Frequently
Asked Questions
Is the degree ALA accredited?
YES! The MLIS program is fully accredited by the American Library Association.
How much is tuition?
The 2007-2008 Academic year tuition fee for one on-line 3-credit course in the School of Information Studies will cost $1,989.00 ($663.00/per credit). This fee is assessed for all on-line courses regardless of your geographic location.
The total cost of the program depends on the number of courses you take per semester, and the number of semesters you are enrolled. What makes the SOIS distance education program unique is that our DE students pay approximately 1/3 of out-of-state tuition costs.
Students enrolled solely in off-campus courses are not charged university segregated fees (which pay for, among other things, the Klotsche Center, health services, and bus passes). These fees usually cost around $250 per semester.
For more tuition information, go to the Department of Enrollment Services website at: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DES
Are scholarships and financial aid available?
Yes. To apply for financial aid, complete an FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). There are restrictions on Financial Aid for non-degree students. Please see http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/FINAID/ for more information or contact the Financial Aid office.
**The UWM Financial Aid Office offers online entrance loan counseling*
Can I obtain the degree entirely from a distance?
All five of the required "core" courses are available via the Web-based distance learning programs. Enough electives to fill the credit requirement are available via the Web-based distance learning program as well. Because a select few of the electives deal with specific software or face other restrictions, they are not, at this time, feasibly delivered over the Internet. We are constantly working with new and evolving technology to stay on the cutting edge. Watch for exciting new developments in course offerings!
Students are encouraged to visit UWM to take the in-house portion of the required comprehensive exam, which can be taken within 12 credits of graduation. The exam is usually scheduled on a Saturday. However, it is now possible to take the in-house portion of the exam through remote proctoring.
I'm registered for an online course. When and
where do I receive my login and password?
If this is your first time taking an online course
with SOIS, you can expect to receive your login
and ID in your ePanther
e-mail account at least 3 weeks' prior to
the starting time of your course. If you have
not received it by that time, or have registered
for a course 3 weeks or less before the course's
starting time, please contact the Distance
Education Coordinator.
If you have taken an online course with SOIS in
the previous semester(s), you should already have
a account established, and should continue using
the same login and password as before. You will
be linked to your new courses automatically without
separate notification. For questions about this,
please contact the Distance
Education Coordinator.
How are the courses delivered?
SOIS Distance Education courses are delivered
primarily over the Internet, using the World Wide
Web. Some courses may take advantage of having
live chat sessions; others may make use of streaming
audio or video lectures. As new technologies for
course delivery become available, we will make
every effort to take advantage of those that are
appropriate to our degree programs.
Do the courses follow the semester schedule?
Yes. We are on the semester system at UWM, with
a summer term and January term called UWinteriM.
We offer some courses in a condensed format that
runs half the semester, with another course beginning
after the first one ends. This allows a distance
education student to take two courses where previously
he or she may have been able to take only one.
As with the onsite summer schedule, summer web
offerings are more limited than during the academic
year.
How much time should I expect to devote to each
course?
You can expect to devote just as much time as
an onsite course. People who work more than 25
hours a week should consider not taking more than
six credits a semester. Plan on spending 10 hrs/week
per course for a full semester course, double
that for a 6-8 week course.
Can I ever take a traditional face-to-face course?
YES! Though it is not required, you should take
advantage of this great opportunity. You may take
courses on campus during the regular semester
as well as during the summer term or January term
called UWinteriM. Another option is our off-site
courses taught by SOIS faculty. From time to time
we will offer a SOIS course, taught by a SOIS
faculty member, at another UW System campus. If
there is a concentration of students in a location
that is near you, perhaps we will offer a course
there!
*Please note that the non-resident tuition waiver
applies only to Web-based coursework.
What kind of undergraduate background do I need?
The best undergraduate preparation for a librarian
is one that includes a solid grounding in the
liberal arts. There is no required or even suggested
list of undergraduate majors. If you have a degree
in the sciences, you may want to lean toward science
or medical librarianship. Likewise, if your undergraduate
degree is in Art History, you may tend toward
art or museum librarianship. Or you may decide
to go in an entirely new direction!
What student support services are offered?
We offer full student support services through
both our Student Services Coordinator and our
Distance Education Coordinator. We provide student
advising, career counseling, and technical support,
as well as registration and enrollment assistance.
The UWM Golda Meir Library is especially adept
at handling Distance Education student services.
They offer Inter-Library Loan, electronic reserves,
access to electronic indexes and abstracts, and
a web-based online catalog!
Is the program open to non-Wisconsin residents?
YES! The SOIS Distance Education program is available
regardless of geographic location. We have an
out-of-state tuition waiver for non-Wisconsin
residents. This means that all students in the
SOIS Distance Education program pay in-state fees,
a savings of over 60%!
*Please note that the non-resident tuition waiver
applies only to Web-based coursework.
Are the Coordinated Degree Programs available
online?
At this time, the Coordinated Degree Programs
are not totally available online. The SOIS courses
can usually be taken online (there may be some
exceptions in the required elective), but the
Coordinated Degree Program may not be offered
online by the other department.
Is the Ph.D. program available online?
Through the Urban Education Doctoral Program,
SOIS offers a Ph.D. in Urban Education with a
specialization in Educational and Media Technology.
Because it is a coordinated degree, with most
of the required 60 credits coming from departments
other than SOIS, this program is not available
online. Some of the courses required for the specialization
in the SOIS department may be taken online. Students
who do not hold a Master's degree in Library and
Information Science but who wish to complete this
doctoral program, are required to take the five
SOIS core courses (510, 520, 530, 540, 550). These
courses are all offered online. It is possible
for a student to make a start at preparing for
the doctoral degree program via the Distance Education
Program.
Can I get an exemption from or test out of any
courses?
Under certain circumstances you may be able to
get an exemption from some of the core courses.
If you have taken a comparable course at an ALA-accredited
institution and the SOIS instructor for the course,
upon review of the syllabus, approves the course,
you will be exempted from that course at SOIS.
This does not reduce your total credit requirement;
therefore exemption from electives is not applicable.
I am in a different time zone; will this make
things more difficult?
Not always. SOIS's Distance Education Program
has had students from from all over the world!
Generally speaking, courses are asynchronous in
nature, with communication taking place within
a course site's discussion board. You will have
assignments with due dates and project deadlines,
so in that way, the courses are not self-paced
and you must stay on track with the rest of the
class. From time to time your instructor may schedule
live Internet chat sessions or video delivery;
every effort will be made to alert students ahead
of time so they can arrange their schedules or
discuss the matter with the instructor.
What are the application deadlines?
Due to the increased demand for Web-based courses,
the School has implemented stricter application
deadlines to help plan for future course offerings.
The deadlines by which completed applications
must be submitted for admissions consideration
for a given semester are as follows:
February 1 - Fall Semester
(begins in September)
September 1 - Spring Semester (begins
in January)
December 1 - Summer Semester
(begins in May)
It is up to the applicant to ensure all materials,
including letters of recommendation and transcripts
arrive by the deadline. Please allow sufficient
time for all documentation to arrive.
If I need to visit UWM in person, how do I get
there? What are my lodging options?
There are several hotels and motels conveniently
located near the UWM campus. Please view our visitor
information page to obtain a map of UWM and
a list of nearby lodging.
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