This research-intensive degree prepares students to tackle real-world problems in the Information Age, equipping them to become thoughtful leaders, innovators, and scholars in faculty and administrative roles at universities, research centers, and private businesses. The program is supported by distinguished faculty and Ph.D. students engaged in cutting-edge research across fields. With a flexible curriculum, students can effectively shape their PhD journey to address contemporary issues from interdisciplinary perspectives.

In a creative and dynamic environment, we focus on:

• Engaging in critical and reflective thinking to address the fundamental challenges of the Information Age.
• Fostering cross-disciplinary thinking to meet complex research and academic standards within complex information ecosystems.
• Preparing scholars who are passionate about the ethical and transformative role of information in shaping society.
• Cultivating a supportive and enriching mentorship environment.
• Mastering literature and practices across the evolving information and library science areas.
• Developing deep expertise in specialty areas related to information.
• Incorporating diverse theoretical perspectives and a wide range of information and library science research methods.
• Honing advanced skills in synthesizing and analyzing cutting-edge research.
• Aspiring to train leaders in information for the future.

Ph.D. students at the iSchool can take advantage of various funding opportunities, including scholarships, assistantships and fellowships, all designed to support their academic journey. These funds are awarded through a competitive selection process.

Apply

Admission to the Ph.D. program is competitive and is based on a holistic review of a student’s educational background, work experience, statement of research interests and personal interview.

If you’re interested in applying for our Ph.D. program at the School of Information Science, here’s what you will need:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in this country, or its equivalent from a foreign institution. Applicants will also possess a master's degree or equivalent from an institution of recognized standing.
• Official academic transcripts from all colleges and universities - whether or not you earned a degree.
• Graduate School application form and application fee.  You must apply online.
• The supplemental application, which includes writing an essay responding to the statements on the application. It is available through the online application.
• A grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Three letters of recommendation. Letters should evaluate your undergraduate or graduate academic performance or your job performance. Letters from friends and relatives about your personal attributes will not be accepted. If you have questions, call the admissions coordinator at 803-777-3887 for guidance.
• International applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the IELTS International Academic Course Type 2 exam. A TOEFL score of at least 570 on the paper-based test or 80 on the internet-based test is required, or an IELTS score of at least 6.5.
• Resumé showing educational and professional experience.

Our students also have to be interviewed by a doctoral committee.

More details are available in our doctoral handbook (pdf).

Our Ph.D. students must complete an approved program of 54 credit hours beyond the master’s level, including a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation preparation with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.

Our program includes 15 hours of core courses and six hours of research methods courses.

Our students choose 12 hours of electives in the School of Information Science from their research area, with a goal of producing work designed for scholarly publication.

They also choose a cognate of nine hours from another area, such as mass communication, sociology, computer science, English, geography, history, marketing, political science, psychology or public administration.

Dissertation preparation accounts for the final 12 hours.

Our students are required to complete at least 18 of their hours on campus over three consecutive major semesters and take comprehensive written and oral examinations before graduating.

Students are required to establish residency in South Carolina for the duration of their coursework.