Beginning in fall 2022, all Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management Ph.D. courses will be delivered online with some required synchronous sessions. There is no residency requirement. There will be strong, online faculty presence with students.

Program Description

The Emporia State University (ESU) Office of Graduate Studies and Research and the School of Library and Information Management (SLIM) jointly administer the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Library and Information Management. The degree is designed to prepare scholars for leadership in teaching, research, and administration in higher education, information organizations, and related fields.

The SLIM doctoral program is based on a core curriculum of four foundational courses, four research courses, and four advanced courses in a concentration. In addition, students take a course in teaching and learning in organizations before beginning the guided readings that prepare them for the qualifying exam and subsequent dissertation research. Class meetings for the SLIM doctoral program courses take place at Emporia State University, Emporia campus.

The Guide for SLIM Doctoral Studies.pdf (2024) provides detailed information about program requirements and applying to the ESU Office of Graduate Studies and Research and the School of Library and Information Management. A new cohort of Ph.D. students is scheduled to begin every two years. The next cohort will begin classes in fall 2024. Applications will be accepted beginning September 1, 2023. Please see “Application Instructions” below for more details.

Applicants are accepted based on their educational achievements, experience, and interests. The program requires a minimum of 56 credit hours for the doctoral degree. Applicants must have already completed a master’s degree (in any related discipline) of at least 34 credit hours to meet ESU’s requirement of 90 graduate credits for the degree.

For more information about the SLIM Ph.D. program, please contact Dr. Mirah Dow, Doctoral Program Coordinator, at 620-341-5203, 800-552-4770, or mdow@emporia.edu.

Ala Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship Program

Emporia State University is one of five partner universities (USC, Syracuse, UMD, ESU, and UW) in the return of the American Library Association Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship Program now directed by Dr. Nicole Cooke, Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and Associate Professor, University of South Carolina, School of Information Science (ALA formal release 10/14/2021). The American Library Association has recruited a cohort of 8-10 racially and ethnically diverse doctoral students focused on advancing racial equity and social justice in library and information science curricula. The fellowship will develop future LIS faculty committed to fostering racial equity through teaching and research while also building capacity and cooperation amongst partnering LIS degree programs to expand social justice curricula and increase support for doctoral students and faculty in the field who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. One of the ALA Spectrum Doctoral Fellows will begin classes in the School of Library and Information Management Ph.D. program in fall 2022.

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