Public Services for Information Professionals Graduate Certificate

This graduate certificate is for any new student, or currently or previously enrolled student at the University of Tennessee. Public Services are a core function of any information setting; the certificate allows students to develop knowledge and skills required to provide essential services in a variety of information center settings. There is no accrediting body for this graduate certificate, but as proposed it complements the American Library Association-accredited Master of Science in Information Sciences (MSIS) degree.

Campus Code

Distance Education

Graduate Certificate Type

Add-On
Stand-Alone

Admissions Standards/Procedures

A completed online application must be received by the Graduate School, and the applicant must meet the School of Information Sciences graduate program standards, including:

An undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher;

A 400-700 word written statement of your career objectives

Letters of recommendation from 3 persons qualified to judge academic and/or professional qualities

Resume

Applicants with a master’s degree from another college or university may request a transcript evaluation to ascertain exactly what courses need to be completed.

Academic Standards

A minimum 3.0 GPA must be earned in all courses applied to the certificate requirements.

Credit Hours Required

12 graduate credit hours.

Required Courses

Category I. The following course is required for a total of 3 credit hours:
INSC 531 - Introduction to Information Sources and Services
Category II. Choose one of the following courses for a total of 3 credit hours:
INSC 547 - Health Sciences Information Centers
INSC 548 - Federal Libraries and Information Centers
INSC 549 - Museum Studies
INSC 552 - Academic Libraries
INSC 553 - Special Libraries and Information Centers
INSC 554 - Public Libraries
INSC 564 - Archives and Records Management
Category III. Choose two courses for a total of 6 credit hours. Students should select courses from either sub-category A or B, depending on interest
A. Adult Public Services:
INSC 532 - Sources and Services for Science and Engineering
INSC 533 - Humanities and Social Sciences Sources, Services, and Scholarship
INSC 534 - Government Information Sources
INSC 538 - User Instruction
INSC 574 - Resources and Services for Adults
B. Children’s and Young Adult Public Services:
INSC 571 - Children’s Materials
INSC 572 - Young Adult Materials
INSC 573 - Programming for Children and Young Adults
INSC 575 - Nonfiction for Youth
INSC 576 - Storytelling as a Communications and Learning Tool in Diverse Settings
INSC 577 - Picture Books Across the Curriculum

Non-Course Requirements

To receive the certificate, students must:

complete the Graduate Certificate Course Verification Form and
through MyUTK, apply to graduate from the certificate program.

Undergraduates

Graduate Students