COA announces accreditation decisions made at 2020 Midwinter Meeting

CHICAGO — The Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Library Association (ALA) announces accreditation actions taken at the 2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting.

Continued Accreditation status was granted to the following programs (listed in alphabetical order by institution), with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in fall 2026:

• Master of Science in Information Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Meets all standards. No issues cited for follow-up. 
• Master of Arts in Library and Information Science at the University of Arizona. Standards cited for follow-up reporting: III.9 (explicit documented evidence of ongoing decision-making processes in the evaluation of faculty), III.10 (examples of how the results of faculty evaluations are systematically used to improve the program and to plan for the future), V.10 (updates on physical facilities). 
• Master of Information at Dalhousie University. Standards cited for follow-up reporting: III.6 (faculty hold advanced degrees from a variety of academic institutions). 
• Master of Science in Information Science and Master of Arts in Information at Florida State University. Meets all standards. No issues cited for follow-up. 

ALA accreditation indicates that the program has undergone a comprehensive external review 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.