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Program Details

Graduate Program: Library & Information Science (MA)

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
Library & Information Science (MA)  
Program Description

The School of Information's Master or Arts in Library and Information Science program is accredited by the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/).  The program focuses on information organization, digitial information, health sciences, law and culture.  Students prepare for careers in libraries, museums, archives, government and business information centers.  This degree program is a total of 37 units.

Below are the current concentrations offered with the MA degree program.  Some concentrations are offered as a graduate certificate program.

Academic Librarianship
Archival Studies (Certificate)
Digital Information Management (Certificate)
Information & Teaching for Librarians & Information Professionals (Certificate
Law Librarianship (Certificate)
Legal Information and Scholarly Communication (Certificate)
Medical and Community Health Information (Certificate)
Public Librarianship
Special Librarianship

The MA in Library and Information Science is also offered as a fully online program through UA Online.  For more information, please see uaonline.arizona.edu.

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

School of Information

The ever-increasing pace of technological innovation requires a more information-savvy workforce that understands not only the how, what, where, when, and why of technology and data but how to apply that knowledge.  At the University of Arizona’s School of Information, we have faculty and students engaged in research and education around all aspects of the information sciences without regard for disciplinary boundaries. We do research in: artificial intelligence; data management and curation; computer vision; computer-mediated communication and learning; natural language processing; social networking; human computer interfaces; dark networks; computational art creation; eCommerce, eGovernment, and eHealth; computational music; library sciences; educational and entertainment technologies; and much more.

We are preparing our graduates to be the doers, thinkers, solvers, and game-changers, not only of the problems and opportunities we see now, but also of the myriad scenarios we can’t yet imagine but are sure to arise during our students’ lifetimes.

 
College

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

 
Campuses where offered

Arizona International Direct - Online

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

Arizona Online - Online

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Eric Gonzales
520-621-3567
Graduate Program Coordinator
Holly B Brown
520-621-7879
Director of Graduate Studies
Zack Lischer-Katz
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Megan Jia Mcnulty-Luoma
520-626-9962
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Please complete this online application for admission to the Graduate College with a mandatory application fee.  As part of the online application, you are required to submit the following materials.  

  • Unofficial transcripts from ALL higher education institutions attended (official transcripts are not needed until applications have been recommended to the Graduate College by the School of Information)
  • Unofficial proof of English proficiency scores (international students only) - official scores will be sent directly to the university
  • Current resumé or curriculum vitae (CV) in the "Supplemental Questions" section
  • Write a 750-1000 word Statement of Purpose that outlines any library experience, knowledge or skills you have that would make you successful in the program
  • Provide email addresses and contact information for two recommenders in the ‘Letters of Recommendation’ section.  Letters of recommendation must be uploaded by the recommenders no later than the application deadline.  Letters of recommendation uploaded past the deadline will not be considered

The University of Arizona’s Institution Code is 4832 and is chosen upon registration for tests such as the TOEFL. Typically within two weeks of the test date, score results are sent electronically to the university, and will appear in your GradApp. Graduate College acceptable test options can be found here: https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applicants#english-proficiency

Please email official e-Transcripts to si-transcripts@email.arizona.edu directly from the institution or mail one official transcript to the following address (do not send to the Graduate College).  Official transcripts from ALL higher education institutions attended are required, however, University of Arizona transcripts will be pulled internally by the Graduate College (you do not need to request these). 

School of Information
The University of Arizona
Harvill 409
1103 E. 2nd St.
Tucson, AZ 85721

 

 
Standardized Tests

N/A

 

 
Funding Opportunities

Deadlines for School of Information departmental funding applications are below. No funding is available for Winter or Summer.

Fall Semester: March 1

Spring Semester: October 1

All students must complete the online FAFSA application.  Please see the School of Information Departmental Funding webpage for more  information and other funding opportunities. Please note online students are only eligible for named scholarships, not departmental funding.

Both current students and new students accepted for admission are able to apply for funding. 

General Eligibility Requirements: Students must be in the main campus program, are required to be enrolled in at least 6 units and maintain satisfactory progress toward their degree, defined at a minimum as a GPA of at least 3.0, if they receive funding from the iSchool. Students who have not matriculated into a School of Information degree or certificate program are not eligible for funding.

Special Eligibility Requirements: Individual scholarships may impose additional or other eligibility criteria.

 
Admissions Deadlines

Main Campus:

Fall Semester: February 15 (International and Domestic)

Spring Semester: September 1 (International and Domestic)

Summer Semester: March 1 (Open to Domestic only)

AZONLINE:

Fall Semester: March 15 

Spring Semester: October 1 

Summer Semester: March 1 

 

Global Campus Experience

Fall Semester: July 15

Spring Semester: November 15

Summer Semester: May 1

***International Applicants: Per immigration regulations, students admitted to a graduate program must enroll in a total of 9 units, of which 6 of those units must be courses taught in-person and only 3 online units may be used toward full-time enrollment. For questions regarding enrollment, please contact the School of Information (si-info@email.arizona.edu) for assistance.***

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants may be considered for conditional admission to this program at the department's discretion.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

37 

Core Coursework Requirements

Core Courses

  •  9 units

LIS 504: Foundations of Library and Information Services (3 Units)

LIS 506: Research Methods for Library and Information Professionals (3 Units)

LIS 515: Organization of Information (3 Units)

Minimum GPA in core coursework is 3.0

 
Elective Coursework

Distributed Electives

  • 12 units
  • Choose one course in each category
  • Students admitted prior to Spring 2018 should refer to course options in their catalog year

Cultural Perspective on Libraries & Information

LIS 550: Information Environments from Non-Dominant Perspectives (3 Units)

LIS 557: Documenting Diverse Cultures and Communities (3 Units)

LIS 558: Social Justice in Information Services (3 Units)

Information Services & Evaluation

LIS 518: Information Quality (3 Units)

LIS 530: Cataloging and Metadata Management (3 Units)

LIS 532: Information Intermediation (3 Units

LIS 533: Medical Online Searching (3 credits)

LIS 540: Introduction to Archives (3 Units)

LIS 560: Collection Management (3 Units)

LIS 572: Government Information: Policy & Resources (3 Units)

LIS 671: Digital Curation and Digital Preservation (3 Units)

Management of Information Services

LIS 567: Leadership and the Information Organization (3 Units)

LIS 608: Managing the Information Organization (3 Units)

LIS 673: Managing the Digital Information Environment (3 Units)

LIS 681E: Law Library Practice and Administration (3 Units)

Information Technology & Networked Digital Information

LIS 570: Data Base Development and Management (3 Units)

LIS 571: Introduction to Information Technology (3 Units)

LIS 575: User Interface and Website Design (3 Units)

LIS 580: Data Standards for the Semantic Web (3 Units)

LIS 672: Introduction to Applied Technology (3 Units)

LIS 675: Advanced Digital Collections (3 Units)

LIS Electives

  • 6 units of LIS coursework

See LIS courses by concentration area

Free Electives

  • 6 units of any related coursework
  • Free electives can include individual studies, transfer units or other courses
 
Additional Requirements

Capstone Internship

  • 3 units

LIS 698: Capstone Exit Requirement (3 Units)

ePortfolio

  • 1 unit 

LIS 909: e-Portfolio (Electronic Portfolio) (1-9 credits)

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 82.61%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years) 2.30
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 20.75%
Enrollment Percent Female 79.25%
Enrollment Percent International 0.63%
Enrollment Percent URM 35.22%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2022.
  • Average Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2018-2022) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/LISMA
Last revised 02 Sep 2022
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