COA announces accreditation decisions made at 2019 Midwinter Meeting

CHICAGO — The Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA) announces accreditation actions taken at the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting.

What follows reflects the April 2018 policy revision to section I.15 (Accreditation decisions) of Accreditation Process, Policies, and Procedures (AP3), implemented to enhance public disclosure, that went into effect for all programs beginning in May 2018. The policy states that “any standard on which a program has follow-up reporting (following a comprehensive review or interim reporting review) is made public by the Office for Accreditation in the Directory of ALA-Accredited Programs and as a part of the usual means (e.g., press release, Accreditation Decisions and Actions Taken reports, and Prism).”

Continued Accreditation status was granted to the following programs (listed in alphabetical order by institution), with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in fall 2025:

• Master of Library and Information Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. Standards cited for follow-up reporting: I.1 (program's mission and goals pursued through implementation of an ongoing, broad-based, systematic planning process), III.1 (faculty capable of accomplishing program objectives), V.1 (program is an integral yet distinctive academic unit within institution).
• Master of Science in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Standard cited for follow-up reporting: V.3 (authority and qualifications of administrative head of program).
• Master of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. Standard cited for follow-up reporting: IV.2 (program information available to students and general public).
• Master of Information at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Meets all standards. No follow-up reporting required.
• Master of Science in Library and Information Science at St. John’s University. Meets all standards. No follow-up reporting required.

ALA accreditation indicates that the program has undergone a self-evaluation process, has been externally reviewed and meets the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies, established by COA and adopted by ALA Council. COA evaluates each program for conformity to the Standards, which address systematic planning; curriculum; faculty; students; administration, finances, and resources.

A complete list of programs and degrees accredited by ALA can be found in the Directory of ALA-Accredited MLIS Programs. Individuals who would like more information about a particular program should contact the program directly.

The ALA COA is a leading force in accreditation, having evaluated educational programs to prepare librarians since 1924. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes ALA COA as the authority for assessing the quality of education offered by graduate programs in the field of library and information studies.