About Us


The Faculty of Information is one of the world’s leading information schools. It is a member of iSchool, an international association of universities that lead and promote programs in information fields. The Faculty educates both information professionals and researchers with exceptional programs in multiple disciplines.

Originally founded as a library school in 1928, the Faculty of Information has undergone a series of transformational changes over the past two decades. Designated an “iSchool” in 2005, the Faculty has built on its heritage strengths in libraries, archives and museums to incorporate scientific and technical expertise from engineering, computer science and other technical disciplines. At the same time, it has committed itself to applying social, political and cultural perspectives from media arts, humanities and social science to the study of information, technology, people and the relationships among them. 

The Faculty currently offers two Master’s degree programs — a Master of Information (MI) and a Master of Museum Studies(MMSt) — as well as a Combined MI/MMSt Degree Program (CDP).  It also offers a PhD program and, in 2019, it introduced a second-entry Bachelor of Information (BI) program for students who have already completed their first two years of university study in other areas.

A number of the transformations that have taken place in the Faculty over the past two decades stem, in part, from its repositioning as an “iSchool.When the Faculty joined the iSchool caucus (now iSchools organization) in 2005, it became its first Canadian member. What unites the members of the iSchool organization is a shared interest in exploring “the relationships between information, people and technology.”

In 2008, in recognition of its iSchools membership, the Faculty changed its name to the Faculty of Information, informally known as the iSchool at the University of Toronto. As it reoriented itself as an iSchool, the Faculty has significantly revised and expanded its curriculum. 

Interdisciplinary

The Faculty of Information is a highly interdisciplinary educational institution and this is reflected in all its degree programs. The largest, the Master of Information, builds on the idea that any subjects exploring the intersections between people, information and technology require an interdisciplinary approach. The MI program balances theoretical and practical approaches to information studies, with particular emphasis on experiential learning, professionalization and ethical dimensions of information work. 

Accreditation

The Faculty is proud to have maintained its internationally recognized American Library Association (ALA) accreditation since 1937. Along with being the first iSchool in Canada, the Faculty also launched the country’s first PhD program in Information Studies. It has the further distinction of offering the only English-language Master’s program in Museum Studies in Canada.  

Toronto location

Located in downtown Toronto – one of the world’s most diverse cities – the Faculty of Information is minutes away from major Canadian heritage institutions including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Toronto Reference Library, part of the largest public library system in North America. It is also a short distance from Toronto’s and Canada’s main downtown business centre, where major employers in the financial and technology sectors have their head offices. 

What do faculty members, students, and graduates of the iSchool say about us and what we do? Find out in our short but information-packed video.
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