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While at UMSI, Danny Greitzer interned at Crew Creative, where he created site maps for websites and applications, and at EFG Mobile, where he designed and developed layouts for iPhone applications.

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Community Informatics (CI)

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CI specialization

The Community Informatics (CI) specialization educates professionals who deploy information and communication technologies in service of the public good. Students explore the changing role of information and technology in a civil society, including work in the areas of community networks, E-governance, and information and communications technologies for development.

Through research, service, and practical engagement, CI faculty, students, and graduates work with communities to address literacy in the Internet age, equitable access to the means of digital production, and policies related to communities and information technology.

What can I do with a career interest in community informatics?

MSI graduates with a CI specialization are prepared for positions as public interest information professionals and technical leaders for nonprofit organizations, government agencies, community development agencies, and entrepreneurial social ventures.

Career Industry Areas: nonprofit organization (NPO), cultural institution, government agency, healthcare, nongovernmental organization (NGO), international development organization, ICT4D,  media and technology firms

Career Titles: Community network director, corporate social responsibility manager, community digital media manager, e-community developer, content manager, Web designer, IT manager, outreach director, community engagement librarian, open education coordinator

Employment Outlook: CI jobs are expected to keep up with the growing trend and need for active community engagement, accessibility to information, information literacy and the information and technology needs of service organizations. Specifically, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2009-2010 Edition indicates that CI-related jobs in the area of healthcare will be on the rise.

CI internships

Students gain valuable experience in southeast Michigan and around the globe. Recent internship sites include:

  • Neutral Zone
  • Pro Bono Net
  • Washtenaw County Health Organization
  • U.S. Dept of the Interior- John Van Oosten Library
  • Brookline Public Library
  • University of Michigan Libraries
  • University of Michigan International Institute
  • Wood County District Library
  • Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education ISKME
  • Microsoft Research, India
  • AIESEC Refugee Reception Centre, Hungary
  • (List 12)

MSI-CI employment outcomes

Organizations employing MSI-CI graduates have included:

  • Westland Public Library
  • Washtenaw County Government
  • Freedom from Hunger
  • University of Michigan Library
  • Open.Michigan
  • ProBono Net
  • Arab American National Museum
  • Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education ISKME
  • United Nations World Food Program, Mozambique
  • Catholic Relief Services, Africa
  • (List 12)

CI specialization requirement (current for 2011-2012)

In addition to the specialization requirements below, MSI students must meet all of the degree requirements of the 48-credit MSI program, including foundations, distributions, practical engagement, cognate, and electives.

12 credits from the following list of courses:

  • SI 529: eCommunities: Analysis and Design of Online Interaction Environments
  • SI 532: Digital Government I: Information Technology and Democratic Politics
  • SI 533: Digital Government II: Information Technology and Democratic Administration
  • SI 575: Community Information Corps Seminar
  • SI 621: Information, Ethics, and Applied Policy
  • SI 623: Outcome-based Evaluation of Programs and Services
  • SI 626: Management of Nonprofit Libraries and Information Services
  • SI 631: Practical Engagement Workshop: Content Management Systems
  • SI 645: Information Use in Communities
  • SI 648: InfoCulture: Theory and Methods in the History and Sociology of Information Technology
  • SI 657: Information Technology and International Development
  • SI 686: User-Generated Content

Up to 6 of the 12 specialization credits may be selected from the following courses, offered elsewhere at U-M (these also count as cognate credits):

  • BIT 646: Social Enterprise
  • (Business School, Dept. of Business Information Technology; 1.5 credits)
  • BIT 648: Social Enterprise Projects
  • (Business School, Dept. of Business Information Technology; 1.5 credits)
  • MHS 663: Grant Getting, Contracting, and Fundraising
  • (School of Social Work; 3 credits)
  • NRE 531: Principles of GIS
  • (School of Natural Resources and Environment; 4 credits)
  • ARCH 531: Networked Cities
  • (College of Architecture and Urban Planning; 3 credits)

The CI faculty coordinator for the 2011-12 academic year is Paul Edwards.

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