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Information Policy (IPOL)

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IPOL specialization

With faculty drawn from law, economics, history, and the information and social sciences, the School of Information's Information Policy (IPOL) specialization offers both breadth and depth in the study of information policy.

IPOL faculty and students teach, learn, and conduct field-leading research in each of the following areas: intellectual property, IT standards, media and telecommunications policy, information privacy and security, competition and antitrust, research and innovation policy, and digital governance.

What can I do with a career interest in information policy?

  MSI graduates with an IPOL specialization have the skills and training to analyze, respond to, and create effective policy related to the rapidly changing information and technology environment in government, business, and the nonprofit sector.

Career Industry Areas: Government agencies, defense, service corporations, computer hardware/software, healthcare, biotechnology firm, healthcare, human rights group, consulting, software publishing firm, professional organizations

Career Titles: Policy analyst, privacy officer, information security officer, information engineer, copyright specialist, policy advisor, risk analyst, program officer, compliance analyst, consultant

Employment Outlook: From intellectual property to IT standards, telecommunications to privacy, security, and digital governance, information policy has emerged in recent years as a dynamic and fast-growing field and a key shaper in the information landscape of the future. A rapidly growing area within information policy across all industries is security, specifically cyber security. Jobs in this field are projected to have favorable growth over the next decade. Another area for growth will be health care, specifically within bioinformatics, as information privacy and security will be key concerns.

IPOL internships

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

  • American Library Association- IT Policy Office
  • Renaissance Systems & Services-Executive Operations
  • University of Michigan Law Library
  • Institute for Social Research
  • Information Technology Industry Council
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • U.S. Dept of the Interior- John Van Oosten Library
  • Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
  • Deloitte & Touche
  • Internet2
  • Kahn Consulting
  • University of Michigan-Office of Technology Transfer

MSI-IPOL employment outcomes

Organizations employing MSI-IPOL graduates have included:

  • Booz Allen Hamilton
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • Eli Lilly
  • Washington State Library
  • University of Michigan Law Library
  • Federal Trade Commission
  • Public Knowledge
  • Information Services Group
  • American Library Association-IT Policy Office
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Cuscapi Berhad- IT Division
  • Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

IPOL specialization requirements (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.

Students must complete 12 credits from the list below, including SI 507 which is required:

  • SI 507: Foundations of Information Policy Analysis and Design (3 credits, required)
     
  • SI 510: Special Topics: Data Security and Privacy: Legal, Policy and Enterprise Issues (3 credits)
  • SI 519: Special Topics: Intellectual Property and Information Law (3 credits)
  • SI 523: Special Topics: Information and Control (3 credits)
  • SI 532: Digital Government I: Information Technology and Democratic Politics (1.5 credits)
  • SI 533: Digital Government II: Information Technology and Democratic Administration (1.5 credits)
  • SI 541: Systems, Networks, and Webs (3 credits)
  • SI 550: Seminar in Information Policy: Regulation and Politics (3 credits)
  • SI 562: Microeconomics for Information Professionals (1.5 credits)
  • SI 563: Game Theory (1.5 credits)
  • SI 579: Government Information: Issues, Resources, and Policy (3 credits)
  • SI 621: Information, Ethics and Applied Policy (3 credits)
  • SI 655: Management of Electronic Records (3 credits)
  • SI 657: Information Technology and International Development (3 credits)

The IPOL faculty coordinator for the 2011-12 academic year is John King.

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