MA Library and Information Management
Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 20,000 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
MA Library and Information Management
Recognized and approved by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), this route prepares graduates of all disciplines for a career in modern information society across all industries.
The taught element is equivalent to a postgraduate diploma and, as a professional qualification, enables progression to chartership in your first professional post.
Your study will focus on the principles for the organization, retrieval, and accessibility of information, and the strategic management of information organizations, such as libraries, the information landscape, for example online and on the web, and the development of library services of all kinds. Successful completion of a dissertation develops your knowledge of the field and skills as a researcher resulting in the award of MA. If you are studying the PGDip you will not be required to complete a dissertation.
You may undertake a placement, which we will help you to source, in information units, libraries, and other relevant centers, including large corporations, local government, the National Health Service, and financial and legal services. This will provide networking opportunities within the library, information, and media industries.
Features and Benefits
- Accredited course - the course is recognized and approved by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).
- Engaging content - explore information and communications from the digital and human perspectives.
- The digital revolution - assess how information is managed and how individuals' lives, organizations, and society have been influenced by the digital revolution.
- Real-world experience - gain skills that will enable you to be well-placed to pursue a career aligned with your interests, in a range of sectors.
- Placement opportunities - the course has strong connections to all sectors of the profession extended to you via fieldwork placements, visiting speakers, and workshops.
- Research informed - we have close links with departmental research groups and this research feeds into our teaching throughout the course.
- Units for the industry – you will have the opportunity to study our specialist option module, ‘Introduction to Health Librarianship’, which was devised in conjunction with the NHS Library and Knowledge Services North to address a specific industry need for more library and information professionals in this sector.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Course information
The course is recognised and approved by CILIP (The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and the combination of taught modules, a dissertation and optional fieldwork will prepare you to take a leading role in the rapidly evolving knowledge and information industries and enhance your skills for employability. Learning takes place in a vibrant environment and you will be able to take advantage of our excellent connections to the sector via fieldwork placements and a regular programme of visiting speakers.
The programme leader for this course is currently Dr Frances Johnson who has researched library and information science extensively and teaches the course alongside staff who also bring many years of experience working in the library and information sector. We have published in peer-reviewed publications and are active members of external professional groups such as CILIP's Information Literacy Group (ILG) and the eInformation Group (UKEIG).
Year 1
- Assessing Information Seeking Behaviours
- Digital Rights
- Dissertation
- Evidence Bases in Library and Information Science
- Information Organisation and Search
- Research Methods
- The information Organisation
- The Information Professional
Option Modules
- E-Learning and the Organisation
- Introduction to Health Librarianship
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The increase in available digital information has led to a growing demand for professionals who have an understanding of information organisations.
As well as libraries, this includes industries of cultural heritage, research, publishing, broadcast and media, and those employed to develop methods for storing, curating, accessing and using information in innovative ways. You will be ideally placed to pursue a career as an information professional.
Graduates on this longstanding masters course have been successful in building careers as diverse as librarians, records managers, web developers, learning resources managers, digital librarians, health librarians for the NHS, and government archivists.
Program delivery
Study and assessment breakdown
Ten credits equate to 100 hours of study, which is a combination of lectures, seminars practical sessions, and independent study. A master's qualification typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits, and an MFA 300 credits. The exact composition of your study time and assessments for the course will vary according to your option choices and style of learning, but it could be:
Study
Full-time 25% lectures, seminars, or similar; 0% placement; 75% independent study
Part-time 25% lectures, seminars, or similar; 0% placement; 75% independent study
Assessment
Full-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination
Part-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination