The University of Southern Mississippi is a prominent research institution that offers over 190 undergraduate academic programs, both on-campus and online. The university is dedicated to community, scholarship, and learning. USM also offers the top-ranked Bachelor of Science in Library and Information Science. This degree program prepares students to work in a variety of library and information environments, as well as preparing the student to pass the PRAXIS exam for a state license to work in a school library. The LIS department focuses on knowledge, commitment to ethical practices, knowledge of the applicable literature, and professional practice and training experience.
This program requires that students complete 45 credit hours of coursework within the degree, along with six credit hours outside the department, and a 15 credit hour minor. Students may find themselves in classes such as Programs and Services for Youth, Storytelling, History of the Book, or Information Technology and Libraries. Additionally, the program offers an Accelerated Master's Option which gives undergraduate students with a 3.5 GPA or higher the ability to take nine credit hours of graduate level coursework during their senior year. The Library Science depart gives students many opportunities for internships, scholarships and even having their own work published. Finally, with over 130,000 alumni from USM, 97 percent of graduates from USM find positions, or a graduate program, relevant to their degree within 12 months of graduation.
