College of Communication and Information

Library Sciences - Graduate

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Youngok Choi

Director of Graduate Studies

School of Information Science

Ashley DeWitt

Lecturer

Admissions Coordinator

College of Communication and Information

School of Information Science

320 Lucille Little Fine Arts Library

Lexington, KY 40506-0224

Program website

859-218-0956

  • MS

Have you considered a career as a librarian or information professional? Or perhaps you having been working in a library and are ready to take the next step in your career?  At the University of Kentucky’s School of Information Science, we offer courses to help you grow as a public, academic, school or even health sciences librarian. There are only a number of library schools with ALA-accredited (**continued accreditation) programs, and a few still that offer the Master’s in Library Science (MLS, MSLS, etc.) fully online. Graduate students in the Library & Information Science (LIS) program at UK SIS have the opportunity to earn their degree online and in as little as 36 credit hours. We pride ourselves on offering unique opportunities to our graduate students, including:

*A Top 5 U.S. News & World Report ranking in Health Librarianship and  top 25 overall.

As part of the iSchool for the University of Kentucky, we’re committed to growing the information field.

We offer concentration areas in:

  • Academic Libraries (with both a public services path and a technical services path)
  • Health Information
  • Information Systems
  • Public Libraries
  • School Librarian Program*
  • Youth Services and Literature
  • Generalist (for students who want to forge a degree plan based on their professional aspirations)

*The School Librarian Program allows for concurrent school media certification/rank change. See here for more details.

"Fabulous program that has prepared me well for my career as a librarian."

Jasmyne Lewis Combs

Alumna, Corrections Librarian for the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Master's Program Description

Students are admitted for fall, summer, and spring semesters. Students pursuing the degree will apply to the Graduate School for admission to the Library Science MS degree program. There is no preferred undergraduate degree program.

Admission to the Library Science MS degree program requires 1) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; 2) a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on any prior undergraduate or graduate work, in both cases on a scale with A = 4.0;  3) a resume/CV; 4) a personal statement; and 5) three letters of recommendation. 

Applicants for whom English is not the native language must achieve a TOEFL score of 550 for the paper-based test (213 for computer-based test or 79 for the internet-based test).

 

Master's Application Requirements

  1. CV
    • An up-to-date CV or résumé.
  2. Personal Statement
    • ​Please submit a 200-300 word statement, explaining (i) why you are seeking admission to the School of Library & Information Science at the University of Kentucky, and (ii) why you are interested in a career as an information professional.
  3. Assistantship Application (Optional - you may upload a blank document, if you do not intend to apply for assistance)
  4. Applicants for whom English is not the native language must achieve a TOEFL score of 550 for the paper-based test (213 for computer-based test or 79 for the internet-based test).
  5. Transcripts (may be unofficial---official transcripts will be required upon admission)
  6. Three letters of recommendation
    • ​When you apply through the application portal, you will be asked to fill out an online form to submit the contact information of the three people who will be recommending you. The system will contact each person identified and their recommendations will be submitted directly to us. You can check back into your application at any time to see who has submitted a recommendation. You may submit your application even if a person recommending you has not yet sent their form.

 

The GRE is not required for admission to this program.

 

Application Deadlines
  • Spring: November 15
  • Summer: March 15
  • Fall: July 1

Contact

Youngok Choi

Director of Graduate Studies

School of Information Science

Ashley DeWitt

Lecturer

Admissions Coordinator

College of Communication and Information

School of Information Science

320 Lucille Little Fine Arts Library

Lexington, KY 40506-0224

859-218-0956