The Structure of M. L. S. Programs in American Library Schools

Abstract

LIBRARY EDUCATORS and professional librarians would generally agree that in order to qualify as a professional librarian one must receive an M.L.S. degree. The prevailing pattern of library education leading to that first professional degree, at least in the United States, is what is euphemistically referred to as the fifth-year master's. More specifically, this can be described as a master's degree program requiring approximately 36 semester hours (or its equivalent in quarter hours) of graduate level courses in library and informaton sciences. In most library schools full-time students can expect to fulfill the M.L.S. degree requirement in five years of study - four years in undergraduate school and one in a graduate school of library studies. There is some variation in interpretation of these parameters within individual schools. For example, library schools usually permit, and may even encourage, full-time students to extend their graduate study over a period of more than one year; parttime students may take several years to complete their degree. Many library schools also grant credit toward graduation for graduate-level courses in disciplines and courses of study other than library and information science, reducing the number of years required for completion of the M.L.S.