Many history majors pursue careers in libraries and archives, or in museum or public history areas. The B.A./M.S.L.I.S. program is a perfect preparation for such careers, combining study of history with rigorous professional training in the information field.
The joint B.A./M.S.L.I.S. program allows history majors to complete both a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library and information science within five years, thus saving a full year of time and tuition. This program is offered jointly with Catholic University’s highly-ranked Department of Information Sciences.
There are two stages of application to the program.
Application to participate in the B.A./M.S.L.I.S. program
This application should be filed by the end of the sophomore year. Eligibility requires an undergraduate cumulative grade point average at Catholic University of 3.5 or higher.
A student intending to apply to the program should meet with the Department of History's Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS), Dr. Árpád von Klimó, to compile a list of a maximum of four L.I.S. courses that will count as 12 credit-hours toward both the B.A. and the M.S.L.I.S. Any subsequent change in these designated courses requires the approval of the chair of the Department of History, the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs of the School of Arts and Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs of the School of Arts and Sciences. In addition, courses for such “double” credit must be so designated before the beginning of the semester in which they are taken.
The application form (available at the School of Arts and Sciences undergraduate office, 107 McMahon) requires approval by the chair of the Department of History, the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs of the School of Arts and Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs of the School of Arts and Sciences. Approval is subject to review of academic progress at the end of the junior year.
Curriculum
Students in this program will take four 3-credit-hour, 500-level graduate L.I.S. courses during the junior and senior years, and double-count those 12 credit-hours toward both the B.A. and the M.S.L.I.S. The MSLIS program requires a total of 36 credit-hours, so only 24 more credit-hours (8 L.I.S. courses) will be needed at the graduate level to earn the M.S.L.I.S. degree. These eight courses can be completed in one year and cover a variety of disciplines within library science, such as Cultural Heritage, Digital Libraries, and more.
Application for admission to the M.S.L.I.S. degree
This application should be filed in the fall of the senior year. The application for graduate studies requires the same procedure required of regular graduate applicants with the exception of letters of recommendation (which are waived) and GRE results (which are waived). Acceptance is subject to review of the student’s academic record in the senior year. The application is accessible online here.
Learn more about the Department of Information Sciences.