new client and their habits, an emerging new device or software capability, or a new team and its practices. More information about the major and its opportunities is available at the Department of Informatics website.

Admission

Freshmen Applicants: See the Undergraduate Admissions section.

Transfer Applicants:

Transfer applicants who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one course in statistics or boolean algebra, one year of object-oriented programing (python, java, C++), and completion of lower-division writing. Students are encouraged to complete as many of the lower-division degree requirements as possible prior to transfer. Visit the UCI Office of Admissions website for information on transfer requirements for our major.

Requirements

All students must meet the University Requirements.

Major Requirements

Sample Program

Sample Program of Study — Informatics

Freshman

Fall	Winter	Spring
I&C SCI 31	I&C SCI 32	I&C SCI 33
STATS 7	I&C SCI 6B	SWE 43
WRITING 40	WRITING 50	WRITING 60

Sophomore

Fall	Winter	Spring
I&C SCI 45J	SWE 113	IN4MATX Upper Division I
SWE 121	IN4MATX 131	I&C SCI 139W
IN4MATX 161	General Education III	General Education IV

Junior

Fall	Winter	Spring
IN4MATX Upper Division II	IN4MATX 151	IN4MATX Upper Division IV
ICS Upper Division I	IN4MATX Upper Division III	ICS Upper Division II
General Education III	General Education IV	General Education VI

Senior

Fall	Winter	Spring
IN4MATX 191A	IN4MATX 191B	IN4MATX Upper Division VI
IN4MATX Upper Division V	ICS Upper Division III	ICS Upper Division IV
General Education IV	General Education III/VII	General Education VIII

The department of Informatics website lists a set of competencies intended to support different career paths which the degree supports.