The Director, with the advice of the school’s admissions and recruitment committee, admits applicants after their approval for admission by the Graduate School. Students seeking admission to the School of Library & Information Science must meet requirements for both the Graduate School and SLIS, as indicated below:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- A grade-point average of at least 3.0 (“A”= 4) on all undergraduate work and 3.0 on any graduate-level work previously taken.
- Satisfactory academic standing at the last institution attended.
- GRE scores are required. The preferred GRE score is at least 295 (combined verbal and quantitative sections), but students may be admitted with lower scores when they have a strong undergraduate GPA. For older GRE scores, a score of at least 1000 (combined verbal and quantitative sections) is preferred. The LSU code for GRE reporting is 6373. The departmental code for SLIS is 4701. We will accept scores that are more than five years old.
- Three letters of recommendation from professors, employers, librarians, information professionals, or others who are familiar with your academic and professional qualifications.
- A one-page essay stating your purpose and goals in applying to our program. In your statement, include the nature of your interest, how you became interested in this field, your short-and long-term goals, the strengths that you would bring to the information profession, and how the SLIS program will help meet your career and educational objectives. This essay will be included in the evidence on which the admission decision is based.
- Resume
- Basic computer skills are essential in the information professions and incoming students must meet SLIS Technology Requirements.
Probation
Applicants who fail to meet these admission requirements, but who are, nevertheless, judged by the Director and faculty to show promise for successful graduate work, may be recommended to the Graduate School for probationary admission. A student who is admitted on probation must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 in the first nine hours of LIS courses in order to convert to regular admission. Students who fail to maintain a 3.0 GPA will not be permitted to stay in the MLIS program. Applicants who have a unsatisfactory undergraduate record who have completed a minimum of nine hours of graduate work with at least a 3.33 graduate GPA and who have acceptable GRE scores will be considered for admission.
