contact us
search
The School
Located in the heart of the beautiful UNC at Chapel Hill campus, SILS prides itself on providing high quality educational and research opportunities in a dynamic, interdisciplinary learning environment. Currently ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, SILS consistently takes a leadership role in today's ever-changing information and library science landscape.
The Environment
Chapel Hill, often referred to as the "Southern Part of Heaven," uniquely embodies the charm of small-town living, with the cosmopolitan energy of more urban areas close at hand. Research Triangle Park (RTP), located between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, is home to vibrant knowledge-intensive organizations, including federal agencies and high-profile corporations.
The Programs
SILS is home to 268 master's degree students, 53 doctoral students, 35 undergraduate majors, 15 minors and two certificate of advanced study students. Its professional degree programs in library science and information science are fully accredited by the American Library Association. There are 24 full-time teaching faculty members and about 25 adjunct and visiting faculty members associated with SILS each academic year.
The Undergraduate Programs
Building on the popularity of its undergraduate minor, SILS now offers a bachelor of science in information science degree. Consisting of ten courses (30 credit hours), this new major requires students to take a set of core courses, plus electives in such areas as information technology, management of information resources and information design. UNC at Chapel Hill is the only university in the state offering such a degree and one of only a handful of schools doing so nationwide. A minor in information systems, which requires five courses, is also available.
The Faculty
SILS award-winning faculty members are well known not only for their commitment to research, teaching and service, but also for their interaction with students. Faculty members come from a wide variety of backgrounds ranging from information retrieval, computer networking, digital libraries, bioinformatics and human-computer interaction to children's and museum services, and library and archives management. They are recognized leaders in their fields, committed to sustaining excellence in information and library science research and practice.
The Students
Students come from across the nation and the world to be a part of the SILS community. These talented individuals bring perspectives gained through a diversity of cultural backgrounds and educational and professional experiences. Because most students attend full time, there is a supportive community at SILS that fosters student-student and student-faculty interaction.
The Facilities
SILS classrooms are equipped with computer projection and instructor workstations. SILS also maintains a wireless network with access points throughout the building. As part of the university library system, the SILS Library features advanced electronic capabilities and an extensive collection of materials. The Information and Technology Resource Center integrates a computer lab and electronic classroom area with extensive library collections and services.
The Best and Brightest
Admission to the school's programs is competitive. Recently accepted graduate students had an average GRE verbal score in the 82nd percentile, an average quantitative score in the 58th percentile, and an average analytical writing score of 5.0.The average undergraduate GPA for accepted students was 3.5. This diverse group includes full- and part-time students with degrees from stellar institutions worldwide. SILS master's students have undergraduate degrees in a variety of majors in physical, social and computer sciences, and the humanities. Admission to the school's new major is equally as competitive, with a limited number of spots available. Criteria for admission include the candidate's academic record, work and extracurricular experience, and a broad interest in the role of information in society. Candidates from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds are sought, and level of prior computer experience is not a criterion for admission.
Cutting-Edge Research
SILS is home to the Interaction Design Laboratory (IDL), a research facility focusing on initiatives in the areas of human-computer interaction and user-centered information systems design. SILS also houses ibiblio.org, "the Public's Library" — a Web-based conservancy of freely available software, music, literature, art, history, science, politics and cultural studies. Formerly MetaLab, ibiblio.org features a diverse, expansive and ever-growing collection of information. The Open Video Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a shared digital video repository and test collection that contains video or metadata for 2,000 digitized video segments. Other important research areas include information seeking and use, collaboration, bioinformatics, metadata and health informatics.
On-the-Job Opportunities
SILS students participate in several internship programs, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Carolina Academic Library Associates (CALA) at UNC. Other opportunities, at corporate settings such as IBM and GlaxoSmithKline, are also available. A field experience course provides opportunities for students to gain valuable experience in information agencies throughout North Carolina and across the United States.
After Graduation
The school works closely with UNC's Career Services to support employment opportunities for students, including career fairs, job-hunting skills workshops and Carolina Connection, an online database of alumni. Students and alumni also benefit from access to the school's electronic job listing service.
International Opportunities
The school hosts seminars each year at Oxford University in England and Charles University in Prague. Exchange opportunities are also available at schools in Denmark, Slovenia, Finland and the Czech Republic. Leading researchers and professionals from across the globe visit Manning Hall throughout the year and SILS faculty members regularly make presentations at international meetings and conferences.
Lifelong Learning
For SILS, learning extends beyond graduation and far beyond the walls of the UNC campus. While continuing its tradition of offering high quality on-site programs, the school is strengthening its distance and web-based opportunities for lifelong learning. Whether in-person or via computer, SILS is dedicated to offering professionals and students opportunities to stay on top of the latest developments in information and library science.
To Find Out More...
We'd be happy to answer your questions—please contact us.