Online Master of Library and Information Science

Total credit hours per program: 36 credit hours

Cost per credit hour: $485

Total cost with fees: $17,460

Cost per credit hour and fees are subject to change. Exact fees may vary by program. Please consult an Enrollment Concierge for the final program cost.

Core courses:

• LIS 7000: Information & Society | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7004: Management of Information Organizations | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7008: Information Technologies and Systems | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7009: Understanding Research | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7010: Organization of Information | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7011: Information Behavior | Credit hours: 3

Students can select a total of 6 electives (18 credit hours) that best suit their career interests from among the three focused elective groups below. Students may take courses from one area or multiple areas. 

Librarianship Focused Electives:

• LIS 7002: Information Resources | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7100: Youth Services Librarianship | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7110: Adult Services Librarianship | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7401: Academic Libraries | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7608: Introduction to Cataloging and Classification | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7807: Information Literacy Instruction | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7909: Directed Independent Study | Credit hours: 3

Archival Studies Focused Electives:

• LIS 7408: Introduction to Archival Theory, Principles & Practice | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7504: Preservation Management of Physical Records | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7505: Introduction to Digital Curation | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7702: Seminar in Archival Appraisal | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7703: Advanced Seminar in Archival Studies | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7704: Archival Arrangement & Description | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7909: Directed Independent Study | Credit hours: 3

Records and Information Management Focused Electives:

• LIS 7505: Introduction to Digital Curation | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7508: Management of Knowledge-based Assets in Organizations | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7604: Principles of Records Management | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7612: Information Governance | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7618: e-Discovery | Credit hours: 3
• LIS 7909: Directed Independent Study | Credit hours: 3

All students must apply through and be admitted by the Graduate School. Students are admitted to the program six times a year. All application materials must be received by the application deadlines. In addition to materials required by the Graduate School, the following materials are required for all students applying to SLIS:

1. A resume that includes all undergraduate and graduate education (regardless of whether a degree was earned), continuing education, and relevant employment and volunteer experience.
2. A Statement of Purpose of at least 1,000 words that answers these three questions:
   • Why do you want to earn a degree?
   • What are your career goals and objectives?
   • How will the degree help you to achieve these goals?

The Graduate School's criteria for unconditional and probationary admission are shown below.

Unconditional Admission:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. A grade-point average of at least 3.0 (“A”= 4.0) on all undergraduate work (or in the final 64 credit hours) and 3.0 on any graduate-level work. Only the graduate GPA will be considered for those who have earned a graduate degree.

Probationary Admission:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. A grade-point average of at least 2.75 (“A”= 4.0) on the final 64 hours (half degree requirement) of undergraduate work and 3.0 on any graduate-level work previously taken. Applicants with a GPA of less than 2.75 for the final 64 hours of undergraduate work must have completed a minimum of nine hours of graduate work with at least a 3.33 GPA for those courses in order to be considered for admission.
3. Official GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing) no more than five years old of at least 300 composite and 3.5 writing. Other standardized graduate admissions exams will be considered (GMAT, MAT, LSAT, etc.).
4. In your Statement of Purpose, you must also address the reasons for your lack of achievement as an undergraduate and the reasons you believe you would succeed in the program.

A broad range of career opportunities are open to graduates of the Online MLIS program. Many graduates go into the field of librarianship, working in public, corporate, academic, and school libraries. But the MLIS degree also gives you the flexibility to explore a variety of careers.

Selected Positions: 

• Acquisitions Librarian
• Children’s Librarian
• Government Documents Librarian
• Law Librarian
• Reference Librarian
• Technical Services Librarian
• Young Adults Librarian
• Bibliographer
• Indexer
• Abstractor
• Archivist
• Processing Archivist
• Manuscript Curator
• Records Analyst
• Records Manager
• Museum Librarian
• Museum Registrar
• Preservationist/Conservator
• Antiquarian Book Specialist
• Genealogical Researcher
• Ontologist
• Taxonomist/Thesaurus Developer
• Metadata Specialist
• Bibliotherapist
• Commercial Records Center Manager
• Digital Projects Researcher
• Document Manager/Analyst
• Electronic/Digital Resources Cataloger
• Imaging Specialist
• Micrographics Specialist
• Information Manager
• Information Resource Manager
• Public Records Researcher
• Usability Specialist
• Data Miner
• Reprography Specialist
• Visual Resource Specialist
• Book (or Serials) Vendor Representative
• Grey Literature Specialist
• Hypermedia Products Developer
• Electronic Document Professional
• Forms Management