General Requirements
Master of Library Science Degree Program (36 credit hours + S401)
Note: Exceptions to degree requirements must be approved in writing by the student’s faculty advisor and approved by the dean. Approval forms for course waivers or transfer credit 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.
A waiver does not grant academic credit toward the degree. All 36 graduate credits for the M.L.S. must be completed from the SLIS graduate curriculum. Up to six graduate credits from another ALA-accredited master’s program may be transferred toward the IU M.L.S. provided the content is current, with high student performance, and has the approval of the School’s dean. Students admitted at Indianapolis (or at Bloomington) may normally take only 15 credits from the other Indiana University site.
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 their 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 S401 Computer-Based Information Tools.
Normally, the course is completed during the first semester of enrollment. The course is to be completed or a waiver obtained before the student has completed nine graduate credits toward the M.L.S. 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 a 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 a 3.0 GPA 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.
Grade Requirements
In no case is a master’s degree awarded for course work in which a cumulative grade point average 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 grade point average to the required level. Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester. Students must complete one course for each of the five core requirements (see the MLS Degree page), with a grade of B- or above.
Time Requirements
All requirements for the M.L.S. degree 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.
Assessment Requirement
Students who begin the MLS degree in Fall of 2011 and later will participate in an electronic portfolio assessment of program goal achievement. Throughout their coursework, they select materials and evidence of mastery of program goals and upload it to an Oncourse ePort site. All areas are to be completed before graduation. This information is used for general program assessment and for individuals to reflect on what they have accomplished in the MLS.
Foreign Language
Although language skills are recognized as significant in, and in some cases essential to, 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. degree.
Last updated: 02/12/2014