Using Data and Information to Advance Society
What are Data and Information Sciences?
Data and information sciences bring together a wide range of disciplines that study data, technology and human behavior to understand and solve complex problems. SDIS builds on strengths in library and information science and data science to unite expertise across fields, transforming data into knowledge and exploring how information shapes society.
Academic Programs at SDIS
SDIS offers academic programs across all levels of study, including undergraduate majors and minors, master’s degrees and doctoral programs, spanning data science, information and library science and health informatics.
Undergraduate
Learn more about undergraduate degrees in data science and information science and multiple minors.
Master’s
Learn more about residential and online master’s programs in data science, health informatics, information science and library science.
Doctoral
Learn more about the Ph.D programs in data science, health informatics and information and library science.
#3
in the U.S. for Best Library and Information Science Graduate School 2025 US News & World Report
Top 25
Best Online Data Science Master’s by Fortune (2024)
#4
in the World in QS World Rankings 2025 Library & Information Management
Local Libraries and Generative AI
Diane Kelly
UNC-Chapel Hill has launched a statewide study to better understand how North Carolina communities are encountering generative AI and how local libraries can support AI literacy in meaningful, locally relevant and sustainable ways. SDIS Wilson Distinguished Professor Diane Kelly is leading the study in collaboration with the University Library and the Library of North Carolina.
Partnerships with Tübingen
Anita Crescenzi, Ashok Krishnamurthy, Youzuo Lin and Huaxiu Yao
Researchers from one of Germany’s oldest universities and one of Carolina’s newest academic communities are teaming up to solve complex global challenges. Thanks to a collaborative seed fund from the University of Tübingen and UNC-Chapel Hill, four faculty members launched research partnerships in 2025 with counterparts in Germany.
Read more about their projects spanning cutting-edge data applications in medicine and climate science.
Want to collaborate with us?
Connect with us to explore research partnerships, interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement and opportunities across industry and the public sector. We welcome opportunities to learn, build and create impact together.
News from SDIS
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The American Library Association and SAGE are pleased to announce Isabella Lynch of Chapel Hill, North Carolina as the recipient of the 2026 Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media.
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The book weaves together technological predictions about futures, and predictions about future technologies, into a common story about the repetition and stagnation of the social.
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This fall, the University Library welcomed its second cohort of Library AI Fellows. These five undergraduates will spend the year working with the Library AI Studio to explore the opportunities and challenges offered by generative AI.
