Contents of PageProgram OptionsEntry RequirementsCompleting Your ApplicationAdmission Information SessionsTechnology Proficiency Required to Begin WorkTransferring CreditNonmatriculating StudentsTuition and Fees - General InformationFinancial AidFor More Information Program OptionsOn Campus: The M.L.I.S. program is offered on the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers University. The program on campus offers the full range of courses described on this website for the program under Curriculum and Requirements and Plans of Study. We have about 325 students on campus, about half full-time and half part-time. Courses are held during the day and in the evening, although it is not likely that you can complete your degree without taking at least some courses during the day. Some on-campus courses have an online component. While the department strongly recommends that students begin their studies in a fall term to ensure the most appropriate sequencing of courses, the Admissions Committee admits students for both the fall and spring terms. Online: Two specializations within the M.L.I.S. program are offered for online, part-time study: (1) School Library Media and (2) Digital Libraries. Only people interested in one of these two plans of study and in part-time enrollment (6 credits per semester maximum) should apply for the online option. Online students should plan to come to campus for two days during the month before they begin their program (in August for students beginning in fall, and in January for students beginning in spring) to participate in an orientation and plot a course of study. We will admit a select number of students into the online program each fall and spring. We will not accept students with advanced standing, since students in the online program will be taking classes with a cohort group.Students must select either the on-campus or online option when applying. If you are undecided about which option to select and would like to discuss your situation, please contact either Stewart Mohr, Director of the M.L.I.S. Program, at 732-932-7500 x8336 or Melanie Andrich, Director of Professional Development Studies, at 732-932-7169. Entry Requirements Entry into the MLIS is competitive and is affected by the quality and academic promise of the pool of candidates. GRE scores or alternative scores (as specified below), undergraduate and graduate records, letters and a personal statement are all considered in the selection process. In evaluating credentials, the admissions committee looks for both potential for graduate study and potential for service to the profession. Specific admissions requirements are as follows: -- You must have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a recognized institution of higher education. Evidence of potential for graduate study is demonstrated by a B average or better.-- GRE scores, or alternatively, previous LSAT, GMAT, or MCAT scores, are to be submitted by all applicants. Please note that this is a change in requirement beginning for Fall 2007 applicants. If you took any of these tests several years ago in preparation for graduate study we will accept old scores. GRE information may be obtained by going to http:// www.gre.org. You can schedule an appointment to take this computer-based test at any time, but you should take it at least three weeks before the application closing date to ensure that the scores will reach Rutgers before our deadline.-- Letters of recommendation: three letters of recommendation are recommended, but two letters are acceptable. These should focus on the applicant's academic capacity (e.g., problem solving, thinking, analytical, and reflective skills) to undertake a rigorous program of graduate study. Letters are expected from an applicant's professors or from senior members of professional and/ or corporate organizations who are able to comment substantially on the applicant's academic capabilities rather than on workplace efficiency and character traits. The recommender's relationship to the applicant must be established. Personal friends, clergy and family members are not usually appropriate recommenders. Please print out the recommendation form cover sheet at http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/pdf/2005recommend.pdf and give it all recommenders to submit with their letters; it is also courteous to give them a stamped, addressed envelope.-- Personal statement: The focus of your essay should be on presenting a personal view of the library and information science profession and your aspirations and goals for your future in the library and information science professions. The personal statement should be no more than 750 words in length and is submitted as part of the online application. If you feel that there are elements of your application that could benefit from a brief explanation, you should address them here.-- TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants, in addition to GRE scores. The TOEFL test should have been taken within the last 3 years. A paper and pencil result of 600 or higher or a computer-based test result of 250 or higher is expected. The completion of a master's degree in the United States is not grounds for waiving test results. Applicants of questionable English proficiency will be required to take a written or oral test when entering the program and, if necessary, to take course work in the English as a Second Language Program before commencing their M.L.I.S. studies. Nonimmigrant students must present evidence of adequate financial resources. The university may deny admission to nonimmigrant students for lack of English proficiency, for lack of financial support, or because of improper visa status. Completing Your Application Application Timeline and Notification of DecisionsPlease ensure that your application documentation is complete. Incomplete applications (e.g. those which do not include ALL of the required items) will not be considered. Make use of the tracking capabilities of the Graduate Admission website (http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/statusnotes.shtml ) to ensure that we have received your application, statement, transcripts, letters, and scores. Fall SemesterTo begin in a fall semester, all application materials (#1 through #7 below) should be received by February 1st to be included in the first round of offers. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by March 15th. Notification of a positive admissions decision may list certain conditions that must be satisfied prior to registration for coursework, such as submission of a final undergraduate transcript or other credentials. Applicants receiving an offer of admission will need to notify Graduate Admissions of acceptance by April 15th. Applications submitted after February 1st are welcome and will be considered on a rolling basis, and on a places-available basis. Spring SemesterTo begin in a spring semester, all application materials (#1 through #7 below) should be received by September 15th to be included in the first round of offers. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by October 31st. Notification of a positive admissions decision may list certain conditions that must be satisfied prior to registration for coursework, such as submission of a final undergraduate transcript or other credentials. Applicants receiving an offer of admission will need to notify Graduate Admissions of acceptance by November 30th.Applications submitted after September 15th are welcome, and will be considered on a rolling basis, and on a places-available basis. SummerWe do not admit students to begin in the summer for either the on-campus or online program. Deferring AdmissionIf you wish to defer admission to a subsequent term you must contact the program director. Admission may be deferred up to one year; after one year, a new application is required. MaterialsA complete application to the M.L.I.S. program consists of the following items:1. An application for admission. Go to http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/apply.shtml to complete the form. Please make sure to make the proper selection under Program Information in your application and double check it before you submit the form to make sure you are applying to the program you want. o To apply to the on-campus M.L.I.S. program in New Brunswick , select "Library and Information Science - 17610" o To apply to the online M.L.I.S. program, select "Library and Information Science - Distance - 176100O" 2. The personal statement, which is part of the application form. Follow the directions outlined above under "Entry requirements" when considering what to submit. Also, please note that the online application form has an option to submit the application without the personal statement, suggesting that you can mail the statement at a later time. We strongly recommend that you wait to submit your online application until you have your personal statement ready to include. Statements submitted separately run the risk of being lost, and we will not consider your application without the statement, so you do not gain any time by submitting the two separately. 3. Letters of recommendation (three letters of recommendation are recommended, but two letters are acceptable). Follow the directions outlined above under "Entry requirements" in selecting people to write letters. You should print and complete the top the Rutgers form (found at http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/pdf/2005recommend.pdf) for each recommender. You should either give them an envelope addressed to Rutgers and have them mail the recommendation in, or give them an envelope addressed to you and then you can submit three sealed envelopes to Rutgers. 4. Official transcripts of previous academic work. Please send transcripts from your bachelor's degree and any graduate study, both degree and nondegree, to the address listed at the Graduate Admissions site. 5. Official test scores from the GRE, as outlined above. 6. Individuals whose native language is not English should also submit TOEFL scores, as outlined above. 7. A $60 nonrefundable application fee. All materials should be sent to:
Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
18 Bishop Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8530 USA
732/932-7711 Fax: 732/932-8231 Admission Information Sessions On-campus information sessions are scheduled on a regular basis. These sessions are intended to provide answers to questions not covered by the information on this site. Meetings in spring 2008 will be held: Tuesday evenings: 6:15 - 7:45 on 2/26, 3/18, and 4/15 Wednesday afternoons: 3:30 – 5:00 on 4/9, 4/23 and 5/7 All sessions are held in the Faculty Lounge, SCILS building on the College Avenue Campus in New Brunswick. Attendance at an information session is not required for application or admission. Please confirm your attendance by e-mail (inforsvp@scils.rutgers.edu). Technology Proficiency Required To Begin Coursework While we admit students at varying levels of technology skills to the M.L.I.S. program, you must gain a certain level of proficiency before you can actually begin classes. What is required is enumerated here. All of our classes assume you possess these skills. On-Campus Students : Technology workshops are offered in New Brunswick in the weeks before classes begin if you need them. Online Students : Please contact the Professional Development Studies office if you need help gaining the technology skills listed on our webpage. We will do limited technology training at the orientation session before you begin your program. Transferring Credit No transfer of credit is granted for undergraduate course work, or for work experience in library and information service. A maximum of 6 credits of graduate coursework may be transferred to the M.L.I.S. program under the following conditions:
- You may request transfer of credits from a graduate program of library and information science accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) if the work was completed with a grade of B or better within three years prior to admission to the Rutgers M.L.I.S. program. At the time of your application to the program, if you have potential credits to transfer you should submit, with your application package, a cover letter indicating that you have credits you would like to be considered for transfer. Please also include your relevant graduate transcript along with a course description and/or syllabus from the potential transfer courses. We will review your request at the same time as we review your application to the program.
- After admission to Rutgers, and with the prior permission of your adviser, you may take coursework in another department at Rutgers or in another library and information science program accredited by the ALA.
- The total credits applied to the Rutgers M.L.I.S. program from other ALA accredited schools and other Rutgers programs cannot exceed 6 credits. Under all circumstances students must take a minimum of 30 credits through the Rutgers M.L.I.S. program to earn the degree. Nonmatriculating Students At the discretion of the faculty, M.L.I.S. applicants may be required to complete, on a nonmatriculated basis, 12 credits with satisfactory grades and obtain the written recommendation of a professor before being admitted to the degree program. Tuition and Fees - General InformationFor the 2006-07 academic year, tuition per credit for New Jersey residents is $515.85, and for non-state residents is $766.90. Student and other fees vary, depending on whether you are on- or off-campus and how many credits you are taking. The M.L.I.S. program requires a minimum of 36 credits over three years. Tuition for each academic year is set by the Board of Governors during July. You can locate current information about New Brunswick Graduate Tuition at http://www.studentabc.rutgers.edu/tuition/tuitionpdf.html/. When estimating your tuition for the upcoming academic year, please consider that in the past few years tuition increases have ranged between 5% and 10% per year. You can use the Rutgers tuition estimator to get an idea of what your tuition and fees will be; visit https://sasweb.rutgers.edu/estimator/ - but please note:
The answer to the question "At which campus will you be registered?" is "New Brunswick."
The answer to the question " Will you be attending classes on a university campus or elsewhere (i.e., a community college)?" depends on which program option you are choosing. If you intend at attend on-campus, the response should be "On a Rutgers University Campus." If you intend to attend online, the response should be "Outside of the university." Student fees are slightly different for these two options. Financial AidRutgers University offers only a very limited number of scholarships for M.L.I.S. students. However, there are other sources of scholarships and loans for study in this program.General information about financial aid may be found on the Graduate Admissions website. There are a very limited number of scholarships available from Rutgers SCILS for students in the M.L.I.S. program.Partial and full scholarships are offered by many organizations in New Jersey and around the country for MLIS study. To help you start with your research, please visit the Become-A-Librarian Scholarships webpage.Also visit the WebJunction site for scholarship information, available at http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=10895Sallie Mae offers loans for graduate education and continuing education. Check their website at http://www.salliemae.com/apply/borrowing/career_training.htmlAmerican Association for University Women (AAUW) Career Grants provide funding of $2000 to $8000 annually for women who are returning to higher education after a gap of 5 years in their education. Check the website at
http://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/career_development.cfm For More Information The SCILS catalog for 2006-08 is at http://catalogs.rutgers.edu/generated/scils/index.htmlOther information of interest about librarianship and our program is posted at http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~pack501/
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