Library & Information Science (Graduate Program)

Program Overview

The School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) offers the only Master of Library & Information Science (MLIS) degree in Louisiana. In 1926, LSU began offering summer courses in library science, and in 1931 the Board of Supervisors established The Graduate School of Library Science. The name was changed to the School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) in 1981. LSU’s departmental-level academic course plan in library and information science has been continuously accredited by the appropriate accrediting authority throughout its history. The Master of Library & Information Science degree program is currently accredited by the American Library Association.

Many careers are open to those who earn the master’s degree in library and information science (MLIS).

SLIS graduates are currently employed as librarians, archivists, project specialists, software developers, webmasters, directors of knowledge management, information architects, web analysts, research coordinators, and document controllers. The organizations in which our graduates are employed include public, school and academic libraries; presidential libraries and museums; private corporations; not-for-profit organizations; and state and federal government departments and offices.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Applications for admission are received and evaluated by the department throughout the year, and students may be admitted to begin their studies in fall or spring. Applicants must adhere to the application deadlines established by the Graduate School.

Students seeking admission must submit satisfactory credentials from previous study, including a grade-point average of at least 3.00 (“A”= 4) for the last two years of undergraduate work taken and 3.00 for all graduate level work previously taken, based on all work for which a grade is given. Students must also have a professional resumé. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score.

Students applying to the MLIS program may have the GRE/GMAT waived if they meet the following criteria:

1. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework
2. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA on all previous graduate coursework
3. An essay of at least 1000 words that answers these three questions :
   • Why do you want to earn an MLIS?
   • What are your career goals and objectives?
   • How will an MLIS from LSU SLIS help you to achieve these goals?

Applicants who do not meet these criteria must also submit GRE scores.

Provisional admission may be considered for an applicant who appears to be admissible on the basis of credentials submitted, but who is unable to supply all of the required official records prior to registration. A student admitted provisionally must submit complete and satisfactory records within 30 days after the first day of registration. If these credentials are not received by the date specified or if they prove to be unsatisfactory, the student will not be permitted to register for other courses. Provisional admission does not guarantee subsequent regular admission.

Probationary admission may be recommended for an applicant who fails to meet the necessary admission requirements but who is, nevertheless, judged by the director and the faculty to show promise for successful graduate work. Probationary admission requires that students maintain a 3.0 or better GPA for nine consecutive hours in order to convert to regular admission. Students who fail to maintain this average will not be permitted to register for additional courses. Applicants who have an unsatisfactory undergraduate record who have completed a minimum of nine hours of graduate coursework with at least a 3.33 graduate GPA and who have acceptable GRE scores will be considered for admission on probation.

Financial Assistance

See Financial Aid & Scholarships for details about scholarships and assistantships for MLIS students, including application forms and deadlines.

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here)

Carol L. Barry (6A) • Information retrieval, relevance, library automation, abstracting and indexing
Edward Albert Benoit III (6A) • Archival access, participatory & community archives, archival education, and digital collections
Bert Boyce (EM)
Michael Carpenter (EM)
Alma Dawson (EM) 
Tao Jin (M) • Competitive intelligence, knowledge management
Boryung Ju (M) • Human-computer interaction, knowledge management
Patsy Perritt (EM)
Suzanne Stauffer (M) • Print culture, history of children’s services in public libraries and school libraries, librarianship as a profession, education for librarianship, gender issues in librarianship
Jamene Brenton Stewart (6A) • Cataloging
Yejun Wu (M) • Information retrieval systems, digital libraries, knowledge organization
Seungwon Yang (6A) • Information archiving, analysis and visualization; digital libraries and information systems; information retrieval

Programs

• Library & Information Science, M.L.I.S.

• Archival Studies Graduate Certificate
• Records and Information Management Graduate Certificate
• School Librarianship Graduate Certificate