Degree Requirements

Master of Library Science/Master of Information Science Degree Programs

Note: Exceptions to degree requirements must be approved in writing by the student's faculty advisor and by the SLIS Administrative Office. Approval forms for course waivers, transfer credit, etc. are available in the SLIS office. Most forms are also available on the SLIS Web site. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that written approval for any program exception is submitted to the SLIS Administrative Office for placement in the student's academic file.

Computer-Based Information Skills
The School of Library and Information Science requires that students be computer, network, and information literate and be familiar with basic operations that will be used throughout the students' course work. This knowledge is prerequisite to many courses in the SLIS curriculum and will form the basis for further learning and skill development throughout students' academic and professional careers. To acquire this base, each student must complete, or apply and receive a waiver for, the SLIS course L401 Computer-Based Information Tools. Normally, the course should be completed during the first semester of enrollment. This 3 credit undergraduate level course is a prerequisite for many courses in the SLIS curriculum, although it does not count toward the credit hours required for a SLIS graduate degree.

Probation Policy
In addition to the probationary admission described earlier, a SLIS student may be placed on probation at any point in the program when failure to achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 occurs. The student will be assigned a time frame in which the required 3.0 GPA must be restored. Failure to achieve 3.0 within the required time or to maintain the 3.0 GPA for the remainder of the degree program will result in dismissal from the graduate program. In no case is a master's degree awarded for course work in which a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 has been achieved. Students will not be permitted to continue graduate course work beyond the number of credit hours required for the degree solely in an attempt to raise the GPA to the required level. Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester.

Time Requirements
All requirements for the M.L.S. and M.I.S. degrees must be met within five consecutive calendar years from the date of completion of the first credited course. In some circumstances a one-year extension of the five-year time frame may be given, but in no case will a longer extension be granted. Application for the SLIS master's degree must be submitted early in the fall semester for candidates planning to graduate in December, and early in the spring semester for candidates planning to graduate in May, June, or August.

Foreign Language
Although language skills are recognized as significant and in some cases essential in the information professions, and although such courses may be taken through the university, credit earned for such courses may not be applied toward the M.L.S. or M.I.S. degree.

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