MSc Econ and Diploma in Information & Library Studies

The course has one intake every year in September. Applications are welcomed throughout the year.

Why study for the MSc Econ or Diploma in Information and Library Studies?

We live in a world where there is a global ‘information economy' in which the skills of information and library professionals are in great demand by employers.

Organisations of all kinds in both public and private sectors are increasingly realising that they need to employ professional staff with professional information skills. Information and knowledge management and information literacy skills are now seen as essential in order to be able to function and compete effectively in a fast-moving national and international environment, where awareness of relevant information can mean the difference between success and failure.

The skills of information and library professionals are in demand as employers recognise the necessity for staff to identify, organise, retrieve and make accessible information as it exists in paper, electronic and multimedia formats.

If you take this course you will be introduced to the key information handling skills as well as the opportunity to develop your ICT, management and interpersonal skills.

The MSc Econ/Diploma Information and Library Studies course will equip you with the knowledge and skills for professional work. In addition, as the programme is studied at a distance, you should be able to feedback your newly acquired knowledge into your workplace as you progress.

Although this postgraduate programme is primarily designed to meet the needs of those who wish to work in various types of information and library services, you can exploit the transferable skills mastered during the programme to pursue careers in related professions (e.g. media management and book publishing), or continue your studies to a more advanced level through undertaking further postgraduate level research.

Course objectives

The objectives of the course are to:

• provide you with an overview of the principles of information and library work
• enable you to develop key information handling, ICT, management and interpersonal skills
• offer you the opportunity to study specialist subjects in more depth
• develop your ability for further research at postgraduate level in the information and library studies field
• provide a professional qualification and eligibility for Chartered status with The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)

How is the course structured?

This programme in information and library studies is divided into two parts. In Part One, you will take a mixture of core and optional modules between September and the following June, which will total 120 credits. (See the links above for details of the core modules).

If you successfully pass these modules at the required assessment level, you can progress to Part Two, in which students will need to complete a 60 credit dissertation of not more than 15,000 words on an approved topic. Successful completion of the dissertation, therefore, counts towards a total of 180 credits at Master's level - and gains you the MSC Econ in Information and Library Studies

Students may exit with a Diploma with 120 credits, or continue to complete the dissertation for the Master's degree. Students have 2 years to complete and submit their dissertation, but are strongly encouraged to complete within the first 12 months.

Assessment

The programme is assessed on the basis of coursework in Part One and the dissertation in Part Two. Assignments in Part One (including reports, essays, presentations, and case studies) enable you to relate theoretical knowledge to the workplace.

Study Tour

In addition to guest speakers and possible visits to services local to the University, you will have an opportunity to participate in a supervised study tour to London:

• The London tour is usually held in January and lasts about four days.
• The tour has been highly commended by our external examiners as it provides you with an opportunity to observe a wide variety of libraries and information organisations in both public and private sectors, and to meet the practicing professional staff involved.

Please note: You should budget carefully to ensure that you have sufficient funds to cover these extra expenses, which may include accommodation and travel.

The Department regrets that it is unable to offer any assistance to cover these costs.

Professional Status

The MScEcon Master's and the Postgraduate Diploma in Information and Library Studies qualifications are accredited by The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), which is the recognised as the main professional body for information and library professionals in the UK. (Please note: the Certificate is not recognised as an accredited course for CILIP Chartership.)

Personal development

Within the context of the assignments set in this postgraduate programme, and through practical exercises at the study school, there will opportunities to develop your communication and computer literacy skills as well as the ability to work in collaboration with others. As a result, we expect that you will leave the course with improved career prospects in information and library work as well as a range of personal and learning skills which will be useful when applying for posts in a wide range of other fields. The Department offers a skills induction programme (SKIP), which will further help you to develop these transferable skills.

What are the career opportunities?
Information professionals are required in almost all fields of activity in both the public and private sectors alike. In addition to the more traditional career prospects in academic, public and special libraries, there are also opportunities for information and library studies graduates in related areas such as broadcasting, publishing and bookselling. Recent graduates have found jobs as web officers, information consultants, information brokers and information officers in many institutions.