Southern Connecticut State University MLS program loses ALA accreditation

For Immediate Release
Mon, 11/11/2013

Contact:

Laura Dare

Assistant Director

Office for Accreditation

312-280-2435

ldare@ala.org

CHICAGO — At its meeting at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, the ALA Committee on Accreditation voted to withdraw accreditation from the Master of Library Science program offered by Southern Connecticut State University. The MLS program had held conditional accreditation status since June 2010.

The University appealed the decision, and the program retained its Conditional accreditation status pending outcome of the appeal. On Oct. 27, 2013, the ALA Executive Board concurred with a recommendation of an Appeal Review Committee to uphold the decision to withdraw accreditation.

The effective date of withdrawal is Oct. 27, 2013. Any student who was enrolled in the program before the withdrawal of accreditation and who completes the degree requirements within 24 months after the withdrawal date (or the end of semester if the end of the 24-month period falls within an academic term) is considered to have graduated from an ALA-accredited program (Accreditation Process, Policies and Procedures (AP3), Section I.14.3).

A directory of programs and degrees accredited by ALA can be found on the ALA website. Individuals who would like more information about a particular program should contact the program.

The ALA COA is a leading force in accreditation, having evaluated educational programs to prepare librarians since 1924. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes ALA COA as the authority for assessing the quality of education offered by graduate programs in the field of library and information studies.