Library and Information Science

School of Information Science & Learning Technologies
304 Townsend Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
Toll free phone: 877-747-5868
phone: 573-884-1391
email: sislt@missouri.edu
website: http://sislt.missouri.edu/lis/

Professor D. Adkins**, R. Marra**, J. Moore**
Associate Professor J. Bossaller**, S. Buchanan**, H. Moulaison-Sandy**
Assistant Professor H. Cho**, N. Glaser**, D. Oprean**, L. Ridenour*, X. Xu**
Associate Teaching Professor B. Brendler**, C. Dudenhoffer*
Assistant Teaching Professor J. Alston*, K. Jones*
Professor Emeriti J. M. Budd, J. Caplow, S. Erdelez, G. Fitzgerald, J. Howland, T. R. Kochtanek, J. Laffey**

*

Graduate Faculty Member - membership is required to teach graduate-level courses, chair master's thesis committees, and serve on doctoral examination and dissertation committees.

**

Doctoral Faculty Member - membership is required to chair doctoral examination or dissertation committees. Graduate faculty membership is a prerequisite for Doctoral faculty membership.

While MU does not offer undergraduate degrees specifically in library and information science, the University does offer baccalaureate opportunities in a number of related areas, both within the College of Education and Human Development (specifically, the Bachelor of Educational Studies), and in the other Schools and Colleges that make up the University. The catalog provides a complete list of these degree options.

This is a Master of Library and Information Science degree.

The program is accredited by the American Library Association (ALA), which granted continued accreditation status in 2015. The Library and Information Science (LIS) Program contributes to the essential knowledge, skills, and values of librarianship and the information professions through research, education, and engagement. SISLT is a member of the iSchools consortium, an international consortium of information schools in institutions of higher education dedicated to advancing the information field in the 21st century.

The MLIS can be completed fully online.

We use several different course structures to provide you with the broadest and most instructional appropriate class opportunities.

  • Online asynchronous classes allow you to participate anytime, anywhere.
  • Online synchronous classes, scheduled at fixed times to allow online, offer real-time interaction without the drive time.

Most library and information science faculty are based in Columbia. Clinical faculty in St. Louis and Kansas City, and a Program Liaison in Omaha, NE provide student support and coordinate extracurricular activities.

Degree Requirements

The program consists of 39 credit hours, including 18 credits of required courses.

Elective courses are selected in consultation with faculty advisers.

Prior to graduation, all students must complete a graduate examination which requires them to demonstrate mastery of the LIS Student Learning Outcomes, demonstrated in an ePortfolio.  

Missouri School Library Media Certification:

In the State of Missouri, School Library Media Certification for school librarians is granted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The University of Missouri is approved to offer courses that lead to both Stand Alone and Add-on Certification through our MLIS degree, under the Library Media Specialist emphasis area.

If you are not a Missouri resident but are seeking school library media certification, you will have to meet the certification requirements set forth by your state. School Library Connection and the American Association of School Librarians have compiled some information about the certification requirements for various states, but we recommend you contact your state’s certification office directly.

SISLT Student Services, 304 Townsend Hall
573-882-4546 or toll free 877-747-5868
http://sislt.missouri.edu/