University of California, Berkeley

MIMS Overview

The Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program is a 48 unit, two-year program, designed to train students in the skills needed to succeed as information professionals. Such professionals must be familiar with the theory and practice of storing, organizing, retrieving and analyzing information in a variety of settings in business, the public sector, and the academic world. Technical expertise alone is not sufficient for success; SIMS graduates will be expected to perform and manage a multiplicity of information related tasks. In order to function effectively they will need to:

• understand how to organize information
• analyze user information needs
• be able to design or evaluate information systems that allow for efficient and effective user interaction
• be able to provide and assure the quality and value of information to decision makers
• understand the economic and social environment in which their organization functions
• be familiar with relevant issues in law, economics, ethics, and management

Such a profession is inherently interdisciplinary, requiring aspects of computer science, cognitive science, psychology and sociology, economics, business, law, library/information studies, and communications.