数字世界和社交媒体的重要性日益提高，为学习，交流，自我表达，娱乐和友谊创造了新途径。为了从这些机会中受益，年轻人必须发展传统素养和新形式的技术和媒体素养。为了保持相关性，教育和公民机构必须适应与新媒体相关的快速技术和社会变革，提供新的包容性和可访问的基础设施，以支持年轻人在正式和非正式环境中的学习和社交。年轻人通常会发现对技术的新颖用途和期望，参与式协同设计可以带来更好的产品和服务。
The Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies (PhD) program prepares students to address the hardest social and technical problems of today and tomorrow. Working side-by-side with world-renowned faculty and at internationally recognized research centers and labs, students conduct research on pressing information issues, which often entwine social and technical innovation. We draw on core values of information studies, including justice, inclusion, and access, and use these principles to facilitate the discovery of new knowledge. Students also master research methodology/design, interdisciplinary theory, knowledge of previous research in their area, the ability to synthesize and apply this knowledge, and how to create and disseminate original research. With a multidisciplinary faculty focusing on diverse information science research areas such as online communities, information systems, information policy, human-computer interaction, and digital cultural heritage, the UMD INFO College cultivates doctoral students from a wide range of backgrounds. Today's hardest social and technical problems have information at their core. Were seeking PhD students who have hard, unanswered questions about information problems.