Library Science (MS)

What is A Library Science (MS) Degree?

Library Science has to do with the collecting, organizing, and preserving of books and other materials in libraries.  In most geographical locations you’ll need to have a Master’s degree (called an MA, MS, MLS, or MLIS) to work as a professional Librarian at a public library or school.  If your grades are good, most any BA or BS degree will qualify you to apply for the Master of Science in Library Science program.  But, if your undergraduate degree is in Library Science, you can be pretty sure that you’ll have all the prerequisites out of the way so you’ll be ready to jump into the elective courses right away.

With the elective courses you’ll be able to either take a wide variety of courses, or you’ll be able to focus on one or two specific areas like academic libraries, geographic information, digital collections, science and technology information, children’s materials/services, among others.  You may also have the choice between doing a practicum, creating a specialized portfolio, preparing for a comprehensive exam, or writing a thesis.