Master of Library and Information Science, M.L.I.S.

Admissions Requirements

A graduate student in the School of Library and Information Science must meet the general requirements for admission to the university graduate program as outlined elsewhere in this Bulletin. Application forms for admission to the graduate program must be submitted to the Graduate School Admissions Office of the university.

Applications for admission are evaluated by a combination of the following criteria:

Undergraduate Record - Students qualifying for regular admission to the master’s program must have a 3.0 (4.0 scale) grade point average for the last two years (60 hours) of undergraduate study. For conditional admission, the School of Library and Information Science adheres to the policies of the Graduate School as stated in this Bulletin.

Standardized Exam: Graduate Record Examination - official GRE scores for verbal, quantitative, and written analytical sections or Miller Analogies Test – official MAT scores; Applicatants who have previously earned a Master’s degree or higher from an accredited institution may request test waiver consideration of the GRE/GMAT. 

Letters of Recommendation - Three letters of recommendation on institutional letterhead stationary by professionals in the field and/or professors/academics assessing the readiness of the applicant for graduate work.

SLIS Application - Online application on the Graduate School Web site

Application Essay - Essay discussing the student’s interest in library and information science, the types of libraries, archives, or repositories of interest, and statements about the student’s potential contributions to the field; 750 - 1,000 words are required.

Resumé

Applications are submitted online through the Graduate School.

Candidates for the Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) degree must earn a minimum of forty (40) semester hours of credit with a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Eighteen (18) of these hours must be at the 600 level of courses. As many as six (6) hours may be selected from the offerings of other departments within the university with approval of the director. A total of no more than six (6) semester hours of transfer work may be applied toward the degree. A total of no more than nine (9) semester hours of combined transfer work and nondegree work may be applied toward the degree. Students must pass a comprehensive exam and complete a master’s proposal and project (LIS 695 ) and have a 3.0 GPA with no more than one “C” or lower to graduate. Some specified courses cannot have less than a “B”. See also general academic requirements in this bulletin.

The program of study for students will be individualized, taking into consideration previous academic backgrounds, experience, and career objectives. All programs of study must be planned with the counsel of a faculty adviser and approved by the director of the School of Library and Information Science.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirements specified in the General Degree Requirements section of this Bulletin for continuous enrollment.

Research and Scholarly Integrity Education

All faculty holding Regular or Associate graduate faculty status, must complete CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete the CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RSIE policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page –www.usm.edu/graduate-school. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy of training information.

I. Master of Library and Information Science Degree Requirements

II. Course Requirements for School Library-Media Specialist Licensure at the Master’s Level

III. Dual Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science and Instructional Technology

The School of Library and Information Science and the Department of Intrustional Technology offer a dual master’s program leading to the Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Science in Instructional Technology degrees. The total number of hours required for both programs is 61, 31 for the Master of Library and Information Science and 30 hours for the Master of Science in Instructional Technology.

Students must complete the following requirements:

IV. Dual Master’s Degree in History and Library and Information Science

The History Department and the School of Library and Information Science offer a dual master’s degree program leading to the Master of Arts in History and the Master of Library and Information Science degrees. Students must be admitted separately to each program. The total number of hours required for both programs is 61; 31 for the Master of Library and Information Science and 30 for the Master of Arts in History. Requirements for both degrees must be satisfied before degrees are awarded.

Students in the combined program must complete the following requirements:

1. thirty (30) hours in history (18 hours at the 600 level)
2. thirty-one (31) hours in library and information science (18 hours at the 600 level)
   The following are required courses:
   • LIS 500 , LIS 501 , LIS 505 , LIS 511 , LIS 605 , LIS 636  and LIS 651  
   • LIS electives (9 hours); and one elective must be either LIS 557  or LIS 558  
   • LIS 698 - Thesis for Students in Dual Master’s Programs  which will confer three (3) of the 6 hour thesis requirement
3. a reading knowledge of one foreign language
4. a thesis that confers three (3) hours of the minimum hourly requirement for the history component
5. a 3.0 GPA to graduate

A comprehensive oral examination, administered by a three-member committee representing both disciplines, is given after satisfactory completion of the coursework and thesis.

The history requirements in this program are covered in the Department of History  section of this Bulletin.

V. Dual Master’s Degree in Anthropology and Library and Information Science

The Department of Anthropology and Sociology and the School of Library and Information Science offer a dual master’s degree program leading to the Master of Arts in Anthropology and the Master of Library and Information Science degrees. Students must be admitted separately to each program. The total number of hours required for both programs is 61; 31 for the Master of Library and Information Science and 30 for the Master of Arts in Anthropology. Requirements for both degrees must be satisfied before degrees are awarded.

Students in the combined program must complete the following requirements:

1. thirty (30) hours in anthropology (18 hours at the 600 level)
2. thirty-one (31) hours in library and information science (18 hours at the 600 level); the following are required courses: LIS 500 , LIS 501 , LIS 505 , LIS 511 , LIS 605 , LIS 636 , and LIS 651  
3. LIS electives (9 hours); and one elective must be either LIS 557  or LIS 558  
4. a comprehensive exam in anthropology
5. a thesis (3 hrs of ANT 698  in anthropology); 3 hrs LIS 698  in library science
6. a 3.0 GPA to graduate

The anthropology requirements in this program are covered in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology  section of this Bulletin.

VI. Dual Master’s Degree in Political Science and Library and Information Science

The Department of Political Science and the School of Library and Information Science offer a dual master’s program leading to the Master of Arts in Political Science and the Master of Library and Information Science degrees. Students must be admitted separately to each program. The total number of hours required for both programs is 61, including 3 hours of thesis in each program; 31 hours for the Master of Library and Information Science and 30 hours for the Master of Arts in Political Science. Students must satisfy the requirements of both degrees before the degrees will be awarded and have a 3.0 GPA to graduate.

Students in the combined program must complete the following requirements:

VII. Accelerated Master’s Option for the MLIS degree

Admission Criteria

Senior undergraduate students in thye Library and Information Science program who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher may take up to 9 credit hours of graduate credit in the following cross-listed elective courses during their senior year:

• LIS 406/506
• LIS 416/516
• LIS 433/533
• LIS 417/517
• LIS 418/518
• LIS 419/519
• LIS 428/528
• LIS 440/540
• LIS 445/545
• LIS 457/557
• LIS 458/558

1. Students must submit an application form that includes academic and career goals and the graduate courses they would like to take along with a resume and a copy of their transcript to their undergraduate advisor and the SLIS director.
2. Completion of a minimum of 90 hours graded undergraduate coursework before beginning the first graduate course (an application can be submitted before the completion of 90 hours).
3. Minimum and maintenance of a 3.5 undergraduate grade point average
4. Completion of at least 15 hours of appropriate LIS coursework
5. Submission of Undergraduate Request to Enroll in Graduate Courses form