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Curriculum Requirements for Graduation
for Students Admitted Fall 2001 to Fall 2005

General Requirements

This website is a constantly changing document, and the requirements may change with incoming terms as the faculty develop the curriculum. However; each student is mailed a welcome letter upon admission, which should be used as the guide for the requirements of the program of studies. Please note that each student is bound by the specific requirements listed in the letter of welcome, which is received upon admission to the School. The requirements for the program of study for each admitted student are listed in this letter.

Overall Program Description and Requirements:

The Master of Arts in Information Resources and Library Science can prepare a student for professional opportunities in a wide variety of environments including libraries, archives, publishing, the corporate sector, and Internet and other technology companies. The curriculum reflects the diversity of information environments in which students eventually work, the populations they serve, and the interdisciplinary nature of the knowledge base on which they need to draw.

The MA degree requires a minimum of thirty-six (36) semester hours of graduate credit. The curriculum is grouped into five course work areas: department core, evaluation of resources, management of information services, department electives, and out-of-department electives. This is an inter-disciplinary major and course selection will vary with respect to an individual student’s professional goals. Students are required to work with their faculty advisor for approval of their overall plan of study. To aid students, the faculty has developed suggested plans of study in five broadly defined general areas: generalist, administration and management, intermediation and instruction, knowledge organization, and school librarianship. These plans (available at www.sir.arizona.edu/courses/suggest.html) are suggested sets of courses that will allow students to achieve particular goals.

Department Core (9 credits):
All students must complete the department core. The core is a set of three courses, prescribed by the faculty, which provides a common base of knowledge with which all information professionals should be familiar.

IRLS 501 Organization of Information
Information professionals perform a wide variety of tasks. They may be involved in the storage, transmission, retrieval, evaluation, or archiving of information. The common thread that allows all of these tasks to be effectively carried out is that the information in question be organized in a coherent way. IRLS 501 is an introduction to the theories, practices, and standards used in the organization of information.

IRLS 506 Research Methods
A primary task for almost all information professionals is to evaluate information and research and to assist others in carrying out research. They can only perform these tasks effectively if they understand how good research is generated. In addition, students that plan to carry out research in the field of information and library science need to be familiar with the research methods of this discipline. IRLS 506 covers the basic research methods used in information and library science, including research methodology, research design, and elementary statistics. Upon presentation of relevant coursework by the student the faculty advisor may waive IRLS 506. However, the research methods requirement may not be waived.

IRLS 520 Ethics for the Information Professional
Information professionals tend to be faced with ethical questions involving freedom of speech, privacy, copyright, and access to information, intellectual property, etc. IRLS 520 covers the basics of ethical theory and its application to problems in information management and provides students with the intellectual tools for addressing ethical questions. The faculty advisor has to approve any other coursework the student wishes to present to satisfy this requirement.

Evaluation of Information Resources (3 credits)
A primary task for information professionals is to evaluate the quality of information resources. For example, whether they are working at the reference desk or making collection development decisions, librarians need to be able to select appropriate materials that will effectively meet the information needs of the patron. In order to satisfy this requirement, students must take at least one of the following courses:

IRLS 524, Information Resources Evaluation
IRLS 560, Information Resource Development I
IRLS 622, Advanced Information Resources

Management of Information Services (3 credits)
Information professionals are invariably called upon to act as managers of information services. As a result they need to be familiar with the basic principles of management, and how they apply in the context of an information service such as a library. It is strongly recommended that students fulfill the management requirement in the second half of their studies. In order to satisfy this requirement, students must take at least one of the following courses:
IRLS 502 Public Management Information Systems -Identical with PA 502
IRLS 581 School Library Administration and Organization
IRLS 608 Planning and Evaluation of Information Centers
IRLS 613 Systems Analysis and Evaluation

Department Electives (15 credits)
In consultation with their faculty advisor, students must take a number of electives within the department. Students may choose from a wide variety of topics such as information-seeking behaviors, human-computer interaction, social epistemology, scholarly communication, and children’s and youth services. Internships also count towards elective credit.

Out-of-Department Electives (6 credits)
SIRLS students are also required to include at least two courses taken outside of the School of Information Resources and Library Science. It is recommended that these be taken in a field or discipline that is relevant to the specific professional goals of the individual student. The student's faculty advisor must approve these courses before they are taken.

Computer Requirements
The School expects students to have access to a computer with telecommunications capability other than those located in the University computer labs. Each student is expected to have access to at least a Pentium based PC or equivalent Apple/Macintosh with a high-speed modem (recommended minimum: 56K baud rate). Additionally, direct access to the Internet via SLIP/PPP, Ethernet or other network connection is required. Students are required to use a graphical WWW browser such as Netscape or Microsoft Explorer. Versions 3.0 or higher REQUIRED.

Students are expected to have an understanding of and be competent with the following basic software: a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database and a web browser. Familiarity with web page creation software is helpful. Applicants will be required to dedicate a portion of their letter of introduction (at least one paragraph) expounding on this experience and skills that pertain.

Please note that email is the department’s official means of communication with all students. The School requires that you provide an email address at the time of admissions.

Thesis Option
Students may elect the thesis option, completing a minimum of six (6) semester hours of thesis in addition to a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work.

"C" Grades and Minimum GPA
Graduate students who earn one grade of "C" or lower are placed on academic probation within the program. By vote of the faculty, any student who earns two grades of "C" or lower will be disqualified from the School of Information Resources & Library Science. Only one grade of "C" or lower may be applied toward graduate degree requirements for the master's program in Information Resources & Library Science.

Graded Units
In general, a maximum of 9 credit hours of individual studies (693, 699) with grades of S or P may be applied. No more than six units of internship (693) or independent study (699) may be taken. The remaining credit hours for the degree must be graded (i.e., grades of A or B), with the exception of thesis credits. Those students taking thesis, please check with your advisor.

Time Limitation
Course work more than 6 years old is not acceptable toward a degree. The "age" of a course is relative to the semester of graduation.

Residency Requirement
The master's degree program must include a minimum of six (6) credit hours of course work done on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson. Individual studies and Thesis credit do not fulfill this requirement.
NOTE: Courses taken as a non-degree seeking student do not fulfill the residency requirement.

Virtual Course Work
Students may present up to 30 credit hours of virtual course work from SIRLS for the master's degree, including individual studies courses.

Transfer of credit hours
Transfer work must be approved by the School of Information Resources & Library Science and the Graduate College. The University allows up to 20% of the total degree requirements (7 units) of transfer work to be included in a student's program. A maximum of 7 units of graduate credit may be transferred in from another institution. Course work must be a grade of A or B, 500-level or higher, and clearly marked on the transcript for graduate credit. Correspondence or extension courses cannot be applied. Transfer courses not clearly denoted on official transcripts as graduate level will be routinely disallowed by Graduate Degree Certification. Course work used in a previous Master's degree from The University of Arizona or another institution is not acceptable for transfer.

Course Work Taken as a Non-Degree Seeking Student
The School of Information Resources & Library Science accepts up to 6 credit hours earned as a non-degree student from The University of Arizona. Non-Degree Seeking students are not eligible to take IRLS courses at the 600 (or higher) level.

Thesis Credit
Students may elect to submit a minimum of six (6) credit hours of thesis for their program. With the prior approval of the director, thesis work, where applicable, may be done in absentia under the direct supervision and guidance of a member of the faculty.

More detailed information is offered in the University of Arizona Graduate Catalog.