Ph.D., Informatics
Innovate Through Research
In the Informatics Ph.D. program, you’ll work with faculty on researching the biggest challenges and opportunities where technology and society meet. Our program combines computer and data sciences with the study of people, organizations, and communities.
You’ll conduct research in areas such as:
- Artificial intelligence and data science to explore machine learning, natural language processing, and large-scale data analytics
- Human–computer interaction to study how people use technology and how to design meaningful and relevant systems that better serve them
- Cybersecurity and privacy to protect information and build trustworthy systems
- Health and biomedical informatics to harness data and technology to improve health care and public health
Along the way, you’ll develop strong skills in both quantitative research, like data analysis and statistical modeling, and qualitative research, like interviews, field studies, and user experience design.
Graduates of the Informatics program go on to become professors, researchers in industry and government, and leaders in organizations that shape how technology is created and used.
Ph.D. Course Requirements
The Ph.D. in Informatics is a 32-credit degree program, which takes around 4 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Core Courses
As a Ph.D. IST student you are expected to develop a broad understanding of foundations, theories and methods across the disciplines that constitute the research landscape of the College. To accomplish this breadth in knowledge, students take these courses during their first year:
- IST 501: Interdisciplinary Research Methods for Information Sciences and Technology (3 credits, Fall)
- IST 590: Colloquium (1 credit Fall, 1 credit Spring)
- Select 9 credits from the program-maintained list of foundational courses
Specialty Courses
You will select 18 credits of research methodology and specialization courses in consultation with your adviser to support progress on your dissertation research.
Research Credits
Under the direction of your adviser, you will complete research credits relevant to your dissertation project.
Program Milestones
In addition to coursework, the Ph.D. in Informatics program includes several milestones:
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You will take a qualifying exam after the first year of study. In this college exam, we assess your ability to understand and apply critical thinking across several different disciplinary perspectives and to demonstrate proficiency in research writing and oral competency.
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After successful completion of the qualifying exam and before the comprehensive exam, you will formally select your doctoral committee.
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The comprehensive exam is taken within 12-18 months of passing the qualifying exam. You will develop and defend a dissertation proposal to your doctoral committee.
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The final defense occurs when you defend your dissertation project to your doctoral committee.
Funding Opportunities
All Ph.D. students are funded through their first and second semesters in the form of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. Graduate assistantships include a stipend sufficient to cover living expenses in the region, full tuition coverage, and health benefits. While we cannot guarantee funding beyond this first year, we have historically been able to fund students through at least their fourth year in the program, so long as they are making acceptable academic progress.
For other financial aid, contact the Office of Student Aid for information on loans and grants or the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards for information on internal and external fellowships.
Graduate Research
Our students and faculty are engaged in cutting-edge projects in a variety of research areas, collaborating extensively with scholars within and outside the college on cutting-edge interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research.
Our research aims to solve society’s most challenging problems that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries—from responding to natural disasters to improving human health and well-being, from protecting national security to making sense of big data, from exploring the connections between gender and technology to utilizing GIS for humanitarian efforts.
Their work is done in the college's research centers and labs, which are led by national and international scholars that cover a broad spectrum of research areas. In addition to our own facilities, we maintain relationships with related centers and labs across the Penn State campus and collaborate around the world.
Research Areas
Human-Centered Computing and Social Informatics
Creating and evaluating interactive systems and studying the affective aspects of user experience.
Informatics and Intelligent Systems
Advancing the capacity to model intelligent behavior and harnessing, applying, and integrating the insights of big data to our world.
Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics
Detecting and removing threats of information misuse, enhancing predictability and trust, and understanding online privacy.
