A Unique Professional Degree
The Master of Information (MI) is the Faculty’s largest program, attracting students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. Graduates of this two-year professional program work in government, technology, business, health, education, and not-for-profit organizations, as well as archives, libraries, and other cultural institutions. Some go on to doctoral studies.
The MI program builds on four foundational beliefs: first and foremost, that information penetrates all aspects of our digitally-mediated society. This means that there is an increasing need for information professionals, who know how to handle the myriad forms of information in effective, innovative, and ethical ways, and who also understand the societal consequences of rapidly changing information practices.
ALA accreditation
The Master of Information program is accredited by the American Library Association Committee on Accreditation, with the status of Continued accreditation. The next comprehensive review visit is scheduled for Spring 2025.
A Range of Concentrations
A program concentration is a specialized area of study within a broader academic program, allowing students to focus on specific topics or disciplines of their choice.
Students who complete the requirements for a second concentration can submit a request to Student Services to add it to their degree.
The Culture and Technology (C&T) concentration examines how society, culture, and understanding of the human condition influence, and are influenced by, technological development.
The Critical Information Policy Studies (CIPS) concentration educates a new type of professional specifically trained in critical approaches to the study of information in all its manifestations.
The Human Centred Data Science (HCDS) concentration provides students with the skills and knowledge to deal with complex, large-scale data sets and information systems while integrating a human-centred and societal focus throughout.
The Information Systems and Design (ISD) concentration examines how to analyze, design and implement the diverse array of systems used to manage all kinds of information in businesses and complex organizations.
The Knowledge Management and Information Management (KMIM) concentration explores the access, organization, processing, utilization, and monitoring of information shared within a corporation or community.
The Library and Information Science (LIS) concentration educates students in accessing, analyzing, organizing, evaluating, preserving, researching and presenting information found in all types of formats.
The User Experience Design (UXD) concentration provides students with the necessary core knowledge and skills to become marketable UX designers.
Program Options
The MI program requires students enrolling in 2024 to complete sixteen 0.5 credit courses (8.0 credits total), including 2.0 credits of Professional Requirements. Students are eligible to complete their degree based on course work only. Alternatively, they can participate in co-op or complete a thesis to earn the required credits. Read more about each program option below.
Full-time students can finish the program in two years (with a maximum allowed duration of three years). Part-time students may take up to six years to complete the degree requirements. Part-time students take up to two 0.5 credit courses per term. (0.5 credit courses at the University of Toronto last one semester.)
You must convocate at the first opportunity after your degree requirements are complete – for example, if you finish all your courses and other program requirements in April, you must convocate in Spring; it’s not possible to defer convocation to a later ceremony.
The Ml course work option provides students an opportunity to take a variety of courses within their chosen concentration, including elective courses from any concentration area. Within the program, students will experience breadth and depth in their course work where they can explore information and knowledge management in all its breadth, depth and richness.
The MI co-op is an option within the MI program to complete a total of two (1.0 credit), paid, full-time co-op work terms and gain professional experience in your field of study. It is an opportunity to apply knowledge in a real world situation and gain academic credit for it. Students who complete only one term (0.5 credits) of co-op will officially remain in the coursework pathway option.
The MI thesis option allows students to gain experience in developing and executing a research project from beginning to end. This option is designed for students who have a clearly defined topic, can find a supervisor, and can meet tight deadlines in order to complete all program requirements within the normal time limit. The thesis option is typically carried out in the second year of the two-year program. Faculty approval is required.
Collaborative specializations allow students to specialize in a field outside of their main area of study and count the courses taken as electives in their MI degree program. There are currently eight different collaborative specializations.
MI Grads: Where are they now?
Alexander Parent (MI, Class of 2024)
The first member of his family to attend university, Alexander Parent, who has a mild form of cerebral palsy, chaired the student-run Accessibility Interests Working Group as well as pursuing several research projects. He is now pursuing a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at New York University.
Ken Lui (MI, Class of 2024)
Ken participated in the Toronto Academic Libraries Internship (TALint) program partnership which provided him with invaluable practical experiences that included not only hands-on training in the academic library setting but also mentoring and engagement with professionals. It helped him integrate into the local library community and gain confidence in his ability to join the profession soon after graduation.
Sabrina Macklai (MI, Class of 2023)
Through the Joint Degree program, Sabrina completed both law and information degrees. She is now a Judicial Law Clerk at the Federal Court of Canada.
Program Essentials
More details about admissions requirements for domestic and international students can be found on the MI Applications page.
Information about tuition fees, financial aid, and scholarships and awards can be found on the Money Matters page.
Detailed information Awards, Scholarships and Financial Aid for domestic and international students can be found in the awards section.
Four Foundational Beliefs of the MI Program
The Master of Information Program is built on four foundational beliefs. These are:
- Information penetrates all aspects of our digitally-mediated society.
- Information professionals need to understand the political, technological, and epistemological consequences of rapidly changing information practices.
- Education of information professionals must therefore address issues of leadership and critical thinking, and engage in studies of fundamental concepts, theories, and practices.
- Thorough explorations of technology and resources for information institutions, services, and professionals are essential.
MI Program Learning Outcomes
- Students understand and are conversant with fundamental concepts, theories, practices, and the diverse horizons of information disciplines, and can respond to changing information practices and needs of society.
- Students develop knowledge and values appropriate to their future exercise of economic, cultural, and/or social leadership, and thereby provide leadership in defining the social responsibility of information professionals to provide information services for all, regardless of age, educational level, or social, cultural, or ethnic background.
- Students develop the ability to contribute through research and publication, to the continuous expansion and critical assessment of the body of knowledge underlying the information and archives sciences.
- Students develop an understanding of the development of theory concerning information, where it is found, and how it is used.
- Students develop an understanding of the application of new technological developments to the preservation and communication of information, and in the identification of the impact of such developments on society.
- Students continue in life-long intellectual growth beyond graduation.
Latest News
Congratulations to our newest grads!
The Faculty of Information celebrated its newest grads on October 30. A total of 105 Master of Information students received their degrees alongside one Master of Museum Studies student and five PhD students. Congratulations to all 112 of our Fall 2024 grads. Photos from the ceremony and reception are now available to browse and download.
Fall Convocation: MI grad finds his niche in accessibility design and research
As a student with a mild form of cerebral palsy that affects the right side of his body, Alexander Parent began his studies at the Faculty of Information with a strong interest in both design and critical disability studies. Over the course of his Master of Information program, he not only found his calling in […]
MI students win global ‘service design’ award
Recent Master of Information grad, Samiha Essakhi, and November ’24 grads, Robyn Carino and Mia Mo, have won the Global Service Design Network Award for their work helping to find innovative solutions for employees seeking to improve health care outcomes in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities aka NORCs. Working under the auspices of the NORC Innovation […]
MI student celebrates Canadian women in hip hop in upcoming exhibit
Master of Information student Maria Vidal Valdespino took on the role of Portrait Artist and Researcher for an upcoming exhibit. She created digital artwork celebrating women in Canadian hip hop. The Talking Walls exhibit, “Redefining the Cypher: Women in Canadian Hip Hop,” opens on October 14. Maria got involved in the project through Level Up, […]