Law, JD and Library and Information Science, MS

for the degree of Master of Science in Library & Information Science (on campus & online) and the Juris Doctor in Law (on campus)


The J.D./M.S.L.I.S. program allows students who are interested in a career in law librarianship to simultaneously pursue a Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Science in Library Information Science degree. Others interested in the practice of law specializing in information policy or intellectual property law may find this program to be of use.
The program requires:
1. Ninety hours of Law course work, up to 12 hours of which may be fulfilled by course work taken in the School of Information Sciences or otherwise pursuant to a course of study leading to the M.S. degree.
2. Forty hours of Library and Information Science course work, up to 12 hours of which may be fulfilled by course work taken in Law relating to legal research, copyright or related intellectual property law fields, or information and idea dissemination and related fields in the law.

The minimum number of credit hours for the joint degree is 118. The core requirements and total number of hours to obtain a degree in each existing program remain unchanged. The essence of this proposal is the cross-counting of relevant courses in each program toward the total number of hours or units required in the other. The program is structured to allow students to earn both degrees in less time than is required to earn each degree separately. Students interested in either of these programs must apply to both schools separately.

for the degree of Master of Science in Library & Information Science (on campus & online) and the Juris Doctor in Law (on campus)


The MSLIS degree program can be completed with or without a thesis, either on campus or online; the Law, JD is an on campus program.

Thesis Option

IS 505Information Organization and Access4
IS 510Libraries, Information and Society4
Research/Project/Independent Study Hours (4 max applied toward degree)4
IS 599Thesis Research8
Total Hours MSLIS28-40
Total Hours Law78-90

Non-Thesis Option

IS 505Information Organization and Access4
IS 510Libraries, Information and Society4
Research/Project/Independent Study Hours (4 max applied toward degree)4
Total Hours MSLIS28-40
Total Hours Law78-90

Other Requirements for both Thesis and Non-Thesis

Other requirements may overlap
Minimum Hours Required Within LIS: 28
Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: 12
A C grade or better in required courses.
The credit-no credit option can only be applied to courses taken outside the library and information science curriculum and courses taken with this option can't be applied to the degree.
Minimum GPA: 2.75

for the degree of Master of Science in Library & Information Science (on campus & online) and the Juris Doctor in Law (on campus)


School of Information Sciences
Dean: Eunice Santos
Program Contact: Katrina Hagler
School of Information Sciences website
iSchool Faculty
501 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820-6211
(217) 244-3432, (800) 982-0914 (within the US)
ischool email

Admissions
Graduate College Admissions & Requirements
Overview of MS/LIS admissions & requirements


College of Law
Dean of the College: Vikram David Amar
Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs: Margareth Etienne
Correspondence and Admission Information: Christine Renshaw, Office of Graduate and International Legal Studies
College of Law website
College of Law Faculty
244 Law Building, 504 East Pennsylvania Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-6066
College of Law email