University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Upper Level Courses

For the Informatics Minor, students must take at least 3 courses from this list, earning at least 9 total credits. It is not required to take one course from each category listed below.

Society

Data

Expression

Courses that focus on the history, use, and impact of computers, computation, communication, or information technology. That is, on how the adaptation or availability of computer and communication technologies have and are changing the human condition.

Courses that involve learning computer modeling tools, building models, using visualization software, or otherwise using computers to help collect and/or analyze data in some way that goes beyond simple statistical computations and graphing.
Courses that use information and computer technologies to collect and/or modify and/or create media artifacts as part of an artistic, creative, and/or communicative process. This must go beyond straightforward data rendering.

Course List

*This list is updated at the start of each term based on new course offerings. If you see a course that you think should be on this list, please send an email with a copy of the course syllabus to info-minor@illinois.edu and we will have the course evaluated.

Note that for any of the special topics courses, only those topics specifically listed on this webpage will count for the INFO minor. However, special topics courses will not automatically show up on a student’s degree audit report. Students need to contact info-minor@illinois.edu and request to have special topics electives added to their audit report.

ACE 344 Agr & Consumer Economics FinTech in Personal Finance and Financial Planning  
ACE 360 Agr & Consumer Economics Spreadsheet models and applications  
ACE 398 Agr & Consumer Economics Seminar
  • Financial Planning Technologies
  • Adv Spreadsheet Models & Application
ACE 446 Agr & Consumer Economics Modelling App’s Finan Plan  
ADV 305 Advertising Digital Advertising Content
  • Taught previously as an ADV 490 section
ADV 360 Advertising Innovation in Advertising  
ADV 400 Advertising Special problems
  • Advertising and New Media
  • Public Relations in the Digital Age
  • Advertising Design Techniques
ADV 409 Advertising Media Entrepreneurship  
ADV 480 Advertising Social Media Analytics  
ADV 490 Advertising Advanced Special Topics in Advertising
  • Digital Media and Society
  • Social Media Analytics
  • Networks and Media Ecosystems
  • Business Analytics for Advertising
AE 410 Aerodynamics Computational Aerodynamics  
AE 483 Aerodynamics Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Navigation and Control  
AGCM 315 Agricultural Communications Social Media Management in Agricultural Communications  
ANSC 442 Animal Sciences Intro to Data Analytics  
ANSC 444 Animal Sciences Applied Animal Genetics  
ANSC 445 Animal Sciences Statistical Methods  
ANSC 448 Animal Sciences Mathematical modeling in life sciences  
ANTH 372 Anthropology Topics in Lang and Culture
  • Social Media and Digital Communication
ANTH 499 Anthropology Topics in Anthropology
  • GIS for anthropologists
ARTD 317 Art-Design UI/UX Design for Non Majors  
ARTD 318 Art-Design Digital Interaction  
ARTD 415 Art-Design Ninth Letter  
ARTD 499 Art-Design Special topics in art & design
  • AI and Design
  • Sustainable Lifecycle Design & Research I
ARTS 340 Art-Studio The art of 3D imaging  
ARTS 443 Art-Studio Time arts II  
ARTS 444 Art-Studio Interactivity II  
ARTS 445 Art-Studio Special Topics in New Media
  • Net Art
ATMS 305 Atmospheric Sciences Computing and data analysis  
ATMS 421 Atmospheric Sciences Earth systems modeling  
BADM 350 Business Administration IT for networked organizations  
BADM 351 Business Administration Social Media Strategy  
BADM 352 Business Administration Database design and management  
BADM 353 Business Administration Information systems analysis and design  
BADM 354 Business Administration Management of data communications  
BADM 374 Business Administration Management decision models  
BADM 453 Business Administration Business Intelligence  
BADM 454 Business Administration Enterprise computing management  
BADM 458 Business Administration IT governance  
BDI 367 Business Data & Innovation Data Visualization and Communication  
BDI 411 Business Data & Innovation Blockchain, Tokens, and Their Application in Business  
BDI 475 Business Data & Innovation Introduction to Data Analytics Applications in Business  
BDI 477 Business Data & Innovation Emerging Technology and Disruption: Learning to Navigate an Uncertain Future  
CHLH 400 Community Health Human-Robot Interaction in Community Health  
CHLH 421 Community Health Health data analysis  
CHLH 441 Community Health Health Behavior and Technology  
CHLH 470 Community Health Technology, Health and Aging (formerly CHLH 494)  
CHLH 474 Community Health Principles of Epidemiology  
CHLH 494 Community Health Special Topics
  • Intro to Health Technology
  • Human-Robot Interaction
CI 424 Curriculum & Instruction Child Development and Technology  
CI 437 Curriculum & Instruction Educational Game Design  
CI 438 Curriculum & Instruction Computer Programming in the Classroom  
CI 482 Curriculum & Instruction Social Learning & Multimedia  
CI 489 Curriculum & Instruction DELTA Capstone Project  
CI 499 Curriculum & Instruction Issues and Development in Education
  • Attention, Learning and Technology
  • Critiques of Educational Technology
  • Designing Learning Spaces
  • Technology Apps for Teachers
  • History (& Future) of Educational Technology
CMN 338 Communication Relationships and Technologies  
CMN 396 Communication Special topics in communications
  • Digital Humanitarians
  • Communication and Digital Culture
  • Race and Digital Studies
  • Social Media and Politics
  • Clouds, Crowds and Community
CMN 410 Communication Workplace Comm Technology  
CMN 496 Communication Adv topics in communications
  • Health & Technology
  • Communication Technology and Altruism
  • Introduction to Communication Analytics
  • Digital Humanitarianism
  • Political Campaign Analysis
CPSC 444 Crop Sciences Introduction to Spatial Analytics  
CPSC 499 Crop Sciences Advanced Special Topics
  • Digital Agriculture
  • Data Processing and Analysis
CS 410 Computer Science Text information systems  
CS 411 Computer Science Database systems  
CS 412 Computer Science Introduction to data mining  
CS 417 Computer Science Computer aided instruction  
CS 418 Computer Science Interactive Computer Graphics  
CS 419 Computer Science Production Computer Graphics  
CS 440 Computer Science Intro to artificial intelligence  
CS 446 Computer Science Machine learning  
CS 461 Computer Science Computer security I  
CS 463 Computer Science Computer security II  
CS 465 Computer Science User Interface Design  
CS 466 Computer Science Introduction to bioinformatics  
CS 467 Computer Science Social visualization  
CS 498 Computer Science Special topics
  • Social Visualization
  • Social Computing
  • Principles of User Interface Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
  • Computational Photography
  • Socio-Computer Interaction
  • Health Informatics
  • Digital Forensics
  • Virtual Reality
  •  Social Info Networks
  • Cyber Dystopia
  • Computational Advertising
  • Wireless IoT Lab
  • Cloud Computing Applications
DANC 405 Dance Social Impact through Motion/Media Arts & Technology  
DANC 451 Dance Independent Study & Special Topics
  • Dance Technology
  • Social Impact Through Arts & Technology
DTX 495 Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking Special Topics
  • Student Centered App Design
ECE 402 Electrical and Computer Engr Electronic music synthesis  
ECE 498 Electrical and Computer Engr Special topics in ECE
  • Extending Mobile Computing Through Cloud Computing
  • Data Science and Analytics
ECON 475 Economics Economic Forecasting
  • Previously taught as a Special Topics ECON 490 section
ECON 483 Economics Economics of Innovation and Tech  
ENGL 396 English Honors Seminar I
  • Old and New Media
ENGL 461 English Topics in Literature
  • Old and New Media
ENGL 475 English English Lit & Other Disciplines
  • Building a (Better) Book
ENGL 482 English Writing technologies  
EPOL 483 Education Policy, Organization & Leadership Learning technologies  
EPS 415 Educational Policy Studies Technology & Educational Reform  
EPSY 457 Educational Psychology Teachers and Tech Integration  
EPSY 474 Educational Psychology Evaluating Learning Technology  
EPSY 490 Educational Psychology Developments in Educ Psyc
  • Educational Games Research
  • Learning in Everyday Contexts
EPSY 590 Educational Psychology Advanced Seminar in Ed Psyc
  • Engaging Educational Technologies
  • Mobile Apps for Teaching, Learning, and Educational Research
FIN 418 Finance Financial modeling  
FIN 490 Finance Special Topics in Finance
  • Data Analytics for Finance
GGIS 379 Geography Introduction to GIS  
GGIS 380 Geography GIS II: Spatial Problem Solving  
GGIS 403 Geography Geographic Information Science and Systems  
GGIS 407 Geography Foundations of CyberGIS & Geospatial Data Science  
GGIS 412 Geography Geospatial Technology and Society  
GGIS 439 Geography Health applications of GIS  
GGIS 460 Geography Aerial Photo Analysis  
GGIS 468 Geography Biological modeling  
GGIS 469 Geography Spatial ecosystem modeling  
GGIS 476 Geography Applied GIS to environmental studies  
GGIS 477 Geography Introduction to Remote Sensing  
GGIS 479 Geography Advanced GIS  
GGIS 480 Geography Principles of Geographic Information Systems  
GGIS 489 Geography Programming for GIS  
GLBL 499 Global Studies Special Topics
  • Global Information Society
GSD 403 Game Studies and Design An Introduction to Top Down Video Game Design
  • formerly taught as INFO 403
GSD 405 Game Studies and Design Introduction to the Video Game Development Process  
GSD 409 Game Studies and Design Design & Programming of Narrative Games & Simulations  
GSD 411 Game Studies and Design Interactive Fiction with Twine  
IB 364 Integrative Biology Bioinformatics & Human Genome  
IB 473 Integrative Biology Plant genomics  
IB 487 Integrative Biology Mathematical modeling in life sciences  
INFO 303 Informatics Writing Across Media  
INFO 310 Informatics Computing in the humanities  
INFO 325 Informatics Social Media and Global Change  
INFO 326 Informatics New media, culture, & society  
INFO 333 Informatics User Experience Design in Action  
INFO 345 Informatics Digital and Gender Cultures  
INFO 390 Informatics Special topics
  • all topics count
INFO 399 Informatics Individual study  
INFO 407 Informatics Introduction to Programming Python for Data Science  
INFO 415 Informatics Makerspace: Open Studio  
INFO 416 Informatics Makerspace: Game Studies  
INFO 418 Informatics Makerspace: Escape Rooms  
INFO 419 Informatics Makerspace: Learning in Community  
INFO 424 Informatics Musical Informatics  
INFO 427 Informatics Data, Machines and the Python  
INFO 448 Informatics Computer Music  
INFO 490 Informatics Special topics
  • Content Management Systems
  • Chatbots and Interactive Artificial Intelligence
  • Global Informatics Seminar
  • Fundamentals of Information Security
  • Contemporary Practice in Web Development
INFO 491 Informatics Undergraduate Bioinformatics Seminar  
IS 308 Information Sciences Race, Gender and Info Tech (formerly IS 390 RGI)  
IS 309 Information Sciences Computers and Culture (formerly IS 390 CC)  
IS 310 Information Sciences Computing in the humanities  
IS 312 Information Sciences Reading and Writing Data  
IS 316 Information Sciences The Design of Usable Information Interfaces (formerly IS 351)  
IS 324 Information Sciences Social Network Analysis  
IS 327 Information Sciences Concepts for Machine Learning  
IS 334 Information Sciences Usable Privacy and Security  
IS 357 Information Sciences Introduction to Data Storytelling  
IS 364 Information Sciences Privacy and Information Technology  
IS 390 Information Sciences Special Topics
  • Privacy and Info Technology
  • Concepts of Machine Learning
  • Social Systems Dynamics
IS 401 Information Sciences Introduction to Network Information Systems (formerly IS 451)  
IS 406 Information Sciences Cognition in the Wild  
IS 407 Information Sciences Intro to Data Science (formerly IS 457)  
IS 409 Information Sciences Web Technologies & Techniques  
IS 417 Information Sciences Data Science in the Humanities  
IS 419 Information Sciences Entrepreneurial IT Design (formerly IS 490 ITU)  
IS 420 Information Sciences Community Informatics  
IS 424 Information Sciences Social Computing  
IS 429 Information Sciences Web Content Strategy and Management  
IS 439 Information Sciences Web Development Using Application Framework  
IS 440 Information Sciences Community Informatics Studio  
IS 445 Information Sciences Data Visualization  
IS 446 Information Sciences Systems Analysis and Design  
IS 455 Information Sciences Database Design and Prototyping  
IS 456 Information Sciences Information storage and retrieval  
IS 457 Information Sciences Data Storytelling  
IS 464 Information Sciences Information Assurance (formerly IS 462)  
IS 467 Information Sciences Ethics and Policy for Data Design  
IS 477 Information Sciences Data Management, Curation & Reproducibility  
IS 490 Information Sciences Topics in Info Foundations
  • Social Media and Global Change
IS 496 Information Sciences Topics in Human-Centered Designs & Systems
  • Designing for Social Interactive Experience
  • Computer Networks
IS 497 Information Sciences Topics in Data Anayltics and Data Science
  • Interdisciplinary Methods in Research Computing
  • Database Admin & Scaling
JOUR 425 Journalism Multimedia Editing and Design  
JOUR 430 Journalism Augmented and Virtual Reality  
JOUR 460 Journalism Special topics
  • Immersive Technologies
  • Extended Realities & Immersive Technologies
  • Data Journalism (2 credit hour course)
  • Data Visualization (2 credit hour course)
  • Data Storytelling
JOUR 480 Journalism Advanced reporting topics
  • Digital Newsroom Practicum
  • Digital Reporting
KIN 474 Kinesiology Tech-Driven Health Intervention  
KIN 494 Kinesiology Special Topics
  • Technology-Driven Health Behavior Change Interventions
LING 402 Linguistics Tools and techniques for speech and language processing  
LING 406 Linguistics Introduction to computational linguistics  
LING 413 Linguistics Corpus Linguistics  
LING 446 Linguistics Fundamentals for Speech Signal Processing and Analysis  
LING 448 Linguistics Introductory Machine Learning  
LING 490 Linguistics Special Topics in Linguistics
  • Intro to Corpus Linguistics
  • Programming for Computational Linguistics
  • Computational Morphology
  • Fundamentals of Digital Signal Processing
  • Introductory Machine Learning
MACS 326 Media & Cinema Studies New Media, Culture, and Society  
MACS 395 Media & Cinema Studies Special media/cinema topics
  • Digital Games
  • Planet Google
  • Contemporary Cinema (taught SP2013)
  •  Media/Info Ethics & Global Culture
MACS 410 Media & Cinema Studies Media Ethics  
MACS 496 Media & Cinema Studies Advanced media/cinema topics
  • Digital Cinema
  • Techno-Scientific Networks
MCB 317 Molecular & Cell Biology Genetics and genomics  
MCB 419 Molecular & Cell Biology Brain, behavior and information processing  
MCB 432 Molecular & Cell Biology Computing in molecular biology  
MCB 493 Molecular & Cell Biology Special topics
  • Making and using phylogenetic trees
  • Neural systems modeling
ME 451 Mechanical Engineering Computer-aided manufacturing systems  
MSE 498 Materials Science & Engineering Special Topics
  • Computational Materials Science & Engineering
MUS 404 Music Contemp composition techniques
  • MAXMSP: Interactive Music for Performers and Composers
  • Algorithmic Design of Music
  • Engineering the Arts
MUS 407 Music Electronic Music Techniques I  
MUS 499 Music Proseminar in Music
  • Project-Oriented Computer Music
  • Audio Coding with SuperCollider
  • Introduction to Interactive Music
  • Algorithmic Techniques for Multichanel Audio
NPRE 461 Nuclear, Plasma, Radiologic Engineering Probabilistic Risk Assessment  
NPRE 498 Nuclear, Plasma, Radiologic Engineering Special topics
  • Advanced Risk Analysis
NRES 454 Natural Resources & Environ Science GIS in Natural Resource Management  
PHIL 380 Philosophy Current controversies
  • Philosophy and Intelligence: Minds, Brains and Computers
PS 300 Political Science Special Topics
  • Politics of the Internet
PSYC 358 Psychology Human factors  
PSYC 496 Psychology Advanced Current Topics in Psych
  • Programing and Data Science with R
  • Machine Learning Fundamentals & Deep Learning with R
  • Social Communication in The Age of Digital Media
  • Network Science and it’s Applications
SOC 350 Sociology Technology and society  
SOC 396 Sociology Special topics in sociology
  • Population Informatics Perspectives on Immigration and Race in Illinois
  • Cyberspace and Social Relations
  • Social Network Analysis
  • Data Visualization for Social Research
SOC 485 Sociology Intermediate Social Statistics  
SOC 496 Sociology Advanced special topics in sociology
  • Sex, Drugs, and Data
  • Globalization and Health
SOCW 380 School of Social Work Special Topics
  • Harnessing Technology for the Social Good: Issues and Innovative Strategies in Assisting Vulnerable Populations
STAT 385 Statistics Statistics Programming Methods  
STAT 420 Statistics Methods of applied statistics  
STAT 428 Statistics Statistical computing  
STAT 440 Statistics Statistical data management  
STAT 448 Statistics Advanced data analysis  
TAM 470 Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Computational mechanics  
TE 398 Technology Entrepreneurship Special Topics II
  • Hip Hop Entrepreneurship
THEA 437 Theater Software for lighting design  
UP 316 Urban Planning Urban Informatics II  
UP 317 Urban Planning Introduction to Urban Data Science  
UP 418 Urban Planning GIS for planners