Accreditation
The MLIS degree is accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) and its Committee on Accreditation (COA). The vast majority of public and academic professional librarian positions in the US and Canada require a master’s degree from an accredited program as a pre-condition of employment. Each MLIS degree program accredited by ALA goes through an extensive review process every seven years. In January 2010, the Committee on Accreditation granted continued accreditation status to the program leading to the degree of Master of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University's School of Library and Information Science. The next comprehensive review visit is scheduled for fall 2016.
The review process focuses on standards set by COA that cover the following evaluative criteria: Mission, Goals, and Objectives; Students; Faculty; Curriculum; Administration and Financial Support; and Physical Resources and Facilities. The accreditation process starts with a self-study by the program, termed a “program presentation,” that is presented to a review team charged with completing the program review. The review team also visits the campus and prepares a written evaluation of the program that is presented to COA. COA, in turn, determines whether the program will receive accreditation for the subsequent seven years.