In collaboration with several other academic units at UW-Milwaukee, SOIS offers students the opportunity to obtain two Master’s degrees concurrently—one in Library and Information Science (MLIS) and one in a subject area.
Degree Requirements
- The number of degree credits needed for each of the coordinated programs is usually 12 fewer than the sum of the two programs if they were not taken simultaneously. All degree requirements of each component must be satisfied.
- The MLIS portion of the coordinated degrees can be completed online.
- Prerequisite to the award of either degree in this program is the simultaneous award of its counterpart degree.
MLIS Component
The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) component of each of the coordinated programs includes 30 credits of SOIS courses. These include the MLIS core courses (12 credits). The remaining 18 MLIS credits are selected from the School’s offerings in accordance with the student’s goals in the coordinated degree program.
MLIS/MA Women's and Gender Studies
The coordinated program is designed to provide students with theoretical and practical exposure to evolving information retrieval and organization, and the field of feminist research and scholarship.
Admission Requirements
Application Deadlines
Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.
Admission
Students are admitted to both graduate programs separately, and admission requirements are consistent with those specified by the UWM Graduate School, the Women's and Gender Studies MA of the College of Letters and Science, and the Library and Information Science MLIS of the School of Information Studies.
Credit and Courses
The MA in Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) normally has a minimum requirement of 30 credits from Women's and Gender Studies courses. For the coordinated MA WGS/MLIS degree program, however, students can substitute 6 credits in Information Studies for 6 credits of WGS courses. This program, therefore, requires a total of 54 credits. Students must complete the 30 credits required for the MLIS component and the 24 credits in WGS courses as specified below.
Women’s and Gender Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| WGS 700 | Feminist Issues and Scholarship | 3 |
| WGS 701 | Feminisms in Global Context | 3 |
| WGS 710 | Advanced Feminist Theory | 3 |
| WGS 711 | Feminist Epistemologies and Research Practices | 3 |
| WGS 740 | Advanced Queer Theory | 3 |
| Select one WGS G or U/G course 1 | 3 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 6 elective credits in WGS or WGS cross-listed courses (not SOIS), in consultation with the WGS Director of Graduate Studies. Of these electives, 3 credits may be thesis credits (WGS 990). | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Total WGS credits: 24 (maximum of 6 U/G cr; and maximum 3 cr of WGS 999)
Library and Information Science
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFOST 501 | Foundations of Library and Information Science | 3 |
| INFOST 511 | Organization of Information | 3 |
| INFOST 571 | Information Access and Retrieval | 3 |
| INFOST 799 | Research Methods in Information Studies | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 18 credits in consultation with a SOIS faculty advisor. | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Total MLIS Credits: 30 (min of 33 with SOIS thesis option)
Total Credits for Coordinated Program: 54 (57 with SOIS thesis)
The credits for the coordinated program would typically be completed in both programs at the same time, rather than one program after the other. A student not completing the requirements for the coordinated degree program would need to complete all requirements for an individual program in order to receive a degree.
Important
You must refer to the catalog pages of both individual master's programs to ensure that you meet all requirements for both degrees.
Additional Requirements
Time Limit
Students in the coordinated MA/MLIS degree program must complete all degree requirements within seven years of the first enrollment semester as a degree student.
MLIS Mission, Goals, Objectives, and Learning Outcomes
Mission
The mission of the MLIS program is to educate the next generation of information professionals by offering a rigorous curriculum that fosters professional knowledge and skills, professional ethics, critical inquiry, and leadership to address the needs of a diverse and global information society.
Goals and Learning Objectives
Goal 1: To impart knowledge of library and information science (LIS).
Students will be able to…
1.1 Delineate and assess important social, political, and historical developments in library and information science and cultural heritage institutions.
1.2 Analyze the information needs, preferences, and behaviors of users.
1.3 Describe and evaluate the range of roles that LIS professionals fill in society.
1.4 Apply the philosophy, principles, and ethics of LIS to professional practice.
Goal 2: To prepare the next generation of professionals for leadership roles in library and information science.
Students will be able to…
2.1 Identify and evaluate the diverse functions of the LIS professions.
2.2 Prepare for change in a rapidly evolving professional landscape.
2.3 Apply principles and technologies for the organization, access, retrieval, and preservation of information.
2.4 Develop and evaluate library and information services and systems.
Goal 3: To prepare professionals who are able to serve the information needs of a diverse global society.
Students will be able to…
3.1 Identify, promote, and provide services to serve the needs of diverse stakeholders, including underserved populations.
3.2 Integrate the theory and practice of library and information science for diverse audiences in a global society.
Goal 4: To develop new scholars and information professionals who can evaluate and apply research findings.
Students will be able to…
4.1 Assess the merits of research and apply relevant findings to professional practice.
4.2 Apply research theory, methods, and techniques to solve problems in the LIS professions.
Women's and Gender Studies MA Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from the Women’s and Gender Studies MA program will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of feminist, women's, and gender issues in local, national, and/or global contexts.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelatedness of gender and other identity categories such as class, race, sexuality, age, or ability status.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of relevant perspectives within feminisms and feminist theory.
- Properly apply theoretical terms and concepts of feminist and gender analysis.
- Demonstrate mastery of relevant theoretical terms and concepts of feminist and gender analysis.
- Productively analyze complex material using gender as a framework.
- Write a well-structured, well-argued paper using relevant academic sources.