Complete your degree from any location. Whether you live in Warrensburg, in Missouri or another state, or even another country, all of the program requirements can be completed from wherever you have an internet connection. Class assignments and project work are completed in the time frames that best suit your work and life schedule!

With a Master of Science in Library Science and Information Services degree, you will use the knowledge and skills obtained in the program to:

• Be an effective teacher who demonstrate knowledge of learners and learning and who can model and promote collaborative planning, instruction in multiple literacies, and inquiry-based learning, enabling members of the learning community to become effective users and creators of ideas and information
• Promote reading for learning, personal growth, and enjoyment
• Model and promote ethical, equitable access to and use of physical, digital, and virtual collections of resources
• Advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community
• Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate school library programs, resources, and services in support of the mission of the library program within the school according to the ethics and principles of library science, education, management, and administration

We believe that hands on experience is ideal. At the end of the program you’ll complete a practicum at your own school or will be placed in a local school library if you are not yet working in a school. This gives you the opportunity to tie together everything you learned throughout your courses with local school librarians and real life scenarios.

We also believe that librarians are leaders in the school and experts in information sources and services. In your last class, LIS 6960 Research Problem, you will dive into an area of library science that interests you. You will choose to write a literature review or complete an action research project. Both options provide you with an opportunity to become an expert in your topic!

New Applications

• Fall Semester Start - applications due July 31
• Spring Semester Start - applications due December 1
• Summer Semester Start - applications due April 15

Practicum Students

• Fall Practicum - applications due to the program coordinator by March 31
• Spring Practicum - applications due to the program coordinator by October 31
• There is no Summer Practicum

Thesis Deadlines

• Fall Commencement - thesis submitted to GER by November 15
• Spring Commencement - thesis submitted to GER by April 25
• There is no Summer Commencement

For assistance in practicum enrollment and for questions about program requirements, please email René Burress at burress@ucmo.edu. For questions about thesis requirements, please contact your program advisor.

If you do not have initial teacher certification, the state of Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has developed requirements for certification in school librarianship which include professional education requirements and subject area requirements. Each of these requirements can be met by courses available online at UCM.

If you have a bachelor’s degree outside of education or even an MLS in library science, this certification is an option for you!