Library and Information Science Consumer Information
We provide a comprehensive look at what our graduates achieve as a result of taking our top-ranked program.
Graduation and Retention Data
Data for those matriculating (entering the MSLIS degree) from 2012 to 2019. Data for seven years since matriculation is provided. While the number of credits a matriculated student may take will vary throughout the student’s program, the data below are based on the number of credits a student takes during the person’s first semester (0-8 credits for part-time; 9 or more for full-time). For full-time students, the MSLIS curriculum is optimized for completion in two years; Syracuse University requires that students in a master’s program graduate within seven years after beginning the program.
These data were last updated February 2022.
Graduate Employment Report: M.S .in Library & Information Science
*Class of 2020 and 2021 graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic
Campus Graduates
Based on 68% response rate
2021 Graduate Placement Rate: 76%
5-year Rolling Average Placement Rate: 83.7%
2021 Job titles
- Consulting Archivist
- Librarian I
- Curatorial Instruction Assistant
- Learning Commons Reference Assistant
- Instruction and Outreach Librarian
- Access Services Supervisor
- Cataloging and Archives Librarian
- Director of Administration
2021 Employers
- Institute for Veterans and Military Families
- St. Lawrence County Historical Association
- James Prendergast Library Association
- Syracuse University Libraries
- NYU Shanghai
- Christian Brothers University
- Le Moyne College: Library
- Syracuse University College of Law
Job placement status after graduation
- 50% Employed full time
- 30% Still seeking
- 20% Attending graduate school
Average time to employment when obtained job
- 82% Before graduation
- 18% 0-3 months
- 0% 3-6 months
- 0% 6+ months
Online Graduates
Response rate: 79%
2021 Graduate Placement Rate: 86%
5-year Rolling Average Placement Rate: 86% (online students were included in total count in previous years)
2021 Job titles
- Library Director
- Librarian – Youth and Adult Services
- School Library Media Specialist
- Mobile Services Branch Manager
- Digital Humanities Consultant – Southern Studies Program
- Data Analyst/Research Analyst
- Digitization Coordinator
- Law Librarian
- Reference and Instruction Librarian
- Metadata Specialist
2021 Employers
- Enoch Pratt Free Library
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- SUNY Cortland
- NYC Department of Education
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library
- Montana State Law Library
- Library of Congress
- Oxford University Press
Job placement status after graduation
- 86% Employed
- 13 % Still seeking
- 1% Attending graduate school
Average time to employment when obtained job
- 83% Before graduation*
- 8% 0-3 months*
- 9% 3-6 months*
0% 6+ months*
Graduate Employment Report: M.S in Library & Information Science with School Media specialization
Based on 100% response rate
2021 Graduate Placement Rate: 100%
5-year Rolling Average Placement Rate: 100%
Job placement status after graduation
- 100% Employed
Average time to employment when obtained job
- 83% Before graduation
- 17% 0-3 months
- 0% 3-6 months
- 0% 6+ months
MSLIS Program Outcomes
Graduates of the iSchool MSLIS program:
- Can apply the skills and attitudes of visioning, entrepreneurship, advocacy, planning and management to leadership in the information field.
- Can manage information resources and the information life-cycle through the processes of collection development, representation, organization, preservation, curation, access, and dissemination in accordance with physical, virtual, and technical infrastructure and needs.
- Can apply appropriate pedagogical and learning theory principles in the design, development, implementation, and assessment of library instruction and learning that contribute towards an information and technology literate society.
- Can design and employ policies essential for creating and providing information services and resources guided by the values of patron privacy, equitable access, intellectual freedom, and ethical use of information.
- Possess the skills to respect, engage and collaborate with a diverse community in order to advocate for and construct inclusive, meaningful, and participatory library services, programs and resources.
- Can perform and assess research-based practices through the application of information literacy, inquiry, and research methods including data discovery, analytics and qualitative measures.
Successful Transfer of Credit into the MSLIS program
Graduate students in the iSchool may seek to transfer into their program of study up to six credits from another graduate institution. For those credits to be considered, it is required that they relate to the student’s program of study and be within 7 years of the student’s anticipated graduation from the MSLIS program. It is our experience that few students transfer in credits, because of those requirements. However, we encourage any prospective student, who is interested in this option, to talk with an admissions counselor about the process.
MSLIS with School Media Specialization (MSLIS: SM) New York State Licensure Pass Rates
Teachers certified in New York State, who are seeking an MSLIS with School Media Specialization, do not have to take the Education All Students or the edTPA. Students who do not pass the test on their first try are able to retake the test until they receive a passing score or, if available, use the Safety Net provided by the New York State Education Department.
Students who do not pass the edTPA are able to use the Safety Net as implemented by the New York State Education Department, passing an alternate state exam: Assessment of Teaching Skills (ATSW).