AN ETHICALLY FOCUSED, STRATEGIC APPROACH
Information is more than data points and statistics — information drives strategic advantage and social empowerment. In the right hands, information can create innovation and productivity built on more inclusive systems that drive society forward and create opportunities for individuals to make a meaningful difference. Infused with elements of equity, inclusion and social consciousness, the MSIM program will give you a foundational knowledge of the many facets of information management and teach you to consider the human implications and impacts of information systems.
You will gain a holistic knowledge of systems thinking, data-driven strategic planning, ethics and social responsibility that will help you solve organizational problems and critically analyze procedures across all areas of information management. You will graduate ready to become an innovative leader actively taking the information field in a new direction — one that not only solves organizational challenges, but also has a positive impact on society.
KEY DEADLINES
*Completed applications by the deadlines above will be evaluated for merit-based scholarships.

HOW THE MSIM WILL ADVANCE YOUR CAREER
Being an expert in a single field is not enough to lead in the complex information age. Good information leaders need to understand the complexities of people, technology, and processes in the context of their organization and society. We will provide you with a holistic perspective of information management that will enable you to understand and develop innovative solutions to advance organizational strategy across industry sectors.
You will take a set of foundational core courses that cover six key elements:
- Strategic leadership
- Information management
- Professionalism
- Information technology
- Ethics and policy
- System thinking and problem-solving
These courses give you a comprehensive understanding of information management practices that, combined with demonstrated and applied expertise, will make you a highly sought-after information management leader and set you apart in the job market.
CAREER PATHS
MSIM students gain the critical, analytical and management skills necessary to lead complex, information-intensive initiatives. Graduates often see immediate professional benefits in the form of new positions, promotions or larger leadership roles in their organizations.
Typical job categories for recent graduates specializing in Business Intelligence, Data Science, and/or Program/Product Management and Consulting include:
ANALYSTS AND CONSULTANTS
- Senior data analyst
- Business intelligence analyst
- IT advisory risk consultant
- Senior information consultant
- Senior systems analyst
- Senior technical consultant
- Professional services consultant
MANAGERS
- Manager of data science/analytics
- Project manager
- Program manager
- Product manager
- IT service manager
- Manager of business systems
STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT
The longer-term career trajectory of many of our graduates is toward Strategic Oversight roles such as:
- Chief Technology Officer
- Chief Information Officer
- Director, Strategic Execution
- Director, Strategic Technology Initiatives
DEGREE TRACKS
You can tailor the MSIM program to suit your goals and your life, whether you choose to join the online or residential program. We offer three degree path options: Mid-Career, Early-Career and Early-Career Accelerated.

Early-Career
The Early-Career MSIM track is great if you are a recent college graduate, have less than five years of professional experience, or are looking for an opportunity to explore a wider range of topics and hands-on experiences.
Overview
- 65 credits
- Option to complete one specialization (Business Intelligence or Data Science), or use electives to customize your learning
- Address a real-world information problem as part of a required Capstone project
- Opportunity to complete one or more internships or applied experiences, including faculty-directed research
- Access to iSchool resources, including the Career Services team and iCareers database, for the full duration of their program—at least two years
- A student can finish in as little as 6 terms if enrolled full-time and taking 3 courses a term

Early-Career Accelerated
The Early-Career Accelerated MSIM track is great if you have focused academic goals. This program is designed to maximize learning across a minimum of 4 terms and is suitable for recent college graduates or early-career professionals.
Overview
- 40 credits
- Option to complete one specialization (Business Intelligence or Data Science), or use electives to customize your learning
- Opportunity to gain hands-on experience through a required practicum, which includes three options: internship, faculty-directed research project, or sponsored project
- A student can finish in as little as 4 terms if enrolled full-time and taking 3 courses a term

Mid-Career
The Mid-Career MSIM track is great if you are a mid-career working professional with at least five years of relevant professional experience.
Overview
- 36 credits
- Opportunity to earn your degree while working full-time or balancing other commitments
- Option to complete one or more specializations (Business Intelligence, Data Science, or Program/Product Management and Consulting); additional specializations require added credits
- A student can finish in as little as 3 terms if enrolled full-time and taking 3 courses a term
CHOOSE YOUR SPECIALIZATION
MSIM students are encouraged to tailor their coursework to their career goals, with the option to complete up to two specializations depending on their program track and interests. Students pursuing their coursework online currently have access to the three most in-demand specializations, with additional specializations available for students enrolled in residential degree options.
For the Business Intelligence and Data Science specializations, there is a single bridge course that provides the prerequisite skills. This will enable all students the ability to select either specialization regardless of your background. These bridge courses are IMT 511 (DS) and IMT 543 (BI).
Business Intelligence (BI)
Building analytical, managerial and baseline technical skills will help you learn to manage the process of transforming data into insight. This specialization has a managerial/strategic focus but also incorporates modern analytics and data warehousing toolsets to provide foundational exposure to key technologies. Courses for this specialization are not sequential.
Technical Skills:
- Transform data into insights by building analytical, managerial and baseline technical skills;
- Design, implement and leverage business intelligence systems from a managerial and strategic lens;
- Develop relational database and SQL knowledge and be exposed to key concepts, such as dimensional data modeling; extracting, transforming and loading data (ETL); machine learning; online analytical processing (OLAP); data warehouse architecture; and developing data visualizations for strategic management.
Data Science (DS)
In this specialization, you will study the computational and quantitative analysis of large datasets to transform data into information. This track will teach you to use methods, tools and frameworks for analyzing and deriving insight from large-scale, heterogeneous data. Courses in this track are sequenced and cannot be taken out of order.
Technical Skills:
- Transform data into action by using computational and quantitative methods, tools and frameworks for analyzing and deriving insight from large-scale, heterogeneous data to make strategic decisions;
- Perform data science using R and Python;
- Learn the theoretical and practical foundations of data science through key concepts such as exploratory data analysis, statistical inference, supervised and unsupervised machine learning, scaling and distributed computing, and network analysis.
Program/Product Management & Consulting (PPMC)
This specialization prepares current and aspiring program and product managers, and consultants to lead organizations of all sizes and sectors in developing and managing strategic and operational information-related initiatives. Courses for this specialization are not sequential.
Technical Skills:
- Transform organizations through systems and design thinking, problem solving and change management to solve complex organizational problems by engaging stakeholders to align on implementation of new techniques and initiatives.
- Apply industry methods and techniques to analyze and design enterprise systems to organize, plan, control, and implement projects while developing product and project value proposition and success metrics.
- Lead product management teams throughout the product lifecycle while enabling cross-organizational integration and strategic alignment.
COURSE CURRICULUM
CORE COURSES
SPECIALIZATION BRIDGE COURSES
SPECIALIZATION COURSES
ELECTIVES
CULMINATING COURSES
Capstone refers to the three-course sequence required for Early-Career students. Capstone includes either:
- Organization-sponsored applied project
- Faculty-sponsored research project
Practicum refers to the one course required for Early-Career Accelerated track students, and optional for Mid-Career and Early-Career track students. Practicum includes either:
- Organization-sponsored applied project
- Faculty-sponsored research project
- Internship
Sample Track Course Plans
Below represents sample course plans depending on which track you intend to pursue. The MSIM online program follows a quarter term schedule. The quarters are: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Each term is 10 weeks long with one week for exams, finals, or final projects.
Early-Career Track
Term | EARLY CAREER COURSE PLAN* |
---|---|
Term 1 | IMT 500 (3) IMT 580 (4) |
Term 2 |
IMT 550 (4) Optional: Bridge course or Specialization #1 (4) |
Term 3 | IMT 570 (4) Specialization #1 (4) |
Term 4 |
Specialization #1 (4) Capstone I (1) Elective (4) |
Term 5 |
Specialization #1 or Elective(4) IMT 596 Capstone II (2) |
Term 6 |
Optional: Bridge course or Elective (4) IMT 597 Capstone III (2) |
Term 7 | Specialization #2 (4) Internship (5) |
Term 8 | Specialization #2 (4) Elective (4) |
Term 9 | Specialization #2 (4) |
Total | ~18 courses (65 credits) |
* A student can finish in as little as 6 terms if enrolled full-time and taking 3 courses a term.
Early-Career Accelerated Track
Term | EARLY CAREER ACCELERATED COURSE PLAN** |
---|---|
Term 1 | IMT 500 (3) IMT 580 (4) |
Term 2 |
IMT 550 (4) Optional: Bridge course or Specialization (4) |
Term 3 | IMT 570 (4) Specialization (4) |
Term 4 | Specialization (4) Practicum (6) |
Term 5 | Specialization or Elective (4) Elective (3) |
Total | ~10 courses (40 credits) |
** A student can finish in as little as 4 terms if enrolled full-time and taking 3 courses a term.
Mid-Career Track
Term | MID CAREER COURSE PLAN*** |
---|---|
Term 1 |
IMT 580 (4) Optional: Bridge course (4) or IMT 500 (3) |
Term 2 | IMT 550 (4) Specialization (4) |
Term 3 | IMT 570 (4) Specialization (4) |
Term 4 | Specialization (4) Elective (4) |
Term 5 | Elective (4) |
Total | ~9 courses (36 credits) |
*** A student can finish in as little as 3 terms if enrolled full-time and taking 3 courses a term.
*** For students wishing to broaden their MSIM degree, it is possible to extend your time at the iSchool to complete a second specialization or additional experiential learning projects.
UW MSIM: Residential vs. Online Comparison
Online | Residential | |
---|---|---|
Degree | Residential and online students earn the same MSIM degree. | |
Course Delivery | Complete your coursework from anywhere, in the U.S. or internationally. Complete most coursework asynchronously, with live online classes scheduled for 90 minutes each week. | Courses take place on the UW campus in Seattle, Washington. Attend in-person classes at specific dates and times (3-4 hours a week); complete reading and assignments asynchronously. |
Enrollment Dates and Application Processes | Start in any quarter you choose: Enrollment takes place each winter, spring, summer, and autumn. There are three review periods each enrollment cycle. | 1 start date per year: Enrollment takes place each autumn. Application processes and timelines vary and candidates are advised to pay careful attention to the dates and details associated with their chosen program track. |
To Apply | Click here | Click here |
Application Requirements |
| |
Specializations | 3 available:
| 6 available:
|
Tracks / Options | Students choose from Early-Career, Early-Career Accelerated, and Mid-Career options. | |
Curriculum | Residential and online students have the same requirements and take the same courses. | |
Part Time / Full Time | All students can complete their studies part-time or full-time. | Mid-Career students can complete their studies part-time. Mid-Career students may take a full-time course load, but will not be eligible for a visa by doing so. Early-Career and Early-Career Accelerated students are expected to be enrolled full-time. |
Student Support | Resources such as career services and academic advising are available. All MSIM students, regardless of their program mode, also have access to career events and programming offered through the iSchool and the University of Washington Career and Internship Center. A dedicated Student Success Coach supports students throughout the program. | Resources such as career services and academic advising are available. All MSIM students, regardless of their program mode, also have access to career events and programming offered through the iSchool and the University of Washington Career and Internship Center. |
Campus Resources | All UW students (online or residential) have access to campus resources (UW Libraries, disability services, mental health support, student employment, athletic facilities, etc.) though some campus resources cannot be delivered remotely. | |
Tuition & Fees | Tuition and fees are the same for all students, regardless of citizenship or Washington state resident status. Residential and online modes share the same tuition rates, subject to change at the start of each academic year for both new and continuing students. A $250 non-refundable deposit is required to accept the offer of admission. | |
Scholarships | Applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships upon admission review. Applicants are able to apply for supplemental scholarship awards for their first quarter. Graduate Assistantships and student employment opportunities are available. | Applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships upon admission review. Endowed scholarships are available in the second year of the MSIM program. Graduate Assistantships and student employment opportunities are available. |
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COMPARE PROGRAMS
MSIM: Master of Science in Information Management (Information School) | MBA: Master of Business Administration (Foster School of Business)* | MSDS: Master of Science in Data Science (Interdisciplinary, UW Graduate School) | |
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*Note: Foster offers several MBA programs, only three of which are captured in this chart.