The MLIS program prepares professionals to exercise creativity, integrity and leadership in designing, implementing and promoting programs and systems for the creation, organization, management, preservation and effective use of information and collections. Graduates of the MLIS program go on to careers as librarians, information managers, researchers, analysts, interaction designers, web content specialists, and more.
The MLIS degree program offers a wide range of courses and is highly customizable based on specific student interests. Areas of particular focus include the following:
The MAS program prepares professionals to exercise creativity, integrity and leadership in designing, implementing and promoting programs and systems for the creation, organization, management, preservation and effective use of records and archives.
Program content focuses on:
In 1981 the Master of Archival Studies program was created at UBC making it the first graduate program in archival studies in North America.
Home to internationally recognized faculty for their research and contributions to the field of archival studies, the School offers students unique opportunities to engage in international research projects in this discipline.
This unique Dual MAS/MLIS program (MASLIS) offers students a thorough grounding in archival and information studies—gaining competencies in both disciplines as they learn how to manage and organize both records and information. Graduates with both MAS and MLIS degrees bring the cross-disciplinary skills employers are looking for.
For nearly 20 years this program is one of a kind, and has trained students in both the disciplines of archival and information studies through diverse coursework and learning opportunities. Upon completion students will receive two master’s degree certificates; one in Archival Studies and the other an ALA accredited Library and information Studies degree.
Having one of the few dedicated Master of Archival Studies programs in North America, and the only DUAL MAS/MLIS degree, students are able to participate in a broad range of coursework across both disciplines. Our wide range of experiential learning courses offer students the opportunity to put their theory into practice.
Within the School students also have many opportunities to collaborate with faculty on a wide range of research projects.
Critical and Curatorial Studies (CCST) is an emerging field of scholarship and training that looks directly at the roles and responsibilities of curators and critics as mediators between objects, institutions, experiences, individuals and groups. While this involves investigating and negotiating a number of disciplinary fields, from ethnography to aesthetics, organizational behaviour to cultural studies, the main focus is on contemporary conditions of display and understanding.
CCST students take three required graduate seminars that engage with historical frameworks and contemporary contextual issues within curatorial practice, and case studies in exhibitions and institutions. These popular seminars are open to other graduate students as well and foster interesting dialogues on issues surrounding curation. CCST students supplement their knowledge with Art History courses and are given the opportunity to take additional credits outside the department as well. They are also challenged to achieve reading knowledge of a language other than English for their language requirement, along with the MA in Art History and PhD students.
During the graduate practicum students gain professional experience through the research, planning, and realization of a significant project and are expected to rationalize their exhibition in written work and presentations at various stages during its production. Students are exposed to the practical and theoretical concerns of exhibition creation and are rewarded in their endeavour with local, if not national and international exposure.
