Whenever I tell someone my major the first question I get asked is "What is Informatics?" Informatics is a relatively new undergraduate major that began at the University of Washington eight years ago. Informatics is the study of information systems - the people, the information, and the technology. The Bachelor of Science in Informatics provides a human centered approach to the study of information systems and technology.

The Informatics curriculum is currently undergoing a major restructuring that I have been a major part of, however the basics still remain the same. For a foundation of required coursework we study information searching, database design and development, information retrieval, information behavior, networking, computer programming, data structures, algorithms, systems analysis, user interface design, and research methods.

• CSE 142 - Computer Programming I - procedural programming, arrays, objects, file processing
• CSE 143 - Computer Programming II - data abstraction, encapsulation, binary trees, queues, stacks, lists, recursion, inheritance
• CSE 373 - Data Structures and Algorithms - hashing, binary search trees, multiway trees, algorithm analysis, linked lists, linkedlists, sorting, memory management
• OPMGT 450 - Project Management -  project planning, networking diagramming, scheduling, implementation, project crashing, schedule tracking, PERT, WBS, project tracking, earned value analysis
• ACCTG 215 - Financial Accounting and Reporting - basic concepts of accounting and financial statements
• STAT 311 - Elements of Statistical Methods - hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, t-tests, chi-square tests, linear regression, variance analysis
• INFO 300 - Intellectual Foundations of Informatics - information, cognitive processing, taxonomies, system design, knowledge representation
• INFO 310 - Individual Perspectives on Information Systems - information behavior, interpretation, social reponses to technology
• INFO 311 - Organizational, Societal, and Global Perspectives on Information Systems - social, ethical, political, and organizational concerns with technology and information systems, information systems in organizations such as CRM, ERP, knowledge management, intranets
• INFO 320 - Information Needs and Searching - searching using online tools, databases, and Dialog, boolean queries, presentation of findings
• Info 340 - Database Management and Information Retrieval - database design, database management, SQL, web search engines
• Info 341 - Computer Networks and Distributed Applications - network protocols, security, authentication, virtualization, network topologies, client/server architectures, patcket switching
• Info 380 - Information Systems Analysis and Management - tools for analyzing information systems from a business perspective
• Info 424 - Information Visualization - human perception of information, aesthetics of information design, mechanics of visual display, visualization of quantiative data  
• Info 440 - Design Methods for Interaction and Systems - user interface design, usability testing, requirements gathering, goal oriented design, personas, usability engineering, scenario based design
• Info 470 - Research Methods - research definition, objectives, data collection and management, data analysis, data interpretation, observations, field research, research report development 
• Info 490 - Design and Development of Interactive Systems - Capstone projects where teams of Informatics students create and develop their own project. My group is conducting a research study on developing a preliminary hand gesture framework for human computer interaction. To conduct our research we have developed a hand gesture input device that can measure 3d position, 2d triangulation, and finger position. We are also developing a suite of tests in Java.  
• Info 495 - Informatics Internship - art and design of web pages, XHTML, CSS, XML, layout, font selection, color theory, motion, and client side scripting