Florida State University - College of Information

Master's Degree Programs of Study

The Master's curriculum requires 36 credits, including four required core courses (12 credits):

  • LIS 5271     Research Methods in Information Studies (3 credits)

    • OR

  • LIS 5203     Assessing Information Needs  (3 credits)

    • AND

  • LIS 5411     Introduction to Information Policy  (3 credits)

    • OR

  • LIS 5020     Foundations of the Information Professions (3 credits)

    • AND

  • LIS 5408     Management of Information Organization  (3 credits)

    • AND

  • LIS 5703     Information Organization  (3 credits)

The remaining 24 credits may be taken at the discretion of the student and should support the student’s professional goals. To facilitate course selection, courses have been organized into programs of study along general and specialized areas of interest.

Students are urged to plan their program of study in consultation with a faculty advisor who is assigned during the first semester the student is enrolled.

The Master’s program offers a range of flexibility for career preparation. The sections below describe the programs of study in more detail. You do not have to officially "declare" a particular program of study, and you are not required to complete a particular program in order to graduate. However, we recommend following a program of study to guide your course selection in order to facilitate achievement of your career goals.

Concentration: Information Needs & Services
The specializations within this concentration prepare students to meet the information needs of users by providing services, instruction, and leadership, and by organizing information in user-centered ways.

This concentration has three specializations:

  1. Leadership & Management Specialization (12 credits)
    Prepares the next generation of library leaders and managers
    Strongly recommended to take:
    LIS 5916 Information Leadership
    Take 3 more courses from the following list of courses: (Click to expand)

  2. Reference & Instruction Specialization (12 credits)
    Prepares students for a career as a reference and/or instructional librarian
    Strongly recommended to take:
    LIS 5603 Introduction to Information Services
    Take 3 more courses from the following list of courses: (Click to expand)

  3. Information Organization Specialization (12 credits)
    Prepares students for a career as a metadata or cataloging librarian
    Strongly recommended to take:
    LIS 5711 Cataloging and Classification
    OR
    LIS 5736 Indexing and Abstracting
    Take 3 more courses from the following list of courses: (Click to expand)

Concentration: Youth Information Needs & Services
The specializations within this concentration prepare students to meet the information needs of children and young adults in various settings, including libraries and school media centers.

This concentration has two specializations:

  1. Youth Services Specialization (12 credits)
    Prepares students for a career as a youth services librarian
    Strongly recommended to take:
    LIS 5564 Information Needs of Children
    OR
    LIS 5565 Information Needs of Young Adults
    Take 3 more courses from the following list of courses: (Click to expand)

  2. School Media Specialization
    Prepares students for a career as a school media specialist.
    Choose between the 2 available tracks, depending on whether you have a valid teaching certificate.

    • Requirements for Students WITHOUT a valid teaching certificate (must take all - click to expand)

    • Requirements for Students WITH a valid teaching certificate (must take all - click to expand)

Concentration: Information Architecture & Technology
The specializations within this concentration prepare students to meet the information needs of users by developing and managing information technologies, including web-based resources and networks.

This concentration has two specializations:

  1. Web Design Specialization (12 credits)
    Prepares students for a career in web design and development
    Strongly recommended to take:
    LIS 5916 Introduction to Information Architecture
    Take 3 more courses from the following list of courses: (Click to expand)

  2. Technology & Networking Specialization (12 credits)
    Prepares students for a career in the development, management, and maintenance of networks
    Take 4 courses from the following list of courses: (Click to expand)

General Librarianship Program of Study
This program of study is designed for those who want general preparation to work in some kind of an information organization (library, archive, network service, agency, etc.) and who don’t have a particular career goal or specialization in mind. The following is an example of a General Librarianship program:

  • Choose 8 courses (24 credits) from the following list of courses. As outlined, the courses comprise a “recommended path” for those who want to pursue a general program of study in librarianship. (Click to expand)

Individualized Program of Study
This program of study is designed for those who want to customize their program of study for a particular area, such as information policy, health informatics, etc.

Choose 8 courses (24 credits) in consultation with your faculty advisor to meet your career goals and interests.



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