Certificates

Certificates are offered for students currently pursuing an SOIS master’s degree or for returning students.

  • Current students pursuing a master of library and information science degree (MLIS), master of science in information management (MSIM), or master of professional studies (MPS) can earn a certificate, which provides a credential of specialization. 
  • Returning Dominican MLIS or MSIM degree students can update their skills and boost their careers by earning a certificate.  Students who graduate with an MLIS or MSIM lacking one or more courses towards a certificate can enroll in the course(s) any time within five years of graduating in order to add the certificate to the MLIS or MSIM. Students must enroll as a student-at-large (credit-bearing), not as an auditor (non-credit-bearing).
  • Students with master’s degrees from accredited institutions, regardless of discipline,  are eligible to enroll for the SOIS certificates. Students must enroll as a students-at-large (credit-bearing), not as auditors (non-credit-bearing).

Students seeking two certificates may use courses that count toward more than one to fulfill requirements for both certificates. In other words, if a course is eligible for two certificates the student need only take it once, and may apply its credit toward both. A minimum of 30 credit hours is still required for the Master of Professional Studies in Library and Information Science (MPS) degree, toward which two certificates may be applied.

Exceptions to the Guidelines
  • Data and Knowledge Management Certificate (can be done post-baccalaureate as well as with an MLIS/MSIM or post-MLIS/MSIM)
  • Certificate of Special Study (can only be done post-MLIS)
  • Certificate in Executive Library Leadership is designed for library administrators with advanced degrees in non-LIS disciplines 
  • The School of Information Studies, in partnership with the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), offers students a pathway to becoming a records and information management professional.

Certificate students work in collaboration with a faculty advisor who specializes in the appropriate field of concentration to shape a plan of study. Five three-semester-hour courses are required (15 semester hours total), unless course(s) are applied toward more than one certificate.

Application Process

To apply to a School of Information Studies certificate program, please submit the following:

  • A completed online application
  • A personal essay of at least 500 words that addresses your reason for applying to our program and what you hope to gain from the experience
  • Official transcripts from the institution that awarded your bachelor’s degree or higher. Please request that the registrar(s) send the transcript directly to Dominican, either in paper or electronically. Application-submitted transcripts must be submitted in a sealed envelope, signed across the seal