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School Library Information Specialist

Today's Librarian Thinks Within and Beyond the Stacks

Be part of a vast world of info, creativity, technology, knowledge, places and possibilities. Earn a School Library Information Specialist Master's degree or certificate.

Go Beyond the Stacks

Course plan

Program Requirements

  • The SLIS MS and Graduate Certificate require:
    • 6 SLIS content courses. These courses are required for add-on SLIS endorsement or as part of initial teaching licensure. See Course plan and Course Rotation above for course schedule.
      • ICL 7132 - Cataloging and Classification
      • ICL 7133 - School Library Administration
      • ICL 7134 - Internet in the School Library
      • ICL 7301 - Literature in the PreK-12 School
      • ICL 7730 - Foundations of Librarianship
      • ICL 7731- Introduction to Bibliography
    • Advanced clinical practicum (ICL 7800) in a school library that may be on the job if already licensed in another area
  • To complete the MS degree, there are 3 additional courses. 
    • ICL 7059 - Models of Instruction
    • EDPR 7521 - Introduction to Educational Research
    • ICL 7992 - Masters Project  or ICL 7993 - Professional Seminar
  • If a student already has a Master's degree, only the 6 courses and practicum for school library certification are required.


SLIS Graduate Certificate

Students wanting to earn the Graduate Certificate for School Library Information Specialists must have an earned Master's degree and apply to be accepted in this graduate certificate program. Applicants must also hold a current teaching license or be in the process of obtaining teacher licensure. The courses may be completed as part of a degree program with the SLIS program coordinator and graduate advisor's approval.

SLIS Graduate Certificate Graduation Requirements

1. The student must complete all seven required courses (6 SLIS and practicum) with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, for a total of 21 credit hours.
2. In the semester of the advanced clinical practicum, the student must submit a Graduate Certificate Candidacy form to the COE Graduate Analyst in Ball Hall 215 (3798 Walker Ave., Memphis, TN 38152) by the deadline specified by the Graduate School.

SLIS Licensure

A Master of Science Degree with Initial Licensure and a Tennessee License to teach grades K-12. This degree sheet > is a guide for selecting and sequencing courses required for the MS with Initial Licensure Program. Learn more about receiving licensure on the Office of Teacher Education and Clinical Practice website >.

Online Program of Study for School Library Information Specialist

Certificate Track Master of Science Master of Science, with Initial Licensure
ICL 7132: Cataloging and Classification ICL 7132: Cataloging and Classification ICL 7132: Cataloging and Classification
ICL 7133: School Library Administration ICL 7133: School Library Administration ICL 7133: School Library Administration
ICL 7134: Internet in the School Library ICL 7134: Internet in the School Library ICL 7134: Internet in the School Library
ICL 7301: Literature in the PreK-12 School ICL 7301: Literature in the PreK-12 School ICL 7301: Literature in the PreK-12 School
ICL 7730: Foundations of Librarianship
(Three-week accelerated course offered each summer semester.)		 ICL 7730: Foundations of Librarianship ICL 7730: Foundations of Librarianship
ICL 7731: Introduction to Bibliography ICL 7731: Introduction to Bibliography ICL 7731: Introduction to Bibliography
ICL 7800: Advanced Clinical Practicum
(Can only be taken after all other SLIS content courses have been successfully completed and after passing the Praxis 5311 exam.)		 ICL 7800: Advanced Clinical Practicum ICL 7800: Advanced Clinical Practicum
Additional Required Courses for Online Programs
Master of Science Master of Science with Initial Licensure
ICL 7059: Models of Instruction
(must be taken prior to ICL 7992)		 SPED 7000: Introduction to Exceptional Learners
EDPR 7521: Introduction to Education Research (must be taken prior to ICL 7992) EDPR 7117: Life-Span Human Development
ICL 7992: Master’s Project
(Action Research)		 ICL 7993: Professional Seminar (Must be admitted to TEP to enroll)

Program Enrollment Information

Any undergraduate degree is acceptable for admission into the program. The program is designed for those people who want to become school library media specialists. It may or may not be acceptable for public library, or other library positions.

Enrollment can occur at the beginning of any semester, however to be officially admitted to the ICL M.S. degree program, students must apply and submit documents via https://www.memphis.edu/graduateadmissions/future/apply_grad.php.

Please note: Students can earn up to 12 hours (four 3-hour courses) in non-degree status. These hours can be transferred into your degree program once officially admitted. It is recommended that students take the two SLIS courses offered each semester.  This will allow students to finish with all required core SLIS courses, including the Practicum (which must be conducted as the final semester), in a year-and-a-half.

There are specific deadlines and requirements for notifying the Office of Clinical Practice of intent to conduct the Practicum. The applications, requirements and additional information can be found at https://www.memphis.edu/tep/clinical/clinical-teaching.php. Also, the prospective Library Practicum participant must successfully pass the 5311 Praxis exam prior to the Practicum field experience.

There is no minimum course load; however it is recommended that students take two courses per semester. Please consult the entire course rotation for proper planning.

When registering for the SLIS classes, be sure to register in the M50-designated online course sections.  These M50 courses incur online fees and affects the out-of-state tuition. If you have questions about the fees and tuition cost, please contact the Office of the Registrar. Also, all M50 courses require a special permit to insure that program enrollees are provided with appropriate course registration opportunity.

Steps in the Admission Process

  • Visit the ICL Admissions page for questions about admissions to the Graduate School and the ICL Department.  Apply to:
    • Master of Science (MS) Degree
    • Concentration in Instruction and Curriculum and an endorsement in School Library Information Specialist.
  • If you are not seeking a Master's degree, you should enroll as non-degree seeking.  Up to 12 credit hours (four courses) earned as non-degree status can be transferred to a MS degree.
  • Credit hours earned more than six years prior to enrolling cannot be applied towards the program.
  • The ICL Academic Services Associate can answer ICL Masters' program and credit transfer questions.
  • Please see the Graduate Admissions web site to learn more on all other admissions information.
  • For UM  fees and tuition visit the University Student and Business Services.

Contact Us

Ms. Shelby Lynn Tate, Academic Services Associate
state1@memphis.edu

Dr. Sandra Nichols, Coordinator of SLiS
smcooley@memphis.edu 

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