BS in Information Science + Master of Library and Information Science

The accelerated BS Information Science + MLIS program allows students to first pursue a STEM-designated Bachelors degree that teaches skills to design solutions, create systems and lead teams that bring together information, technology and people.

In the BS, students develop a range of technical skills, including database design, information architecture, and web and mobile development, alongside knowledge and skills from the social sciences, such as organizational psychology and human behavior. Combined program students can then complement their undergraduate training in sociotechnical information studies with an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited professional degree that provides students with a comprehensive foundation in both research and practice in library and information science.

Students graduate in five years with both a Bachelor of Science in Information Science degree and a Master of Library and Information Science degree.

The program prepares graduates to be socially engaged and technologically focused information professionals, ready for careers in government agencies, archives, museums, libraries, community organizations, start-ups, and any other type of organization engaged in information activities.

Students in the program would not have space to complete a designated undergraduate specialization (aka cognate area) but could use their 18 credits of MLIS electives to complete a specialization at the graduate level including:

• Archives and Digital Curation: focuses on the creation, management, use, long-term preservation, and access to records and information, both analog and digital, in a variety of disciplines and sectors of the economy
• Diversity and Inclusion: focuses on instruction about and research into the design, development, provision, and integration of information services, resources, technologies, and outreach that serve diverse and often underserved populations
• Intelligence and Analytics: focuses on skills such as finding, organizing, synthesizing, and evaluating information, with additional emphasis on on intelligence, research, data analysis, and information privacy and security
• Legal Informatics: focuses on research and analytical skills, as well as an understanding of the broader social and political contexts that surround legal information and resources
• School Library: provides candidates with a firm educational foundation in information studies while pursuing the requires for School Library certification in the state of Maryland
• Youth Experience (YX): enables candidates to to design and implement policies, programs, and technology to support a young person’s learning, development, and everyday lives

Students admitted into the InfoSci/MLIS combined program take the below graduate courses in place of undergraduate courses:

• LBSC602 Serving Information Needs replaces an Upper-Level Major Elective
• LBSC671 Creating Information Infrastructures Context replaces an Upper-Level Major Elective
• LBSC631 Achieving Organizational Excellence replaces an Upper-Level Major Elective

Students enrolled in combined Bachelor’s/Master’s program are responsible for paying undergraduate tuition and fees PLUS graduate tuition and fees for each graduate credit they’re enrolled in (which includes a $50 p/credit INFO College fee).

Interested student must complete the below courses by the end of the Fall semester of their sophomore year:

• MATH115 or higher with a C- or better
• INST126 with a C- or better
• STAT100 with a C- or better
• PSYC100 with a B or better
• INST201 with a B or better
• INST152 with a B or better
• INST311 with a B or better

Eligible students can apply in the Fall semester of their sophomore year. The application is handed through an internal system co-managed by the INFO Undergraduate Student Services Office and the MLIS program.