Each student must maintain a 3.0 Quality Point Average (QPA) for the 36 credits of graduate level coursework required for the MLIS degree and must have a 3.0 QPA at the completion of the 36 credits to graduate from the MLIS program.

Failure to maintain a 3.0 QPA in any term will result in the student’s being placed on academic probation immediately. If the student does not raise his or her QPA to at least a 3.0 after the next six credits completed, the student will be dismissed from the MLIS program.

The four required core courses are:

• LIS 2000 Understanding Information
• LIS 2005 Organizing and Retrieving Information
• LIS 2600 Introduction to Information Technology (or approved Technology course substitute)
• LIS 2700 Managing Libraries & Information Centers in Changing Environments

In addition to earning a grade of B or better in LIS 2000 Understanding Information and LIS 2600 Introduction to Information Technology (or approved Technology course substitute), students declared in the Archives, Preservation and Records Management specialization must earn a grade of B or better in LIS 2215 Preservation Management (which fulfills the management core requirement) and LIS 2224 Archival Representation (which fulfills the core requirements in the organization and retrieval of information). 

Students in the School Library Certification Program, must earn a grade of B or better in LIS 2774 School Library Media Center Management, which fulfills the management requirement.

A student must earn a grade of B or better in each core course and must maintain a QPA of 3.0 each term with no grade for an elective course below a C.  If a grade of B or better is not earned in a core course, the student must register for the course in the next term offered and earn a grade of B or better.  A core course may be repeated only once.

All students must earn satisfactory grades in each elective course taken. Grades of C-, D+, D, D-, F and Unsatisfactory are unacceptable for credit toward graduation. A course for which such a grade is earned must be replaced with another course or retaken, with a higher grade earned. In either case, a higher grade must be earned and a 3.0 QPA be maintained. A course for which a grade of C- or lower was earned may be repeated only once.

At the discretion of the Admissions and Review Committee, a very limited number of students who do not meet the 3.0 QPA minimum required for full admission into the MLIS program may be considered for admission. If such students are able to provide additional evidence of academic potential (e.g., outstanding scores on the Graduate Record Exam or the Miller Analogies Test) or professional potential (e.g., outstanding letters of recommendation and/or outstanding work experience), they may be admitted to the MLIS program with academic provisions. Such students must earn a B average (3.0 QPA) in the first four courses taken. Failure to achieve a 3.0 QPA at the conclusion of the first 12 credits, will result in dismissal from the MLIS program.

(Approved by the Faculty of the Library and Information Science Program, May 1998; update June 2001)