MScEcon/Diploma Information and Library Studies (Distance Learning)

The course accepts two intakes every year, one in April and another in September. Applications are welcomed throughout the year.

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.

On 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.  You will be equipped 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.

Study schools

There are three study schools attached to this programme and they are all linked to the core modules you will complete in Part One. You will attend schools at Aberystwyth in April or September each year. Visits to local libraries, including the National Library of Wales, are incorporated into the study schools

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 CILIP 

How is the course structured?

This programme is divided into two parts. In Part One, you will take a mixture of core and optional modules, which will total 120 credits. Those wishing to finish studying at the end of Part One will be eligible for a Diploma. If you successfully pass these modules at the required assessment level, you can progress to the dissertation element (Part Two), which counts for another 60 credits. Successful completion of the dissertation, therefore, counts towards a total of 180 credits at Master’s level - and gains you a Master’s degree.

You are able to progress at your own pace, taking between 2 and 5 years to complete the total 180 credits required for the Master’s degree. The programme is flexible and current students are progressing at three different pace levels of their own choosing (faster, average and slower). The normal minimum requirement is that you complete 40 credits per year. Most students take about two years to complete Part One and one year to complete Part Two (total of three years).

What does the course cover?

You will be expected to follow a combination of core and optional studies. See the links above see details of the core modules.
Those candidates who attain the required assessment for the 120 credits of taught modules may exit with a Diploma.

Part Two dissertation

After successful completion of Part One at the required assessment level, those wishing to gain the Master’s qualification will need to complete a 60 credit dissertation.

Dissertation (60 credits)

On successful completion of the taught element, students pursuing the Master’s degree will prepare a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words on an approved topic.
Subject to the satisfactory completion of the dissertation, the MSc Econ in Information and Library Studies is awarded.

Assessment

The programme is assessed on the basis of coursework in Part One and the dissertation in Part Two. A variety of assignments in Part One, including reports, essays, presentations, and case studies enable you to relate theoretical knowledge to your own workplace

Entry Requirements

The minimum basic entry requirement for a Masters degree is normally a good  Honours Degree (in any discipline) + minimum 6 months experience in an information resource environment, or suitable experience for a relevant period of time, dependent on level of responsibility and breadth of activity.  Applicants must have pre-defined Information and Communication Technology skills and access to a computer linked to the Internet.

Non-native English speakers are required to take a University recognised test of academic English language proficiency with required minimum proficiency levels equating to an IELTS score of 6.5 or a TOEFL score of 580 (paper based test) or 237 (computer based) with an essay rating of 5.0. Applicants who have successfully undertaken a Bachelors degree in a UK University are exempt from this requirement.