COA announces accreditation decisions made at 2016 Fall Meeting and 2017 Midwinter Meeting

For Immediate Release
Fri, 02/17/2017

Contact:

Kerri Price

Associate Director

Office for Accreditation

American Library Association

312-280-2435

kprice@ala.org

CHICAGO — The Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA) announces accreditation actions taken at the 2016 Fall Meeting and the 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting.

At its 2016 Fall Meeting in Chicago, the COA took the following action:

  • Precandidacy status was granted to the following program:
    • Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies at the University College London.

At its 2017 Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta, the COA took the following actions:

  • Continued Accreditation status was granted to the following programs, with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in fall 2023:
    • Master of Information Studies at McGill University (Quebec);
    • Master of Library Science at North Carolina Central University;
    • Master of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University (Michigan).
  • Continued Accreditation status with release from Conditional Accreditation status was granted to the following programs, with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in fall 2023:
    • Master of Library and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia;
    • Master of Science in Library and Information Science at Pratt Institute (New York).
  • Initial Accreditation status was granted to the following program, with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in fall 2023:
    • Master of Management in Library and Information Science at the University of Southern California.

ALA accreditation indicates that the program has undergone a self-evaluation process, has been externally reviewed and meets the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies, established by COA and adopted by ALA Council. COA evaluates each program for conformity to the Standards, which address systematic planning; curriculum; faculty; students; administration, finances, and resources.

A complete list of programs and degrees accredited by ALA can be found in the Directory of ALA-Accredited MLIS Programs. Individuals who would like more information about a particular program should contact the program directly.

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.