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The School of Information is UC Berkeley’s newest professional school. Located in the center of campus, the I School is a graduate research and education community committed to expanding access to information and to improving its usability, reliability, and credibility while preserving security and privacy.
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The School of Information offers four degrees:
The Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program educates information professionals to provide leadership for an information-driven world.
The Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) is an online degree preparing data science professionals to solve real-world problems. The 5th Year MIDS program is a streamlined path to a MIDS degree for Cal undergraduates.
The Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) is an online degree preparing cybersecurity leaders for complex cybersecurity challenges.
Our Ph.D. in Information Science is a research program for next-generation scholars of the information age.
- Fall 2024 Course Schedule
- Summer 2024 Course Schedule
The School of Information's courses bridge the disciplines of information and computer science, design, social sciences, management, law, and policy. We welcome interest in our graduate-level Information classes from current UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students and community members. More information about signing up for classes.
- Ladder & Adjunct Faculty
- MIMS Students
- MIDS Students
- 5th Year MIDS Students
- MICS Students
- Ph.D. Students
- Publications
- Centers & Labs
- Computer-mediated Communication
- Data Science
- Entrepreneurship
- Human-computer Interaction (HCI)
- Information Economics
- Information Organization
- Information Policy
- Information Retrieval & Search
- Information Visualization
- Social & Cultural Studies
- Technology for Developing Regions
- User Experience Research
Research by faculty members and doctoral students keeps the I School on the vanguard of contemporary information needs and solutions.
The I School is also home to several active centers and labs, including the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) , the Center for Technology, Society & Policy , and the BioSENSE Lab .
- Why Hire I School?
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I School graduate students and alumni have expertise in data science, user experience design & research, product management, engineering, information policy, cybersecurity, and more — learn more about hiring I School students and alumni .
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Funding Your Ph.D. Education
At the I School, all our Ph.D. students receive funding packages with a minimum of six years of financial support through a combination of fellowships, research positions, and academic student employment. Details of individual funding packages may vary; in order to take full advantage of offered funding, students need to remain in good academic standing and advance to doctoral candidacy in normative time to degree, and may need to meet other funding conditions of specific fellowships or positions.
In the first year, I School Ph.D. students receive fellowship support to cover all tuition and fees, including Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition and the Student Health Insurance Fee, and a stipend for living expenses. For the academic year 2023–2024, the minimum first-year I School Ph.D. student 12-month stipend is $40,000.
After the first year, Ph.D. students are typically funded through graduate student academic appointments or research positions for up to four years (eight semesters). In addition to an hourly wage, students receive fee remission that offsets a portion or all of their tuition and fees. For more information, see Graduate Student Academic Appointments and Fee Remission .
Some students continue their research positions during the summer. The I School also offers limited summer grant opportunities for Ph.D. students who have no other summer funding sources secured.
After Ph.D. students pass their qualifying exam and advance to doctoral candidacy, the Berkeley Doctoral Completion Fellowship (DCF) provides eligible students with one year (two semesters) of tuition remission and a stipend for living expenses. Students are expected to make every effort to meet DCF eligibility conditions in order to take advantage of this funding opportunity.
The University also awards through competition a limited number of merit- and need-based fellowships each year. See University Fellowships for further details.
2024–2025 Ph.D. Tuition & Fees (per semester) | California Residents | Non-Residents |
---|---|---|
Tuition | $6,381.00 | $6,381.00 |
Student Services Fee | $627.00 | $627.00 |
Berkeley Campus Fee | $820.00 | $820.00 |
Class Pass Fee (Transit) | $105.00 | $105.00 |
UC Graduate and Professional Council (UCGPC) Fee * | $3.50 | $3.50 |
Instructional Resilience and Enhancement Fee | $130.00 | $130.00 |
Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) ** | $3,221.00 | $3,221.00 |
Non-resident Supplemental Tuition | — | $7,551.00 |
Document Management Fee *** | $140.00 | $140.00 |
Tuition and fees listed reflect currently approved amounts; these figures may not be final. Actual tuition, fees, and charges are subject to change. Students should expect fees to increase moderately each fall term.
* Students may opt out of the UCGPC fee .
** Students have the option to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) if they have other major medical health insurance that meet the SHIP waiver criteria and don't wish to have dual coverage. For waiver qualifications, instructions, forms, and FAQs, please see Waiving SHIP .
*** The Document Management Fee is a one-time fee charged in the first term of enrollment.
For additional information on the cost of attendance, please visit: Financial Aid and Scholarships Office Cost of Attendance .
California residents, for purposes of registration, are those who have been legal residents of California for at least one year immediately before the opening day of the semester for which they register. Legal residence is a combination of physical presence and the intention of making the state one’s permanent home, coupled with the relinquishment of legal residence in any other state.
Eligible Ph.D. students are expected to establish California residency for tuition purposes by their second year of the program.
International students with F-1 visas cannot be classified as California residents for tuition purposes.
More Information:
- Residency (for Tuition Purposes)
- How to Apply for Residency (for Tuition Purposes)
- Residency Requirements: Graduate Students
- Immigration
- Exceptions & Exemptions
Financial Aid
Graduate students may apply for need-based loans and work-study through the Financial Aid Office. The programs are based on demonstrated financial need and require a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Only U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens (those holding permanent resident cards) may apply for funds administered by the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid can include work-study, loans, the Native American Opportunity Plan , and other sources of financial aid.
- More information
If you are employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization, you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Learn more here .
Additional Fellowships
In addition to the first-year fellowship and academic student employment, Ph.D. students may supplement their funding by applying for additional internal and external fellowships. Some university restrictions on combining funding opportunities apply; students are encouraged to consult our admissions staff with questions about specific conjunctions of funding.
Fellowships for I School Students
All admitted Ph.D. applicants will automatically be considered for the Hal Varian endowment .
The I School awards a variety of fellowships to I School students.
List of I School fellowship opportunities
External Fellowships
Students are encouraged to apply for external fellowship opportunities as relevant. Below are several examples of external fellowships that our I School Ph.D. students have successfully obtained:
- Facebook Fellowship
- Fulbright Study/Research Award
- Hertz Fellowship
- Marcus Foster Fellowship
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Peter Lyman Fellowship for New Media
- Soros Fellowships for New Americans
- UC Berkeley Mentored Research Award
Our Ph.D. students have also received grants from the following organizations and centers:
2020-21 Academic Salary Scale Revisions
Effective July 1, 2020 Represented Academic Researchers Salary Scales (includes Professional Researchers, Specialists, Project Scientist, and Coordinators of Public Programs series)
Effective July 1, 2020 .5 & .9 Steps for Represented Professional Researchers
Effective July 1, 2020 Represented Librarians Series
Effective October 1, 2020 Graduate Student Researchers
Effective October 1, 2020 Academic Student Employees—Berkeley only scale
Effective February 1, 2021 Postdoctoral Scholars
Effective February 7, 2021 Non-exempt Postdoctoral Scholars
COMMENTS
The average salary for a PhD Student is $138,993 per year in Berkeley, CA. Salaries estimates are based on 13470 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a PhD Student employees in Berkeley, CA.
The average salary for a PhD Student is $166,375 per year in Berkeley, CA. Salaries estimates are based on 13387 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a PhD Student employees in Berkeley, CA.
For the academic year 2023–2024, the minimum first-year I School Ph.D. student 12-month stipend is $40,000. After the first year, Ph.D. students are typically funded through graduate student academic appointments or research positions for up to four years (eight semesters). In addition to an hourly wage, students receive fee remission that ...
Academic Compensation at UC Berkeley; Salary Compensation General; 2020-21 Academic Salary Scales; 2019-20 Academic Salary Scales; 2018-19 Academic Salary Scales; Historical Salary Scales; Resources . Academic Life; Benefits, Retirement; Campus Life; Common Solutions AP Tools; Selected Resources; UC-wide Offices; Investigation and Adjudication ...
The estimated total pay range for a PhD Student at University of California Berkeley is $58K–$87K per year, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average PhD Student base salary at University of California Berkeley is $71K per year.
Academic Student Employees (ASEs) and Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) are among the highest paid in public higher education and receive competitive benefit packages as outlined below. Most funding packages for doctoral students include semesters of academic student employment.
Compensation. 2020-21 Academic Salary Scale Revisions. Effective July 1, 2020 Represented Academic Researchers Salary Scales (includes Professional Researchers, Specialists, Project Scientist, and Coordinators of Public Programs series) Effective July 1, 2020 .5 & .9 Steps for Represented Professional Researchers.
The average salary for PhD Student is US$138,613 per year in the Berkeley, CA. The average additional cash compensation for a PhD Student in the Berkeley, CA is US$38,781, with a range from US$29,086 - US$54,293.
48% Underrepresented Minorities. 15% ETHNIC DIVERSITY. Berkeley grants some of highest numbers of master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees in the nation.
University of California - Berkeley has a Salary Score of 94 based on bachelor's alumni earnings. View salary and student debt data for 205 programs.