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2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Information Sciences Major, MS
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 Return to: College of Communication and Information
The School of Information Sciences offers an American Library Association (ALA)-Accredited Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) degree. Students, in consultation with their advisor, are encouraged to develop an individualized program of study. To facilitate program planning, SIS faculty have created “career pathways” for a number of the information professions. Graduates of the school have prepared themselves for a variety of careers, including positions as corporate information specialist, public librarian, records manager/archivist, science information specialist, webpage designer, indexer/abstractor, online information retrieval specialist, medical or law librarian, reference librarian, youth services specialist, and many others. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the individualized curricular approach.
Options Available
- Information Sciences
- Project (Student Learning Collection and Exit Survey)
- Tennessee Department of Education Licensure and PreK-12 School Library Endorsement
Campus Code
Knoxville Campus
Distance Education
Admissions Standards/Procedures
- The following are normally minimal requirements for admission to full potential candidate status.
- A bachelor’s degree is required for entry into the master’s (MSIS) program
- Applicants with a final undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 will be considered for admission to the MSIS program.
- An application to the MSIS program requires the following:
- A statement of the applicant’s goals and reasons for pursuing the degree. Applicants should take care to answer the prompts as presented in the application.
- Recommendations from at least three former teachers or professional colleagues (submitted directly to the Graduate School)
- A resume or curriculum vitae.
- International applicants are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
- Individualized Curriculum Approach
- Students, in consultation with their advisor, are encouraged to develop an individualized program of study. To facilitate program planning, SIS faculty have created “career pathways” for a number of the information professions. Graduates of the school have prepared themselves for a variety of careers, including positions as corporate information specialist, public librarian, records manager/archivist, science information specialist, webpage designer, indexer/abstractor, online information retrieval specialist, medical or law librarian, reference librarian, youth services specialist, and many others. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the individualized curricular approach.
Academic Standards
- A student in the College of Communication and Information whose graduate grade point average (GPA) is below 3.00 after the end of 9 credit hours of graduate credit will be placed on academic probation. A student will be allowed to continue graduate study in subsequent semesters if each semester’s graduate grade point average is 3.00 or greater. Upon achieving a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00, the student will be removed from probationary status. A student must achieve a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 in order to graduate. A student who earns less than a grade of C in a required course will have his/her program terminated. A graduate student cannot repeat a course.
Information Sciences / Project (Student Learning Collection and Exit Survey)
Credit Hours Required
36 graduate credit hours
Required Courses
- Prerequisites to all courses for students enrolled in the MSIS program. Students must earn a grade of C or better, and students may not re-take a course to improve a grade. These courses are prerequisites to all courses for students enrolled in the MS program.
Additional Course Requirements
- Students must take at least 27 credit hours in the School of Information Sciences curriculum (i.e., courses designated INSC).
- The faculty regards the following courses as important to professional success: INSC 504 , INSC 550 , INSC 560 . These courses address research, management and leadership in information organizations, and the concepts of developing and managing collections.
- Students may take up to 9 credit hours outside of the School.
- Up to 6 of these credit hours may be graduate hours from outside the College of Communication and Information and/or the University of Tennessee.
- Students who have earned graduate credits (at the University of Tennessee or another institution) but not applied them to the requirements of another degree at UTK or elsewhere, may submit a request to have up to 6 of those credits applied to the MSIS 36 credit hour requirement.
- Students may take no more than a total of 12 credit hours from INSC 591 , INSC 594 , INSC 599 .
- The number of satisfactory/no credit courses/grades in a student’s program is limited to one-fourth of the total credit hours required (9 of 36)
Non-Course Requirements
- Student Learning Collection
- In the final semester of the MSIS program, students must complete an MSIS Student Learning Collection (SLC) as part of the graduation process. To complete the SLC, students must identify products completed during the MSIS program that demonstrate mastery of specific MSIS Program Learning Outcomes.
- The SLC is not graded but is required as part of the graduation paperwork process.
- Student Exit Survey
- Students are required to complete an exit survey to assess their achievement of learning outcomes and program experience.
- The exit survey is not graded but is required as part of the graduation paperwork process.
Additional Information
- Thesis
- While not required to complete a culminating experience, interested students may complete a thesis under close supervision of a thesis committee, comprised of a primary advisor and two additional faculty members.
- Students writing a thesis must complete 6 credit hours of INSC 500 within the 36 credit hours required for graduation.
- Students must be registered for INSC 500 in the semester they complete and defend their thesis.
- Students may only register for 3 credit hours of INSC 500 in the final semester.
MSIS Degree, Tennessee State Department of Education Teaching License, and PreK-12 School Library Endorsement
MSIS, K12 Licensure, and School Library Endorsement
Credit Hours Required
36 graduate credit hours required for Masters, 6 additional graduate credit hours required for License and Endorsement.
- Note: although the Master’s degree is a minimum of 36 credit hours, students pursuing licensure and/or endorsement can expect to finish with more than that total.
Required Courses
Additional Course Requirements
- Students must complete two co-requisite courses from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (6 credit hours) that do not count toward the master’s degree requirements
Non-Course Requirements
- Students pursuing the initial endorsement must complete the edTPA.
Additional Information
- Students accepted into the CEHHS Job-Embedded Program (JEP) should consult with the School Library Program Coordinator about practicum requirements.
MSIS Degree and PreK-12 School Library Endorsement for Students holding a Teaching License
MSIS and School Library Endorsement
Credit Hours Required
36 graduate credit hours
- Note: although the Master’s degree is a minimum of 36 credit hours, students pursuing endorsement can expect to finish with more than that total.
Required Courses
Additional Course Requirements
- The number of satisfactory/no credit courses/grades in a student’s program is limited to one-fourth of the total credit hours required (9 credit hours of 36 credit hours).
MSIS Degree and PreK-12 School Library Endorsement for Students holding a Teaching License and Master’s Degree other than American Library Association-Accredited Master’s
MSIS and School Library Endorsement
Credit Hours Required
36 graduate credit hours
- Note: although the Master’s degree is a minimum of 36 credit hours, students pursuing endorsement can expect to finish with more than that total.
Required Courses
Additional Course Requirements
- The number of satisfactory/no credit courses/grades in a student’s program is limited to one-fourth of the total credit hours required (9 of 36).
PreK-12 School Library Endorsement and Tennessee State Department of Education Teaching License for Students with an American Library Association (ALA)-Accredited Master’s Degree (Licensure and Endorsement Only)
For those students who hold an ALA-accredited master’s degree and have approval of the faculty advisor. Upon completion of the requirements, students earn a Tennessee State Department of Education teaching license and PreK-12 School Library Media Endorsement.
Credit Hours Required
31 graduate credit hours
Required Courses
Additional Course Requirements
- Students must complete two co-requisite courses from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (6 credit hours) that do not count toward the master’s degree requirements
Non-Course Requirements
- Students pursuing the initial PreK-12 School Library Endorsement must complete the edTPA.
Additional Information
- Students accepted into the CEHHS Job-Embedded Program (JEP) should consult with the School Library Coordinator.
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Return to: College of Communication and Information
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