Information and Library Studies

Program Overview

Information and Library Studies

Key Facts

• Course Code: P194-MA
• Qualification: MA
• Course duration: 1 year
• Available for September start 2025

Typical Entry Requirements

• Entry Requirements: 2:2 Bachelors (Honours) degree in any subject, or equivalent, with 6 weeks (around 200 hours) work experience in a relevant sector. Non-graduates will be considered individually based on relevant work experience.
• English Language Requirements: IELTS 6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent
• Other Requirements: Applicants should provide details of previous relevant work/volunteer experience at the point of application and include an up-to-date CV.

Course Overview

The skills for library and information professionals are in high demand as employers need to manage their most valuable assets in our global ‘information economy’. Information Studies at Aberystwyth has an impressive track record, having produced some of the UK's, and indeed the world's, leading librarians and information professionals. This MA or Diploma, accredited by the UK’s Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), will equip you to fulfil the essential role that companies and professional bodies need to compete effectively in a fast-moving national and international business environment.

Why study Information and Library Studies at Aberystwyth University?

• Expertise from one of the UK’s leading providers
• This course was one of the first qualifications in this important area and is still one of the market’s most well regarded
• Aberystwyth University boasts library resources amongst the best in Europe
• Access to Information Studies’ specialist Thomas Parry Library, a leading library for our discipline, and the university’s Hugh Owen Library, which houses more than 700,000 volumes and subscribes to more than 3,500 current periodicals
• Situated next to the university campus is the National Library of Wales, one of the UK’s five copyright libraries, which houses more than 6,000,000 volumes
• Aberystwyth University is a top 50 university for research power and intensity – REF 2014
• Develop theoretical knowledge that is applicable to the workplace, and develop skills that will place you in an enviable position in the jobs market
• Undertake one of the best courses for professional practice
• Graduates of this MA/Diploma will have a CILIP accredited qualification that is recognised for admission to the Register of Chartered Librarians (subject to the Institute’s chartership regulations)
• More of our postgraduate students entered employment at a graduate level than the national average, and our postgraduates earned more on average than postgraduates in other subject fields (2010/2011)

About this course

• Duration: One year full-time or two years part-time. The academic year (September to September) is divided into three semesters: September to January; January to June; June to September. The first two semesters are taught and the third semester is devoted to individual work on your dissertation.
• Contact Time: Contact time is 6-10 hours a week during the first two semesters. In semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned dissertation supervisor.
• Assessment: The taught part of the course, which is 120 credits, is delivered and assessed through lectures, student seminars, practical exercises, case studies and course work. Successful completion of 60 credits of taught modules makes you eligible for a Postgraduate Certificate, 120 credits gives eligibility for a CILIP accredited Postgraduate Diploma, or successful completion of your postgraduate dissertation leads to an accredited Master’s degree.

Course Fees

Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase.

Funding

Funding opportunities may be available, please check our funding calculator for details.

Modules September start - 2025

Year 1 Year 2

Core

• Collection Management | ILM8220 | 20
• Information Organisation and Retrieval | ILM5320 | 20
• Information Services: Planning for Delivery | ILM5420 | 20
• Information and Society | ILM5120 | 20
• Studies in Management | ILM5220 | 20

Options

• Collections Care | ILM2120 | 20
• Digital Information Literacy | ILM3220 | 20
• Digital and Audio-visual Collections | ILM2220 | 20
• Rare Books and Special Collections | ILM8120 | 20

Core

• Dissertation | ILM1460 | 60

Careers

Qualification: MA/Diploma in Information and Library Studies

Our alumni include a number of current and former national librarians (Scotland, Wales, Malta and Malaysia), the first black national librarian in South Africa, and the former Director of the Bureau for Library and Information Services at the United Nations.

In addition to the traditional library and information service sector, our graduates also go on to work as:

• Information Officers
• Information Managers
• Information Systems Officers
• Information Analysts
• Computer Systems Officers

Companies also benefit from our graduates’ information skills when applied to the areas of management, sales, production or marketing.

Likewise, the wide array of transferable skills that are gained from this course can be used to pursue a diverse range of related careers, including media management and book publishing. Many of our graduates also undertake further postgraduate level research.

Skills

Throughout this course, you will develop:

• Subject specific expertise, including a thorough understanding of factors affecting the flow of information in a range of important societal contexts and the challenges of organising, storing, and retrieving information
• Confidence in the use of systems and their tools to order, store, and retrieve information
• Key information handling skills, including the ability to analyse and control how information is transmitted to users, access to information, and measurement of its use
• ICT, management, and interpersonal skills
• Mastery of the practical applications of Information and Library Studies

Teaching & Learning

How will I learn?

This course is a one year full-time course and is divided into three semesters. The first two semesters (September – May) consist of a taught element, whereby students complete 120 credits, and at which point they are eligible for a CILIP accredited Diploma. The final semester (June – September) allows the student to complete a Masters dissertation (60 credits), and thus to gain a CILIP accredited MA (180 credits).

During the first two semesters, the course is delivered via a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops and contact time is approximately 10 hours a week. In the final semester you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned dissertation supervisor.

In addition to teaching input from Information Studies staff, students will be exposed to guest lectures, visits to services local to the university, and will attend a four day London study tour.

Study tour

The four day London Study Tour gives you the chance to observe a wide variety of libraries and information organisations in both public and private sectors and to meet the practicing professional staff involved. Attendance at the London study tour (usually held in the third week of January) is compulsory, and students are advised to budget carefully to ensure they have sufficient funds to cover these extra expenses, which may include accommodation and travel.

What will I learn?

Students will study a number of crucial core modules whilst directing their study by choosing specialist modules. Information on modules available can be found in the Modules tab.

Students wishing to complete the MA will then go on to complete an individual dissertation, whereas those who do not wish to complete this can obtain the CILIP accredited Diploma.

The 15,000 word dissertation allows students to research an approved topic within the information and library field, engage with central concepts, methods and techniques in the main streams of information and library research, and in doing so aim to contribute to the national understanding of data handling and information flow.

How will I be assessed?

The taught part of the course is assessed through a mix of reports, essays, group work, presentations and case studies. Successful submission of the 60 credit Masters dissertation leads to the award of an MA.