Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Master of Science in Information Studies (IS)
50, Singapore
MSc
DURATION
12 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SGD 42,230
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
The MSc in Information Studies (IS) programme blends theory and practice to meet the growing demand for skilled information professionals. It equips students with expertise across the breadth of the field, from library science to information analytics, preparing them to lead and innovate in the digital and AI-driven economy.
Graduates will develop both leadership and analytical skills to:
- Identify organisational information needs and gaps
- Capture, search, organise, classify, analyse, and use information effectively
- Build and manage information organisations and systems
Courses cover the full information life cycle—creation, appraisal, capture, organisation, retrieval, analysis, use, preservation, and management of information resources. Emerging topics, such as misinformation and disinformation, are also addressed to ensure graduates are prepared for contemporary challenges in the field.
Learning is highly applied: students build digital libraries using open-source tools, extract actionable insights from social media data, analyse information user behaviour, and design inclusive information products and services. This strong integration of theory and practice ensures graduates are ready to pursue impactful careers in libraries, information-intensive industries, and the growing field of information analytics.
Programme Structure & Duration
The programme commences each year in early August and is available in both full-time and part-time. Students are required to complete 30 Academic Units (AU) within their candidature period to be awarded the degree.
Each course, including Critical Inquiry, carries 3 Academic Units (AUs) while the Dissertation carries 6 AUs.
* To pursue the Dissertation option, students must have a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.00 or above. Students may require additional semesters to complete their project.
** Critical Inquiry is a group project consisting of three students.
Candidature
Candidates may apply either for full-time or part-time programme. To be awarded the degree, students will need to complete their programme requirement within their candidature period. A minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.50 is required to successfully complete the programme.
| Full-Time Candidature | Part-Time Candidature | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum |
| 2 semesters | 4 semesters | 4 semesters | 8 semesters |
| (Note: 1 academic year is equivalent to 2 semesters.) |
Curriculum
IS6702 Research Methods in Human Information Behaviour
This course provides an introduction to research methods as applied in the field of human information behaviour. Students will gain a foundational understanding of the major paradigms and theories of information behaviour, as well as the principles and techniques of designing and evaluating research studies.
Paradigms in social science and human information behaviour research. Theories and models in human information behaviour. Research ethics. Research design and procedures. Conceptualization and operationalization. Sampling. Survey research. Experiments. Qualitative research. Nonreactive research. Data analysis methods. Scholarly writing. Evaluation of research quality.
IS6713 Information Representation and Retrieval
This course provides an introduction on how information in different forms of documents can be represented, organised and indexed to support effective search and retrieval. It covers the main concepts of information retrieval, Boolean and Non Boolean models, use of standards and controlled vocabulary, and the design and evaluation of such retrieval systems.
Description and representation of information sources. Information retrieval systems principles. Organising information sources. Metadata. Natural language and controlled vocabularies. Information standards. Query structures and matching process: Boolean and Vector Space models. Visualising information. Designing and evaluating information retrieval systems. Image, multimedia and web information retrieval. Trends in information representation and retrieval.
IS6714 Information Organisation
This course introduces the principles and practices of metadata creation, and the organisation of physical and digital information resources. Students will be given an overview of the prominent standards and tools in resources description, vocabulary control, classification, and metadata encoding.
Functions and purposes of information organisation systems. Process of metadata creation. Resource description and cataloguing. Descriptive metadata schemas. Authority control. Subject analysis and access. Controlled vocabulary. Taxonomy and folksonomy. Classification systems. Metadata encoding.
IS6715 Information Management
This course introduces the basic concepts of information management – how information is identified, evaluated, collected, processed, stored and disseminated in profit and non-profit organisations. The emphasis is on context-based information and its management for planning and decision-making.
Importance of information in society. Information management in learning organisations. Information needs and information seeking in organisations. Information management at institutional and personal levels. Information management cycle and activities. Managing human, print and online information resources. Organisational information politics models. Information sharing tools and barriers. Role of information in strategic planning. Information collection through competitor intelligence, business intelligence, social intelligence and the use of ‘big data’ sources. Marketing of information products and services. Outsourcing of information management activities. Organisational information audit.
IS6717 Information Professions: Heritage, Values and Ethics
This course provides an overview of the broad heritage of information work, to give students an understanding and appreciation of the values/norms that inform this work, as well as the deep roots of many of the problems that continue to confront the information professions today.
Representing and recording information: from papyrus to ebooks. The social construction of scientific information systems. The tangled history of computing technology. Universal bibliography: Konrad Gesner to Paul Otlet to Google. Sorting things out: Linnaeus and Buffon to Dewey and Ranganathan. The social role & development of libraries: public, academic and special. Library history in Singapore. Ethical issues in information work: theories and practical concerns. Contemporary issues in information work.
IS6718 Management of Information Technologies in Organisations
This course examines methods of strategic planning and management of information resources and technologies in libraries and other business organizations. It will cover the latest trends of the continuing evolution of library-related applications and other organizational information technologies. The challenges and opportunities presented by such rise of advanced technologies will also be explored. Tools and techniques for planning, implementing and managing technological change for libraries and information services in organisations. Technologies in organisations computing basics, network and database applications, libraries systems, collaborative software, communication technologies, social software, mobile software services and big data technologies. Human computer interaction and social aspects of information technologies.
IS6721 Collection Development and Management
This course covers the principles and techniques used for developing, managing, and evaluating print and non-print materials. Students will also learn about the impact of contemporary issues including intellectual freedom, copyright and censorship on collection development and management activities.
Key concepts related to collection development and management. Community analysis and information needs assessment. Formulation of resource development and management policy. Censorship and intellectual freedom. Selection approaches and tools. Role and evaluation of library vendors. Access to and management of electronic information resources. Patron-Driven Acquisitions. Library consortia for collaborative collection development. Licensing and contract negotiation, Financial planning for collection development. Conservation and preservation of materials. Evaluation of collection using a variety of collection-centred and user-centred techniques. De-selection of materials.
IS6722 Cataloguing and Classification
This course covers cataloguing and classification principles and practices, with special emphasis on the standards and systems in the library communities. Students will gain experience in conducting cataloguing work, which include bibliographic description, authority control, subject cataloguing, classification, and MARC encoding. A concentrated focus will be on the description and access of digital resources.
Principles and processes of bibliographic control. Bibliographic description standards (AACR2r, RDA). Name-title authority control. Subject cataloguing and indexing. Bibliographic classification (LCC). Faceted classification. Encoding of bibliographic records (MARC21). Descriptive and subject cataloguing of digital materials. Bibliographic utilities and integrated library systems (OCLC Connexion).
Prerequisite: Information Organisation or Instructor’s consent.
IS6723 Business & Management Information Sources & Services
This course provides an overview of the wide world of business information sources and services. Students will be exposed to the dimensions of business information, and both print and electronic resources. The types of business information services that can be provided by libraries and information centres will also be looked at.
Business print resources and databases. Government sources and services for business. Economic and industrial indicators. Marketing information resources. Investment information resources. Corporate information needs and services. Competitive intelligence and business. Intellectual property issues. Future trends in the provision of information to business.
IS6724 Children & Young Adults Information Sources & Services
This course provides basic knowledge of children/young adult literature, the value of that literature in child development, and an understanding of the information needs of children and young adults in the digital age.
History of children’s literature. The importance of children’s literature. Preschool and primary years. Young adult literature. Electronic information sources for children & young adults. Information services. Storytelling and read alouds. Folktales & mythology. Special collections.
IS6729 Organisational Records Management
This course introduces the main concepts and practices of managing records in organisations. It equips students with the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare them as managers of records in organisations.
Foundations and importance of records management. Analysing the context of records. Record creation and capture. Managing the appraisal, retention and disposal of records. Records storage and preservation. Design and implementation of records management. Disaster planning and recovery.
IS6730 Digital Libraries
This course aims to introduce you to the foundation and development of digital libraries. The rapid growth in born-digital content and digitized resources has increased the demand for many institutions (including libraries, memory institutions, governments, and commercial enterprises) to build digital collections. The course aims to equip you with the theoretical knowledge and technical skills to build digital libraries using open-source tools. You will learn how information methods and techniques—such as metadata, taxonomy, XML, full-text indexes, Web applications, and database systems—are used together to build digital libraries. This course has an emphasis on technical aspects; you will gain hands-on experience building digital libraries using digital library building tools.
IS6734 Reference and Information Discovery
This course develops basic searching skills to effectively retrieve information using different information systems. It also familiarises students to key reference sources and activities, and how to manage a reference service.
Basic searching concepts and developing search strategies. Use of basic and advanced search features of a retrieval system. Various search techniques and result refinement. Use of database thesauri. Selection of online vendors and databases. Evaluation of search results. History and philosophy of reference service. Evaluation and selection of key reference sources. Conducting reference interviews. Marketing and promotion of information services. User education and instruction. Evaluation of reference services. Virtual reference services. Changing role of information professionals in new reference environment.
IS6750 Social Media Analytics
This course develops analytical ability with respect to the variety of information provided by the web and social media applications. In providing an overview of cutting-edge social media analytics with an emphasis on applications to real life problems, students will learn about the mechanisms for observing behavioural and consumer generated information as well as the leading-edge technologies that aid in the collection and analysis of these data.
Techniques for managing, exploring, visualizing, and analysing data from social media applications. Strategic aspects of social media analytics. Metrices for assessing the effectiveness of social media strategies. Collecting, analysing and deriving insights from social media data. Social Network Analysis.
IS6751 Text and Web Mining
This course is an introduction to text and web data mining. Students will learn how to analyse unstructured data (i.e. text contents), hyperlinks, and usage data on the Web using text and data mining techniques. The basic concepts of data mining: supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and semi-supervised learning. Text mining: natural language processing and information extraction. Web mining: web crawling, web usage mining, and semantic web. Opinion mining and sentiment analysis. Tools for web data mining.
IS6752 Data Extraction Techniques
This course covers how to obtain data from the web, and prepare retrieved data in various formats for further analysis. Students will learn various data crawling techniques and tools both through lectures and hands-on exercises in labs. Principles and concepts of data collection and preparation; Data gathering techniques: Web crawling, APIs for Social media data collection; Database definition and manipulation: structured query language, transaction processing, and access control; Client-side technologies: Web content representation with mark-up languages and dynamic Web page generation with script languages. Server-side technologies: application programming languages.
IS6753 User Metrics and Analytics
This course examines metrics and analytics of users’ online and offline preferences and behaviours. It introduces principles, techniques, and new technologies for measuring and analysing users’ experiences with information services, online platforms, and information technologies. Students will learn to capture, visualise, analyse, and evaluate a variety of user metrics, including cognitive, affective, behavioural, physiological, performance-related, and geospatial measures.
IS6754 Disinformation and the Information Professions
The course aims to offer an understanding of the complexity of the issue of disinformation/ misinformation and provide an overview of what is being done in response to its proliferation. It is meant for those interested in joining, or already part of, the information professions. Given that part of the remit of these professions is the provision of high quality information sources, understanding the complexity of disinformation/misinformation and potential responses is an important skill that these professionals need to cultivate. By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Develop an awareness of the historical antecedents of the current issue of disinformation/misinformation. 2. Describe the economic/social/knowledge context underpinning the current spread of disinformation/misinformation.
3. Develop an ability to constructively critique potential responses to the issue of disinformation/misinformation.
IS6755 Inclusion by Design: Disability and Digital Inclusion
Internationally, disability inclusion and the digital has come under the spotlight since the advent of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In Singapore and across Asia-Pacific, both state actors, transnational bodies, and also corporates are increasingly focused on disability and digital inclusion. Amidst this global push, what does it mean to do and achieve digital inclusion? What aspects, issues, policies, standards, and practices impinge on digital inclusion? How can we contribute to and create digital inclusive practices and/or policies? Across the course, we will spotlight current cases/examples/practices with a specific focus on Asian contexts.
IS6791 Social Sciences & Humanities Sources & Services
This course seeks to broaden students understanding of electronic and print information sources, focusing specifically on the areas of social science and the humanities. It seeks also to contextualize the use of these tools within the wider world of specific social and humanities domains of knowledge production.
At the end of this course students will; 1) Have an understanding of the social worlds of three social science or humanities disciplines. 2) Be aware of the major information tools for the social sciences and humanities. 3) Have an understanding of the role of government in the production of information in the social science and humanities.
Research Project
IS6799 Critical Inquiry
Role of critical thinking, evaluation and research in information and knowledge work; steps in carrying out a research project: problem identification, critique and review of research; selection and use of theoretical framework, methodological design, data collection and analysis; developing a research proposal; communicating research results; assessment and use of results of research studies; ethical concerns and issues associated with research.
Cross-listed Courses from Other Programmes
IN6204 Software Project Management
This course is an introduction to software project management concepts and management. Core issues that will be looked at include Project communication and documentation; Risk Management; and Best Practices. Students will examine case studies in project management to better grasp the various areas of software project management.
IN6207 Human-Computer Interaction - Users, Tasks & Designs
In this course students will be given an introduction to general design and usability issues, with respect to key cognitive and physical human capabilities and their relations to the design of usable and useful systems. The course will also look at international design heuristics and guidelines from three perspectives: cultural, ethical and legal, and relate design and usability methods to the wider systems development process.
IN6221 Information Visualisation
This course will examine the study of concepts, models and examples for improved information visualisation. Students will look at representation and interpretation data, as well as different forms of document visualisation such as TileBars, galaxies, themescapes, and Kohonen maps.
IN6229 Management of Information Systems Outsourcing
This course provides an overview of management of IS outsourcing, which includes planning and management of IS outsourcing, sourcing strategies, models, related legal issues, and managing global IS outsourcing. Students will also examine risk mitigation practices and best practices and case studies of IS outsourcing.
KM6308 Business Intelligence
Business intelligence in the corporate environment: application, systems and processes. Characteristics of competitor, competitive and social intelligence. Business intelligence and growth opportunities: political, economic and social environments. Business intelligence strategies and systems. Business intelligence in various contexts: product, customer and supplier. Internet and Web-based intelligence. Ethical issues related to business intelligence.
KM6312 Information Mining & Analysis
Principles and concepts of knowledge discovery and data mining. The knowledge discovery process. Data preparation. Techniques and methods for extracting information and knowledge from large amounts of data. Statistical methods. Machine learning techniques: decision tree induction, nearest neighbour categorisation, Bayesian learning, neural networks, association rules, and clustering. Text and Web mining for unstructured data. Data mining for KM applications.