Home iSchool Social Networking Subscribe to our RSS Feeds

Course Delivery

Program Format

Introductory Residency

Students enrolled in online masters degree programs begin their first year of study in July with a 7-day required residency in Syracuse, NY during which they will meet faculty, staff, and other students, complete introductory coursework, and become familiar with the iSchool environment and the technology which will be used in their online courses.  For additional details please see the Residency Information page.

Some programs and individual elective courses have additional residency requirements. Please consult course and program descriptions for additional details and note that all residencies are mandatory. Students enrolled in online programs may also elect to return to campus after their first summer to complete additional face-to-face coursework during the Helen Benning Regnier Summer Institute.

Online Courses

Upon completion of the residency, online students will be able to enroll in online courses during the fall, spring, and summer academic sessions. Online students take at least one course during the fall and spring semester. The program typically takes 2 years full-time, and up to 5 years part-time. Online courses follow the same academic calendar as campus courses.

Course Delivery

Learn Anytime, Anywhere

Online programs at The School of Information Studies are asynchronous, meaning that students are not required to be online at a specific time to take part in course activities and most of the communication among students and instructors does not take place in real time. Although there are no specific access times, online courses are not self-paced. Students are required to log into the iSchool Learning Management System (LMS) site for each of their courses several times a week for the duration of the semester, and they must also meet course deadline specified by the instructor, just like in a campus course.

While logged in, students complete course activities such as reviewing lectures, participating in discussions on the course boards, and completing and submitting assignments. Some instructors also choose to offer 1-2 synchronous course sessions during the semester. These sessions may be optional or required, at the instructor’s discretion, however details on these sessions will be made available to students at the beginning of the semester for planning purposes.

iSchool Learning Management System (LMS)

The School of Information Studies uses a Web-based teaching and learning environment called iSchool LMS. Each distance learning course has its own space within iSchool LMS, which typically includes the syllabus, lectures, a forum for class discussions, and a place to submit assignments. Upon admission to the program, students receive a packet containing information on how to log into and use the tools provided in iSchool LMS. 

Please e-mail Peggy Brown, director of instructional design, at ilms@syr.edu if you would like to receive a log-in and password to see a sample iSchool LMS course. 

WISE Courses

As a member of the Web-based Information Science Education (WISE) Consortium, The School of Information Studies provides graduate students with access to online electives on special topics offered by global leaders in online library and information science education. This collaboration expands the collection of elective courses available at Syracuse, allowing student to explore their interests beyond the limits of the traditional curriculum. For more information please see the WISE page.

For a list of the current online course offerings, please go to Course Schedules and select Graduate Online Courses or WISE Courses from the “Type” drop down menu.

Team projects and group oriented class work are common in many iSchool courses. As a result, many students find themselves more engaged in course topics, while at the same time developing and fine tuning their collaboration skills which are an essential asset in modern information technology environments.

The Syracuse University Art Collection houses its nearly 45,000 objects in a temperature and humidity controlled area of Sims Hall, adjacent to the Lowe Art Gallery, but many other works, including the Sacco & Vanzetti mosaic by Ben Shahn, decorate the outdoor spaces on the campus.
Headlines