Information Sciences is the multidisciplinary area bridging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its practical use in society. Are you interested in how information is created and processed in companies and institutions? Are you more interested in the application of technology than technology for its own sake? Do you believe it's important not to lose sight of the role people, organizations and cultures play in designing, modelling, communicating and sharing information? Are you fascinated by knowledge and innovation? If so, then the Master's programme in Information Sciences at VU Amsterdam is an excellent choice for you.
Information Sciences (IS, in other countries also called Information Systems) focus on theory development and best practices of effective creation, structuring, processing, communication and sharing of information and knowledge using ICT. Information processes and contexts of organizations and individuals are studied, not just from a technological perspective but also from the social, economic, cognitive and organizational perspectives.
At VU we pay special attention to the latest innovative developments and applications of ICT, related to Internet, World Wide Web, multimedia, intelligent systems, and electronic business. Here are some of the advanced topics that IS researchers at VU currently investigate:
- How can major international artists (such as DJ Jean, take a look at www.cs.vu.nl/~gordijn/clip-mainmenu.htm) get e-paid via Web services, when their music is broadcast over Internet radiostations across the whole world?
- How can you make the World Wide Web intelligent so that it becomes much more easy to represent, process and share electronic information and knowledge across companies and communities of interest? (See for example VU's prize-winning FLINK application at prauw.cs.vu.nl:8080/flink/ on social networks on the Web.)
- How do you design multimedia databases for broad user groups on the Internet on, say, some pop music style or museum art collection, including videoclips, sound samples, explanatory notes, and an easily searchable discography or collection overview?
- What are successful networked business models for small and medium-sized enterprises to offer e-services over the Web, for example for sustainable and cost-effective energy management in smart buildings, or electronic support for medical and elderly care at home?
IS at the Vrije Universiteit strikes a healthy balance by combining technology and information with the study of people, culture and organizations. It builds on a solid computer science foundation, but does so in an inherently multidisciplinary approach that continuously crosses and challenges the boundaries between exact and social sciences. Our research is at the international forefront, an achievement directly reflected in the Master's programme. Social, communicative and managerial skills are important in IS. So, during your study you will regularly work in project teams and collaborate with others to solve practical problems regarding complex information systems in real-life settings.
Both the Bachelor and Master programmes in IS are organized by VU's Faculty of Sciences. Information about the Bachelor programme IS or "Informatiekunde" can be found in a separate study guide. All VU studyguides are also available on the Web.
