Undergraduate Programs
Shape the future of information.
Find out how our undergraduate programs are right for you:
The University of Arizona College of Information Science stands at the forefront of undergraduate education in the fields of information science, data science and visualization, artificial intelligence, game design and development, games and behavior, esports, immersive technologies, extended and virtual reality, computational arts and more.
We are dedicated to your success, delivering a world-class, cross-disciplinary education—through a dynamic range of courses (including featured courses), events like the iShowcase, internships and other professional development, student clubs and other involvement opportunities and more—that empowers you with the skills and knowledge you need to drive the digital revolution.
OUR BACHELOR'S DEGREES

If you're interested in information systems, computer programming, and the convergence of technologies. Words like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the metaverse inspire you.

The National Security Agency designated the University of Arizona's Cyber Operations program as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). The NSA's CAE-CO designation demonstrates that UA's Cyber Operations program meets the most demanding academic and technical requirement.

In the top 25-ranked BSGDD, offered on campus and online (beginning Fall 2025), you'll master cutting-edge skills and gain hands-on experience in the world of game design and development, including conceptualization, market analysis, technical design and usability. Whether aiming to revolutionize entertainment, transform educational methods, innovate in training or pioneer new applications in healthcare, you'll be ready to excel in a wide variety of in-demand careers.

Not just about gaming, the on-campus BA GB delves into the profound impact of gamification on society, where you'll be immersed in the fundamentals of multimedia, storytelling, sound technologies and more, unlocking new realms of creativity without the need for an extensive knowledge in computer programming.

In the top 20-ranked, STEM-designated BSIS, offered on campus, you'll be equipped with the versatile, cross-disciplinary skills you need to solve society’s most critical information challenges. Choose one of two emphasis areas, Data Science or Interactive and Immersive Technologies, to gain the hands-one computational, mathematical and technological foundation you need to analyze and extend the digital world.

In the STEM-designated, on-campus BA IS&A, you'll be immersed in the fusion of technology and creativity that is computational arts—exploring the magic of creative coding and digital storytelling, the intricacies of human-computer interaction, the interactive realms of virtual reality and the subtleties of user experience, preparing you for a dynamic career in one of our fastest growing industries.

Offered on campus and online, the STEM-designated BA IS&ES prepares you for a transformative future at the intersection of technology and society, immersing you in an interdisciplinary curriculum that explores digital media and media theory, digital engagement and storytelling, online behavior, internet studies, social media and networks, digital life and its impact on human behavior, content creation and more.

You're interested in protecting the American people, obtaining a top-secret security clearance, and the analytic rigor of intelligence work. You want to learn in a program with an Intelligence Community (IC) designation.

You're interested in leading people, managing business operations, and developing organizations. You know you're a leader; you just need some help developing leadership skills.
COMPARE UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
Regardless of which degree students pursue, all undergraduate majors in the College of Information Science have three goals (or student competencies) in addition to additional degree-specific program goals:
- Students will be able to perform the four fundamental tasks of research: design, data collection, analysis and presentation of results.
- Students will be able to effectively work with diverse groups and people.
- Students will be able to recognize and analyze ethical and policy concerns raised by new technologies and craft effective solutions for real-world cases.
Each College of Information Science degree requires 120 units to graduate and a minor or double major.
View or download comparison matrix in PDF format.
Bachelor of Science in Game Design & Development | Bachelor of Arts in Games & Behavior | Bachelor of Science in Information Science | Bachelor of Arts in Information Science & Arts | Bachelor of Arts in Information Science & eSociety | |
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Areas of Study |
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Campus | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main Online |
Required Emphasis Area? | No | No | Yes: Data Science or Interactive & Immersive Technologies | No | No |
STEM-Designated? | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Math Requirement | Higher (Elements of Calculus) | Lower (Exploring Data) | Higher (Elements of Calculus) | Lower (Exploring Data) | Lower (Exploring Data) |
Second Language Requirement | 2 semesters | 4 semesters | 2 semesters | 4 semesters | 4 semesters |
Accelerated Master’s Program Option | No | No | Yes: MS in Information Science | No | Yes: MA in Library & Information Science |
Career Possibilities Include: |
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Average Salary* | $95,000* | $65,000-$93,000* | $93,000* | $82,000* | $82,000* |
* Average salary data for degree graduates according to Built In, PayScale aand Zippia, January 2024. Subject to change and not a guarantee of starting salary or average salary once established in career.
OUR UNDERGRADUATE MINORS
APPLIED COMPUTING
Develop core skills to propel your career in the field of applied computing. Choose from one of six areas of emphasis to specialize your degree: Software Development, Information Management, Network Operations, Applied Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and DevOps.
ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
Students will gain knowledge, skills and the ability to be superior leaders that positively affect organizational, social, cultural, and economic goals and change initiatives.
eSPORTS
Gain a general understanding of esports industries, gaming communities and the social issues related to gaming for sport, including recent gaming trends in society. Offered on campus and online.
GAMES & BEHAVIOR
Gain an understanding of game design and related social and societal factors, including important design principles and human behavior in games, without needing extensive knowledge of programming. Offered on campus and online.
GAME DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Gain an introduction to programming, design and game development fundamentals, learning to develop games both for entertainment, applications and other purposes. Offered on campus and online.
INFORMATION SCIENCE & eSOCIETY
An ideal add-on for virtually any U of A major, this minor provides insight into issues in contemporary digital society from a variety of vantage points. Offered on campus and online.
INFORMATION SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & THE ARTS
Learn about all facets of information, from deriving information to managing information to extracting meaning from information. Offered on main campus.
LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE
Gain an understanding for work related to libraries, archives, special collections, material preservation, health information management and more. Available on campus and online.
OUR UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATES
Although undergraduate academic certificates are not professional certifications, they signal to employers that students have dedicated the time and energy necessary to build fluency with concepts explored in the certificates.
CERTIFICATE IN CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud Certificate will provide undergraduate students the confidence and training they need to leverage virtualization and cloud technologies to support small and large businesses and government and non-governmental organizations. It will develop the necessary skills and confidence for tackling the complicated infrastructure related to virtualization, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure.
CERTIFICATE IN CYBER DEFENSE
This certificate provides students with the skills necessary to design defensible network architectures; employ active and passive defensive technologies; arm those defensive technologies with tactical Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI); conduct Network Security Monitoring (NSM) and Threat Hunting operations; respond to security incidents; and how to manipulate network environments in order to defend against advanced cyber threats. Students will conduct interactive exercises to secure Linux and Windows operating systems; conduct network traffic flow analysis and forensics; conduct anomaly/intrusion detection and identification; identify and block command and control operations; conduct Incident Response (IR) activities; and how to implement and manage Zero Trust Networks (ZTN) within on-premises and cloud-based environments.
CERTIFICATE IN CYBER OPERATIONS
This certificate has an affiliated program, the Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations. Completing the requirements for this certificate in addition to the BAS in Cyber Operations will qualify the student for the UA Cyber Operations Undergraduate Certificate as well as the designation from the National Security Agency (NSA) that a student has conformed with all of the requirements of the NSA Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations program.
CERTIFICATE IN CYBERSECURITY
This Undergraduate Certificate in Cyber Security is designed to provide students in related fields with the opportunity to earn a certificate in a fast-growing and highly desired career field.
CERTIFICATE IN DATA SCIENCE & VISUALIZATION
Develop the skills and confidence to tackle real-world data problems using modern programming languages.
CERTIFICATE IN DIGITAL FORENSICS
The Digital Forensics Certificate will provide undergraduate students the confidence and training they need in incident response and various digital forensics including network forensics, mobile device forensics, host (Windows) and network (Linux) forensics and advanced memory forensics.
CERTIFICATE IN GAMES & SIMULATION
Develop the skills necessary to create virtual interactive environments that span devices and platforms.
CERTIFICATE IN NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING
Develop skills to each computers to use language by extracting knowledge from text and using that knowledge in meaningful ways.
CERTIFICATE IN SECURITY COMPUTING
The Security Computing Certificate will teach students how to apply the Python programming language to solve cybersecurity problems and conduct digital investigations. Students will learn how to develop, debug, execute, and deploy offensive and defensive python scripts; how to develop algorithms, determine the complexity of the algorithm, and identify cases in which the algorithm would/would not provide a reasonable approach for solving the specific problem; how to use Python to visualize security datasets; and how to develop Python-based machine learning models to detect, analyze, and defeat cyber deception operations. Upon completion of the certificate, students will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses associated with the use of automated tools to solve complex security-related problems; create and use Python-based algorithmic solutions; and be able to apply existing Python libraries to support common security-related tasks.
UNDERGRADUATE HONORS
Graduate with honors from any of our undergraduate degrees and complete independent research with our renowned faculty. Learn more about being a Universrity of Arizona honors student:
Ready to shape the future of information?
Learn more about our undergraduate programs by contacting us at infosci-ugrad@arizona.edu or review the admissions process and begin your application now: