| What should a prospective student know? |
|
|
Prospective Student FAQ
Are the application materials available online? It is recommended that you complete the online application. To be sure that you have retrieved all required forms, review the Application Checklist on the School's forms page for Incoming Students. A link to the print version of the application and to preferred versions of application materials are found on this page as well. What should I put in the "Statement of Career Goals"? The Statement of Career Goals should explain the reasons you wish to pursue a career in the field of library and information science and should describe what you would like to do upon graduation. The Statement of Career Goals is used to match you with an appropriate faculty advisor. How is my overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) determined? If you have only attended one undergraduate institution, your final GPA will appear on your degree transcript. If you have attended more than one undergraduate institution, your GPA will be based on all undergraduate courses which you have taken before and after completing your degree. Graduate level course credits do not affect your undergraduate GPA. Which transcripts do I need to submit? You must request a transcript from any academic institution at which you earned 8 or more credits. If your overall undergraduate GPA is less than 3.0, it is to your advantage to submit transcripts for any graduate courses you have completed, regardless of the number of credits earned. Do I have to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam)? You are required to take the GRE if you are applying to the program with an undergraduate GPA of less than a 3.0., unless you have also earned a graduate degree with a graduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Can I apply to start the M.L.I.S. program in spring semester? No. Applications to the M.L.I.S. degree program are accepted for summer and fall terms only. Typically, none of the required core courses are offered in the spring. Do I need library experience to apply to the M.L.I.S. program? No. Prior experience working in a library is not needed to apply for admission. When are TOEFL scores required? The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required if you earned your undergraduate degree outside of the United States. However, TOEFL scores may be waived for those students who completed a degree in the United States. Students with TOEFL scores less than 300 (computerized version) may be considered for conditional admission. I have been out of school for a while, so do I need letters of recommendation from professors? No. If you have been out of college for two or more years, you do not need to submit letters from professors. Instead, you should ask supervisors to write letters of recommendation for you. You may also ask colleagues to write letters. In all cases, these letters of recommendation should discuss the skills and talents that you possess and should do more than discuss your character. How long does it take to receive a decision about my admission to the program? Your application packet is not considered complete until all letters of recommendation, the biographical sketch, the Statement of Career Goals, transcripts, and any required standardized scores have been received at the School. Once your application packet is complete, everything will be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. It takes approximately 4-5 weeks to receive a decision by mail. Which courses should I take first?
The Graduate Program Statement lists required and elective courses. Students in catalog year fall 2007 or later should take the five core courses -- LIS 60001, LIS 60002, LIS 60003, LIS 60600, and LIS 60610 -- early in the program. Since the electives you wish to take may require one of the core courses as a prerequisite, it is advisable to finish the core courses within the first 18 hours of your program. Ideally, LIS 60600 (Foundations of Librarianship) should be taken the first semester. ALL core courses must be completed prior to registration for LIS 60670, Culminating Experience. Students working towards school library media licensure should consult the K-12 School Library Media Guidesheet http://www.slis.kent.edu/programs/focus.php When do I need to submit the program statement to my advisor? You should meet with your advisor during your first semester to complete your program statement. If you plan to register for courses other than the required core courses or are unsure about an appropriate course load for your first semester, you should contact your adviser prior to registration. Is it possible to specialize in a particular area of librarianship? Yes. Career planning Guidesheets are available which list key electives and workshops recommended for 12 specialty areas. These can be found in the Programs section. For students in catalog year fall 2007 or later it is recommended that students take at least one elective from three elective areas listed on the Program Statement: "Access to Information" electives (A), "Organization and Representation of Knowledge" electives (O/R), and "Administration and Management" electives (M). The Guidesheets will help you select appropriate electives from each area to develop a focus area for your M.L.I.S. degree. You can choose courses and workshops from several of the Guidesheets. Some students choose to combine the Children's and Young Adult Guidesheets while others take elective courses from both Information Technology and another area. Various combinations are possible. Can I transfer graduate credits that I have already earned? If you have completed graduate-level course work and the classes have not been counted toward another degree, then you can transfer up to six hours into the program with the approval of your faculty advisor. You must complete the Request for Transfer Credit form found in the Download Section for courses transferred from another university. If you wish to apply graduate courses taken in another department at Kent State University, you should include these on your program statement when you meet with your adviser. How long do I have to complete course work for the M.L.I.S. degree? You have six calendar years in which to complete the degree. The clock will start once you register for your first class. An exception to this rule occurs if you decide to transfer in a course taken prior to starting the M.L.I.S. program. In that case, the clock will start with the semester and year in which the transferred course was taken. What is the shortest amount of time needed to complete course work for the M.L.I.S. degree? You can complete your M.L.I.S. degree in three-four semesters by enrolling for 9-12 credit hours each semester. To insure that you may register for planned electives, you would need to complete the three core courses - LIS 60001, LIS 60002, and LIS 60600 -- during your first semester. In addition, many elective courses are only offered every three-five semesters, so it is sometimes advisable to extend your program of study in order to take an elective that is particularly relevant to your career goals. Where are classes held? You can earn the M.L.I.S. degree at the Kent campus or at the Columbus campus, with classes held in both locations in mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Several elective courses are also held in the Cleveland area each semester. The course schedules will give you an idea of typical semester times and locations. Where are distance education classes held? The 12-12-12 M.L.I.S Distance Degree allows students in the northwest, southwest, and southeast regions of Ohio to earn their M.L.I.S. degree through courses taken via interactive video. Students taking 12-12-12 classes meet at specific libraries in their region where the interactive video equipment is located. Do you offer any online classes? Yes. We currently offer several web-based courses, many of which require students to meet three-five times in person on either the Kent or Columbus campus: LIS 60614, Selection and Acquisition of Library Materials; LIS 60641, Information Storage and Retrieval; and LIS 60648, Electronic Publishing on the Web. Many instructors also supplement their face-to-face classes with online materials. How often do classes meet and for how long? Graduate classes in the SLIS meet one day a week, either in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. If a class is scheduled for the entire semester (15 weeks), it will meet for two hours and 40 minutes. If it scheduled for 10 weeks, as some courses are, it will meet for three hours and 40 minutes. Visit the online course schedules for more information. How many hours do I need to take to be a full-time student? You must be enrolled for at least eight credit hours to be considered a full-time student and may carry no more than 16 hours in any semester. What are Workshops? The School of Library and Information Science offers approximately 20 workshops each semester. Workshops are worth one-two graduate credits, last approximately two-four days, and are open to SLIS students as well as professional librarians, teachers, and others interested in library and information science. With your advisor's approval, you can apply a maximum of four workshop credits toward your M.L.I.S. degree. Continuing education workshops taken one semester prior to starting the program may be counted towards your M.L.I.S., with faculty approval. Be sure to study the Workshop-Course Overlap List to make sure the workshop you are planning to take does not overlap in content with an LIS course. You cannot receive credit for both a course and a workshop with similar content. Visit the Workshop Catalog to see the vast array of workshops offered in the SLIS. Before registering for the workshop, you should submit the Request for Workshop Approval form to your adviser. What is the Practicum? A practicum provides professional experience in a setting relevant for your degree focus and must be supervised by someone with a master's in library and information science. Practica may be completed for the three credit Culminating Experience (LIS 60670) or may be taken as the elective Practicum in Libraries and Information Centers (LIS 60692) for two or three credits. Students typically register for LIS 60692 when they elect either the research paper or research project option for their Culminating Experience. Only one practicum experience may be applied towards your M.L.I.S. degree. You may ask any SLIS faculty member to supervise a practicum. Professor Brodie and Professor Harper supervise school library media practica. The Culminating Practicum Experience is described in a separate handbook http://www.slis.kent.edu/pdf-files/Cul_Exp_Guidelines_Practicum.pdf. Consult the Practicum Request Form for information on the elective practicum, LIS 60692. Do I have to complete a practicum? No, a practicum is not required for graduation. However, completing a practicum is strongly encouraged for those who do no have any library experience. What is an internship? Internships are usually paid or volunteer positions in libraries and information centers. They are not connected with the SLIS in any way, and you will not receive credit for an internship, only experience. There are a variety of internships available each year, and all are posted to the School's listserv. A comprehensive list of libraries and information centers that have offered internships to SLIS students in the past can be found online (forthcoming). Can I receive credit for previous years of work experience at a library? No, the school does not award academic credit for previous work experience in a library. Can I pursue the specialty in K-12 school library media if I do not have a teaching license? No. You must hold current standard teaching credentials in the state of Ohio to pursue the M.L.I.S. degree with school library media licensure. If you are interested in becoming a school library media specialist and do not have teaching credentials, you must first earn initial teaching licensure before applying to the SLIS. Please contact an academic advisor in the College of Education to discuss this option: by phone (330-672-2862), by e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or online at http://oas.educ.kent.edu Who can I speak to about the ITEC courses required for school library media licensure? For questions about the Instructional Technology (ITEC) courses or about state licensure requirements, please consult Kent State University's College of Education by phone (330-672-2862), by e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or online at http://oas.educ.kent.edu
How competitive are Graduate Assistantships? Typically, the school receives about 80 applications for the 10-11 graduate assistant positions. If the faculty is interested in your application, you will be called in for an interview. What is required of Graduate Assistants? Graduate Assistants are assigned to a faculty member on either the Kent or Columbus campus and must work 20 hours per week in exchange for full tuition remission and a monthly stipend. Graduate Assistants usually help faculty with their research projects, with their courses, or with other duties as assigned. Graduate Assistants with extra hours to spare will frequently be assigned to work in the SLIS front office or with the Academic Program Coordinator, performing a variety of clerical tasks. What types of scholarships are available for students in library and information science? Students admitted to the MLIS program can apply for the Larry Corbus Annual Scholarship, the Marian Porter Huffman Scholarship, and the A. Robert Rogers Memorial Scholarship, all of which are awarded in the fall. Applications are made available at New Student Orientation in August. There are also a variety of other local and national scholarships for students pursuing the master's in library and information science. Please consult the Scholarship page list of the many scholarships that are available.
Does the School of Library and Information Science help students with the job search process? Students can register with the Career Services Center http://dept.kent.edu/career/ at Kent State for professional job search assistance. All students are also encouraged to consult the online employment resources like the SLIS Assembled Job resources In addition, there is a collection of 20+ books on resume writing and interviewing in the Kent-SLIS lab as well as binders filled with job postings that are updated weekly. Both the Kent and Columbus campuses have bulletin boards with job postings, and job announcements are posted weekly to the school's listserv. How long does it take to find a job once I receive my M.L.I.S. degree? The length of time it takes to find a professional library job will vary from student to student, but surveys of SLIS alumni from the past five years have indicated that 92% of graduates found employment within 12 months or more of completing the master's program. Many of these were students with no previous library experience. Approximately 88% of these graduates found employment within the first 12 months of graduation. What type of computer skills do I need? You will need to have an understanding of basic Windows functions as well as knowledge of how to use the internet, e-mail, a word processing package, and how to subscribe to a listserv. It is highly recommended that students have high-speed Internet connectivity to enable them to effectively participate in course activities. Access to the Internet is available in public and academic libraries. Can I have more information about the Columbus site? For more information about SLIS-Columbus, visit http://www.slis.ohio-state.edu . If you need additional information that is not on this site, you can also contact Debra Banks, the SLIS-Columbus secretary, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . What types of students are in your graduate program? There are more than 600 students in our master's program, ranging in age from the early 20's to the early 60's. About 50% of our students currently work in libraries. The school has a higher number of women than men. Many of our students already hold another master's or professional degree. Is there on-campus housing for graduate students? Yes. Graduate students on the Kent campus can live in Korb Hall (for those age 21 and over), in Centennial Courts A and B (for those age 21 and over), in Beall Hall and McDowell Hall (for upperclassmen and graduate students), and in Tri Towers. The on-campus Allerton Apartments are for married students or those with children. For additional questions about on-campus housing, please call 330-672-2563. |
