Requirements for the MLIS degree are as follows:
- satisfactory completion of the mandatory SLIS Orientation
- satisfactory completion of a minimum of 40 semester hours
- successful performance on a written comprehensive final exam
- completion of the degree program in five years. Credit for individual courses taken more than five years before completion of the program may, in some cases, be validated. Requirements for doing so are set by SLIS Policy Statement #14. The school will not validate courses taught by another faculty, either within or without the LSU System.
Graduate Grade-Point Average
A student must maintain a 3.00 grade-point average (GPA) in LIS courses and courses offered by other units to be counted toward the MLIS. A SLIS student who receives a grade of “C” in three courses will not be eligible for the MLIS degree.
SLIS required courses must be completed with a grade of “A” or “B.” A student who earns a “C” in any required course must repeat the course during the next semester in which the student is enrolled and the course is offered, and earn a grade of “A” or “B.”
Required Courses/Specializations
Students must complete all required courses for one of the following specializations. Regardless of the specialization completed, all students will receive the MLIS degree. The total number of credit hours (40) and the total number of required course credits (22) remain the same for all specializations.
Students must be able to attend classes in Baton Rouge to complete the Archives Specialization and the Information Management Specialization.
Information Management Specialization
Transfer and Extension Credit
Up to six semester hours of graduate credit from other universities may be considered for transfer toward the MLIS degree. A student requesting transfer credit must have been enrolled in the graduate school from which the credit is to be transferred. Up to 12 graduate semester hours of credit earned from within the LSU System, but outside the SLIS, may be considered for application toward the MLIS degree. In either case, the hours must be relevant to library and information science, recommended by the student’s advisor, and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. The work must have been taken for graduate residence credit and must have been part of an otherwise satisfactory graduate program. Further, Graduate School policy states that no course work older than five years from other schools may be accepted as transfer credit. To petition for acceptance of transfer credit, the student must have completed at least nine hours of graduate residence credit at LSU. No credit will be transferred for courses completed with a grade of “C” or below, or unsatisfactory, or the equivalent.
Exemption Exams
By means of written examinations, students may be exempt from some or all required courses. Students who wish to take exemption examinations must inform the dean of the SLIS at least two weeks prior to their first registration in the SLIS. Such exemption does not reduce the 40-hour degree requirement.
