Ph.D. in Information

Program Information

College: Communication & Information
Degree: PhD in Information
Limited Access: Yes
Contact: iSchool Student Services
Address:
Louis Shores Building (LSB)
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2100
Phone: (850) 645-3280
Email: ischooladvising@cci.fsu.edu

The Ph.D. in Information is a research degree designed to produce astute and creative researchers for academic, corporate, nonprofit, or governmental settings. Doctoral students analyze, evaluate, and explain a variety of information phenomena and become familiar with and develop backgrounds in such areas as the social sciences, information science, and/or the humanities, as they relate to information phenomena. Doctoral students will also become aware of the multiplicity of problems in the information field to which these research techniques may be applied. To demonstrate this familiarity, they will perform original research, and report the results of their research in a clearly written dissertation.

The degree is granted only to students who:

Have mastered definite fields of knowledge so that they are familiar not only with what has been done in their specific fields but also with the potential and opportunity for further advances;
Have demonstrated capacity to do original and independent scholarly investigation or creative work in their selected fields; and
Have the ability to integrate their selected fields of specialization with the larger domains of knowledge and understanding (Graduate Bulletin).

Doctoral students participate in research at the Information Use Management & Policy Institute, the eHealth Lab, the Social Media Lab, the iSensor Lab, DETOUR, Innovation Hub, the Institute for Digital Information and Scientific Communication, and the Data Center Server Lab.

FSU’s iSchool PhD students travel nationally and internationally to present research at conferences including the annual meetings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, iSchools, American Library Association, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems and more.

Most PhD students at FSU receive assistantships in research or teaching with tuition waivers and competitive stipends, health insurance subsidies, opportunities for additional scholarships and travel support, and work in research collaborations with iSchool professors.

Admissions

Applications to the Ph.D. program are accepted for the summer semester only. The annual deadline is typically January 15. All application materials must be received by the application deadline for consideration.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires the approval of both the University and the School of Information. To be considered for admission, students must provide:

Proof of Completion of a Master’s Degree from a regionally accredited college or university; and
Proof of an earned minimum 3.0 GPA on the last two years of the bachelor-degree program or a 3.0 on your masters-level work; and
The Graduate Admissions Entrance Examination scores (GRE, MAT, LSAT, or GMAT) requirement has been waived automatically through the summer 2025 application cycle.
English Language Proficiency (International Applicants ONLY) Official English Language Proficiency results are required of all international applicants whose native language is not English. NOTE: If you have received a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from a U.S. institution or other institution where English is the required language of instruction, this test requirement may be waived. The minimum scores required for admission to the School of Information are:
- Paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 600 total / 61 writing
- Internet-based TOEFL (IBT): 100 total / 24 writing
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 7.0
- Duolingo English Test (DET): 120

Application Requirements

Step 1 – Apply to The Florida State University

Submit the online University Graduate Application. Students will be required to apply to the University and pay an application fee (online). With your University Graduate Application, you will be required to include the following:

1. 1. Upload a copy of your current resume/curriculum vitae
  2. Upload a Statement of Purpose:
    A personal statement of purpose detailing career objectives, areas of research interest; names of School of Information faculty with whom you would like to work; specific or unique skills that you bring to the program and your reasons for undertaking advanced study. Please see the list of eligible faculty below. The Statement of Purpose should be 2 – 3 pages, double-spaced, with 1-inch borders, and in 10-12 point font in Times New Roman or Arial.
  3. Upload a writing sample:
    Submit a sample of substantive academic or professional writing (preferably recent). The paper should be lengthy enough to fully demonstrate your abilities.
    - Not to exceed 20 pages
    - May be from previous coursework
    - May be an excerpt of a research paper or thesis
    - Must be submitted in English
  4. Three letters of recommendation:
    Three letters of recommendation are required and each letter should be on formal company or institution letterhead and include the date and signature of the recommender. All letters should be uploaded to the online University application. One letter should be from a current or former employer who can attest to your work performance and potential for advanced graduate study. The second letter should be from an instructor with whom you took a course or someone who can attest to your potential to complete successfully a program of advanced study, including the rigor of graduate-level writing. Each letter should address the following items if known:
    - How long they have known the applicant and in what capacity
    - Intellectual ability
    - Communication skills, both oral and written
    - Analytical skills
    - Ability to work independently and with others
    - Emotional maturity
    - Potential for success in the profession
  5. Identify three eligible faculty members with whom you would like to study. Eligible faculty must be in your area of interest and can be selected from the following

Christy Chatmon
Nancy Everhart
Melissa Gross
Zhe He
Chris Hinnant
Shuyuan Metcalfe
Michelle Kazmer
Don Latham
Mia Lustria
Marcia Mardis
Paul Marty
Lorri Mon
Gretchen Stahlman
Besiki Stvilia
Margaret Sullivan

Step 2 – Submit a Digital Video Interview

Video Upload Instructions: Each applicant must film and upload a video interview to Youtube. The completed video interview should be uploaded to Youtube as an unlisted video. This means that it will only be viewable to those who are given the link.

If you are unable to upload your video to YouTube due to restrictions in your country, please contact us at ischooladvising@cci.fsu.edu.

Interview Instructions: Please read each question before answering it and limit your video to approximately five minutes. Dress appropriately and treat this as an in-person interview. Review the questions and organize your thoughts. Tailor your responses to the questions and be sure to answer each question. Be sure to look into the camera. Be yourself!

Questions:
–   Why are you interested in the Ph.D. program at the FSU School of Information?
–   What research area(s) are you interested in studying?
–   What is your goal in obtaining a Ph.D.?
–   Please name three professors at the FSU School of Information with whom you would like to study.

Step 3 – Submit Official Graduate Admissions Entrance Exam Test Scores and Transcripts

An official copy of your graduate admission entrance exam test scores should be sent directly to the University Office of Admissions, as well as official transcripts from each college or university attended. If you previously attended FSU, you will not need to submit an official FSU transcript. All test scores and transcripts must be sent to:

Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Bldg.
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
USA

If you attended a college or university located in the United States, you may be able to request an official electronic transcript from your institution to be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu.

NOTE: International Applicants should also request that official test scores from an approved English Language Proficiency Exam be sent to the University Office of Admissions address above.

If you have questions about your application, please contact:

Amy Mosher
Graduate Academic Program Specialist
Phone: (850) 645-3280
Email: ischooladvising@cci.fsu.edu

Tuition and Financial Support

Tuition and Fees – Estimated for the 2023-2024 Year:

Tuition and Fees for all online graduate courses offered by the School of Information include a combination of state-required tuition/fees plus an additional fee called an auxiliary fee that is assessed for online classes. The specific breakdown of tuition and fees depends upon your residency status for tuition purposes. Below are the estimated costs per credit hour for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Florida Residents – $579.32/semester hour
Non-Florida Residents – $1,210.72/semester hour

Additional Fees

In addition to the per hour rate listed above, the University also assesses the following fees to all students:

Facilities Use Fee – $20 flat fee per semester
Technology Fee – $5.16/semester hour
FSU Card Term Fee (Fall & Spring only) – $5.00 flat fee per semester

Doctoral students may take online master’s-level courses with the approval of their First Year Advisor or Major Professor. Tuition rates for online master’s-level courses include additional fees. For more information about the cost of master’s-level courses, please contact Student Services.

Reduced Tuition Program – Academic Common Market

The Academic Common Market (ACM), a program of the Southern Regional Education Board, is an interstate agreement among southern states for sharing academic programs. Participating states enable their residents who qualify for admission to enroll in specific on-campus and online graduate programs in other states without having to pay out-of-state tuition. Arrangements traditionally are limited to programs not offered by the public institutions within the student’s state of residence. In short, students who obtain ACM certification pay tuition at FSU’s in-state rate.

Currently, the following states will certify ACM for the individual programs listed below.

Doctoral Program
Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia

Visit the Southern Regional Education Board for more information.