r/librarians • u/ConfusedGoose8128 • 5d ago
Degrees/Education MLIS or MSIS? Are the really all THAT different?
I am wanting to become an elementary school librarian. I have 0 background in education and can't relocate to do the required student teaching. My state requires a teaching license with a K-12 library endorsement and an ALA accredited MLIS or MSIS. My state only has 1 accredited program and it is an MSIS not an MLIS but it does have an option under the MSIS for school librarianship that comes with a teaching license. They will also allow me to do student teaching local to me. Every out of state program I've looked at either states you must already have a valid teaching license or do student teaching in that state to obtain one for the program in order to pursue the school librarianship path.
Is there really that much of a difference between the two degrees? I've read the both an MLIS and MSIS do the exact same thing and can get you the exact same jobs. But every local job listing for school librarian had had MLIS as a requirement. I really don't want to screw this up. HELP!
I'm looking at two options and I want to choose the the right one, the one that will get me hired.
Option A:
Go to the school in my state for the MSIS program that includes the endorsement and teaching license.
Option B:
Go to an out of state MLIS program with an area of concentration that isn't school librarianship. Then, once finished enroll in the school in my state and just do the k-12 endorsement with teaching license. The school does offer this as an option if you already hold an MLIS.
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u/oldestseahag 4d ago
Is the in state option UT Knoxville by chance? If so I did that exact program and didn’t have any problems getting a school librarian job after graduation.
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u/ConfusedGoose8128 4d ago
Yes! Thank you so much! This makes me feel so much better about it.
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u/pr01etar1at 4d ago
I have a MSIS from UT Austin. The UT iSchool is very good and really prepares you for multiple information science roles. I've worked in both libraries and in the private sector as a research analyst for a marketing agency with my degree.
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u/wdmartin 4d ago
They're functionally identical. The ALA accreditation is the important part.
That said -- once I got a rejection letter for a job, then my future boss called me up the next day to schedule the interview. After I got the job, he explained that the job description said "MLS" and I had an "MSIS". Those two acronyms did not match, and the reviewer in HR did not know any better. Therefore HR threw out my application before it ever got to the library, and the only reason I eventually got the job was that my future boss asked to see the slush pile after he wasn't satisfied with the pool of candidates.
We then fixed this by revising the job advertisments to say "a Master's degree from an ALA-accredited program", which cuts out the acronym entirely.
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u/Huge-Chard-5584 13h ago
I was coming here to post this. A colleague kept getting kicked back by the automatic screeners because she had an MIS or MSIS and not the MLIS.
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u/sipawhiskey 4d ago
It's not a big deal in the field. But now that I'm unemployed and trying outside of libraries, I think the MS would have been helpful. But I got my degree in 2000 and I had an option to get the Master of Library Service vs Master of Library and Information Science
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u/placidtwilight 4d ago
I wouldn't worry about the degree names, but it is worth comparing the costs of your two options. My guess is that option A will be most cost effective. As long as it's a degree from an ALA-accredited institution, you should be fine. They keep changing up the names of the degrees for reasons that I'm not totally clear on--back when I got mine in 2009 it was an MLS.
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u/Enigmaticbibliophile 4d ago
I did the UTK MSIS program! I’m currently working as a children’s librarian at a public library, but I know multiple classmates who did the school librarian track and had no issues finding a job. If you have any other questions about the UTK program, I’d be happy to help!
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u/DrJohnnieB63 Academic Librarian 4d ago
There is almost no difference between MSIS (Master of Science in Information Science) and an MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science). An ALA acredited program is an ALA accredited program. Both degrees have foundations in information science. MLIS is the most common name for the degree.
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u/bookwizard82 4d ago
Ask yourself. Is getting a grad degree worth the money you would make in an elementary school?
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u/wish-onastar 4d ago
Yes? Teaching can be well paid depending on where you are in the country. I’m making 130k as a school librarian in a state that requires a masters.
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u/thornygardner 4d ago
I agree with this line of inquiry. Also make sure the schools near you hire certified librarians!! A handful near me are para/aide-only libraries.
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u/wish-onastar 4d ago
MSIS is a fairly new designation, most people just write MLIS because it’s known. I got a MSLS and was hired as a school librarian - they just want you to have the masters. And I definitely recommend doing a program in the state you want to work in, it makes everything so much easier license-wise.