Master of Library
& Information
Science

About the Program

  • The MLIS at LSU is the only ALA-accredited program in Louisiana, and has been continuously accredited since 1931.
  • This is a 36-hour, non-thesis program.
  • The program is 100% asynchronous online with no on-campus requirements.
  • Students are admitted for the Fall and Spring semesters.
  • GRE scores are waived for applicants who meet the requirements for unconditional admission.
  • In-state tuition is also available to residents of the Academic Common Market states of Arkansas, Delaware, and West Virginia.
  • Students may complete the program part-time or full-time.
  • Students are not required to select a focus area, but those who elect to do so may choose from nine career-specific focus areas ranging from academic, public or school libraries to digital content management.
  • Students may also choose to earn a Dual Degree with one of our Graduate Certificates, a master's degree in History, or another approved academic discipline.

Student Profile

The program is appropriate for students with at least a bachelor's degree in any academic area who desire a career in archival studies and cultural heritage resource management, public, school, or academic librarianship, or digital content and information management.

  • Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 36 semester hours (18 hours of core courses and 18 hours of elective courses)
  • Completion of the degree program within five years
  • A cumulative 3.0 grade-point average in SIS courses and in courses offered by other units that are to be counted toward the MLIS

Core courses listed below must be completed with a grade of at least B*:

  • 7000 Information and Society
  • 7004 Management of Information Organizations
  • 7008 Information Technologies and Systems
  • 7009 Understanding Research
  • 7010 Organization of Information
  • 7011 Information Behavior

This is an entirely asynchronous online degree program.

*Please note a grade of "B-" or lower will not meet this requirement.

Students are admitted to the MLIS program twice a year. Application deadlines are:

  • June 30 for the Fall semester
  • November 15 for the Spring semester

Applicants must apply through the LSU Graduate School. All application materials must be received by the application deadlines. In addition to the LSU Graduate School required materials, the School of Information Studies requires applicants to provide:

  1. A resume
  2. A statement of purpose of at least 1,000 words that answers the following questions:
    1. Why do you want to earn an MLIS?
    2. What are your career goals and objectives?
    3. How will the degree help you achieve these goals?

Please note: SIS does not require letters of recommendation. 

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

Admission:

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • A grade-point average of at least 3.0 (“A”= 4.0) on all undergraduate work (or in the final 60 credit hours) and 3.0 on any graduate-level work.

Probationary Admission:

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • A grade-point average of at least 2.75 (“A”= 4.0) on the final 60 hours of undergraduate work and 3.0 on any graduate-level work.
  • Applicants with a GPA of less than 2.75 for the final 60 hours of undergraduate work must have completed a minimum of nine hours of graduate work with at least a 3.33 GPA to be considered for probationary admission.
  • 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.)
  • 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. 

For information on the application process, application fees and deadlines, and application processes for international students, see the Graduate School website.

Although the SIS Online MLIS is an entirely asynchronous online program, it is classified as a on-campus program by LSU for the assessment of student tuition & fees. The SIS Online MLIS is not part of LSU Online and follows the on-campus tuition & fee schedule.

Tuition and fee information can be found at Tuition and Fees.

Residents of Arkansas, Delaware, and West Virginia may enroll in the MLIS program at LSU and pay LSU's in-state tuition rate. For more information, see Academic Common Market. 

Students who are not residents of Louisiana or the states listed above will be charged the non-resident fee. Students who do not qualify for in-state tuition rates may consider the MLIS program offered through LSU Online.

MLIS students are eligible for the scholarships and financial aid opportunities described at SIS Awards and Scholarships.

Nicole Rozas

nrozas@lsu.edu

 

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