The North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Library and Information Sciences was recently ranked No. 1 out of 20 selected library science programs ranked by bestvalueschools.org.
NCCU’s School of Library and Information Sciences (SLIS) degree programs were evaluated on the affordability of tuition and on student-faculty ratios.
“We are providing a fast-growing number of students a high quality and versatile degree for a great value,” said Jon P. Gant, Ph.D., dean of SLIS.
The school received top honors for its multidisciplinary approach to teaching and its variety of specializations. The website also noted the high level of diversity among staff and students, responsiveness to student needs, and how the program addresses skills such as leadership, creativity and technical knowledge to meet critical challenges in society.
The listings are intended to help prospective students find the top graduate programs, according to the bestvalueschools.com website.
NCCU’s SLIS offers the Master of Library Science degree in six concentration areas: academic librarianship, archives and records management, law librarianship, public librarianship, school media, and digital librarianship.
“NCCU’s School of Library and Information Sciences seeks to intersect information and technology with ways to connect people to knowledge,” Gant said. “Faculty utilize the latest research and practice to help students learn how to improve access to information.”
The Master of Library Science program has been fully accredited by the American Library Association since 1974. It continues to be the only accredited program in library science offered in the United States by a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
SLIS also offers the Master for Information Sciences for students interested in computer systems and helping organization manage and use information. This training leads to jobs as systems analysts and designers, data analysts, networking experts, and cybersecurity specialists, as well as roles in artificial intelligence and health informatics.
SLIS also offers joint degrees in partnership with the university’s School of Law, School of Business, School of Education and College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities.
NCCU’s library science program was started in 1939, and its graduates have served in leadership roles at many public libraries, universities and colleges, school districts, museums and archives nationally, Gant adds.
