Master of Science in Information Studies
About the Program
Required Courses
Concentration Courses for the Five Tracks
The Master of Science in Information Science is a program designed to serve two major purposes:
- To prepare students for employment in corporate and public sector organizations where the generation, management, and use of information is the dominant or an essential aspect of the organization;
- To equip students with the knowledge and skills required for entry into a doctoral program in information science.
Graduates of the program are expected to:
- Demonstrate a sense of professional identity by applying the concepts and principles of the information sciences and related disciplines.
- Know the history and evolving roles of the information professional in the changing global society.
- Create, select, acquire, organize, manage, preserve, retrieve, evaluate, and disseminate information using relevant theories and practices.
- Assess information needs of diverse and underserved populations and provide resources and instruction to meet those needs.
- Recognize the crucial role of users in the design and implementation of information systems.
- Formulate, interpret, and implement information policy, and promote ethical standards in the production, management, and use of information.
- Understand the importance of information access issues, including privacy, equity, intellectual property, and intellectual freedom.
- Conduct and apply interdisciplinary research to develop, maintain, and assess information services and systems.
- Understand, implement, and use appropriate technologies in the delivery of information content and services.
- Apply management principles to the creation, administration, and promotion of information organizations and systems.
- Understand the information environment and build collaborative relationships to strengthen information services and literacy.
Graduates who move directly into the profession gain employment in libraries, information and records centers, archives, governmental agencies, school districts, or private sector environments. Typical employers include corporations, hospitals, academic institutions, human service organizations, law offices, and legislatures.
The degree is awarded for successful completion of a minimum of 42 credit hours. There are five areas of concentration in the curriculum:
- Archives/Records Administration - to prepare students who wish to pursue a career in archives, or as paper or electronic records managers.
- Library and Information Services - to prepare students for professional positions in academic, special, or public libraries.
- Library and Information Services/ School Library Media Specialist - to prepare students seeking certification to work in public school libraries throughout New York State.
- Information Management and Policy - to prepare students pursuing careers as information managers in corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
- Information Systems and Technology - to prepare students for professional employment as systems and technology experts in a wide range of government, library, corporate and nonprofit organizations.
- IST 523* Fundamentals of Information Technology (6)
- IST 601 The Information Environment (3)
- IST 602 Information and Knowledge Organization (3)
- IST 608 Research Methods (3)
- IST 614 Administration of Information Agencies (3) (School media students replace IST 614 with IST 676)
- IST 668 Internship (3)
Concentration Courses for the Five Tracks
1. Archives and Records Administration
- IST 546 Fundamentals of Records Management (3)
- IST 547 Electronic Records Management (3)
- IST 654 Preservation Management in Archives and Libraries (3)
- IST 656 Archives and Manuscripts (3)
Students take electives in the Department of Information Studies or Department of History to support this concentration.
2. Library and Information Services
- IST 603 Information Processing (3)
- IST 605 Information Sources and Services (3)
Students take electives in the Department of Information Studies and in other departments throughout the University to support this concentration.
3. Library and Information Services/School Library Media Specialist
- IST 571 Literature for Children (3)
- IST 578 Literature for Young Adults (3)
- IST 603 Information Processing (3)
- IST 605 Information Sources and Services (3)
- IST 668 Internship (3) *Note: This internship is in addition to the M.S.I.S. required internship.
Two internships are required in the library and information services/school library media specialist track: one in an elementary school and one in a secondary school. One of the two internships must be in a high-needs school.
In addition, 100 hours of supervised pre-internship field experience are also required. The courses IST 571, 578, 673, 675 and 676 provide this. To meet program and certification requirements, field experience must include both elementary and secondary levels, and include high-needs environments at each level.
- IST 675 Curriculum and Supportive Resources (3)
- IST 676 Administration of School Media Centers (3) (required for all school media students instead of ISP 614)
There are additional general education, pedagogy, and testing requirements for school library media certification. Click here >> for full program information.
4. Information Management and Policy
- IST 560* Information and Public Policy (3) [previously required: IST 562]
- IST 615 Advanced Seminar in Information Management and Policy (3)
- IST 636* Systems Analysis in the Information Environment (3) [previously required: RPAD 623]
Students take electives in the Department of Information Studies, Department of Public Administration, and School of Business to support this concentration. * These requirements became effective Spring 2004.
5. Information Systems and Technology
- IST 611 Information Systems (3)
- IST 533 Information Storage and Retrieval (3)
- IST 636 Systems Analysis in the Information Environment (3)
Students take electives in the Department of Information Studies, Department of Computer Science, Department of Public Administration, Department of Geography and Planning, and School of Business to support this concentration.
erma@albany.edu
