Skip navigation

Compliance and Ethics

Library Information Science, M.A.

Page Content

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE DISCLOSURE

LICENSING DISCLOSURE INFORMATION
For all programs marketed or designed as leading to licensure or certification, the following federal regulations must be complied with by institutions of higher education:

For Online Programs
34 CFR 668.14(b)(32)

All programs that lead to licensure/certification must meet the educational requirements in each state and protectorate in which any of their students are located at the time of initial enrollment or in the state in which a student attests they intend to seek employment.  Students cannot be enrolled into programs if the educational requirements are not met unless they are moving to a state in which the requirements are met and execute an attestation confirming their future relocation. 

For Face-to-Face Programs
Regulation- 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v)

All programs that lead to licensure/certification must disclose whether the program meets, does not meet or if a determination cannot be made as to whether the program meets the educational requirements in each state and protectorate. 

Since the program is a face-to-face program, students can be admitted even if the state in which they previously resided is a state in which the program does not meet the educational requirements for licensure/certification. 

Determinations
Determinations made by our subject matter experts (program coordinators) are made based on state licensing board rules and regulations and/or reciprocity agreements.

For information on teaching reciprocity, please see the NASDTEC website- https://www.nasdtec.net/page/InterstateAgreements 

SCOPE OF PROGRAM ASSESSMENT
The information provided regarding USM programs represents an assessment of whether the educational program, if successfully completed, meets a state or protectorate’s educational requirements for licensure/certification. 
USM's analysis is limited to a determination as to whether their programs meet the educational requirements for licensure. 
Additional requirements may be required to obtain a license or state certification. For a list of potential additional requirements, see the Professional Licensure webpage- https://www.usm.edu/professional-licensure-certification-disclosures/index.php 

ROLE OF LICENSING/CERTIFICATION BOARD
Keep in mind that final eligibility determinations as to whether a program meets the educational requirements for licensure are made by the state/protectorate licensing/certification boards.  

TIMEFRAME OF DISCLOSURES
The disclosure data is current as of July 1 of each year (starting with 2024) unless the institution is apprised of a change which requires an update prior to the July 1st annual update. Federal Law requires that if an institution discovers that a program no longer leads to licensure or certification, the institution must notify the students (both enrolled and prospective) of the change directly (individual disclosure) as well as updating the webpage.

APPROPRIATE USE OF DISCLOSURE DATA
Review the information about the licensure program and then consider discussing the information with the program coordinator as well as the state licensing board. 

Licensure Requirements Generally
Licensing boards require more than successful degree completion to obtain a license or certification and laws relating to licensure/certification may change at any time, which may affect the educational requirements for licensure/certification. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
In addition to educational requirements, the licensing boards for each of the states and the  protectorates (American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Virgin Islands) may require applicants to meet other requirements including, but not limited to,  age, citizenship, examinations, clinical hours, criminal background checks, professional experience (which may require years of experience), residency, and specialized courses (not offered as part of any institutional curriculum) (i.e., History of the State, Ethics), etc.

 
Mississippi Licensure
All programs of The University of Southern Mississippi are designed to meet the licensure standards set by the Mississippi Department of Education and prepare students to sit for licensure/certification exams in Mississippi. 

RECOMMENDATION
If you are considering a program at USM that leads to licensure or certification and you do not live in the State of Mississippi, it is our recommendation that you contact the appropriate state licensing agency in their state or the state where you intend to work

This will allow you to obtain the most up-to-date information about state licensure requirements before beginning any of our licensure/certification programs.

UPDATES
Due to the frequency at which requirements change, data on this page is only accurate as of the date listed below. The information contained on this page was last updated on 7/1/2024.
USM makes every effort to ensure information about educational requirements for licensure/certification are updated:annually   

AND

when changes are discovered If USM discovers that a program no longer meets the licensure/certification requirements of any state or protectorate, this page will be updated. 
See the original Professional Licensure Disclosure in the catalog- https://catalog.usm.edu/content.php?catoid=35&navoid=2239 


Library Information Science, MLIS

Program Coordinator Sarah Mangrum sarah.rialsFREEMississippi

SCHOOL LIBRARIAN

State/Territory Determination Determination Based on Reciprocity/State or Protectorate Requirements Board Contact
Alabama Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/al
Alaska Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ak
Arizona Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/az
Arkansas Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ar
California Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ca
Colorado Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/co
Connecticut Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ct
Delaware Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/de
District of Columbia (D.C.) Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/dc
Florida Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/fl
Georgia Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ga
Hawaii Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/hi
Idaho Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/id
Illinois Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/il
Indiana Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/in
Iowa Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ia
Kansas Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ks
Kentucky Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ky
Louisiana Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/la
Maine Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/me
Maryland Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/md
Massachusetts Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ma
Michigan Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/mi
Minnesota Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/mn
Mississippi Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ms
Missouri Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/mo
Montana Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/mt
Nebraska Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ne
Nevada Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/nv
New Hampshire Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/nh
New Jersey Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/nj 
New Mexico Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/nm
New York Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ny
North Carolina Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/nc
North Dakota Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/nd
Ohio Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/oh
Oklahoma Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ok
Oregon Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/or
Pennsylvania Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/pa
Rhode Island Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ri
South Carolina Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/sc
South Dakota Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/sd
Tennessee Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/tn
Texas Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/tx
Utah Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/ut
Vermont Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/vt
Virginia Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/va
Washington Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/wa
West Virginia Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/wv
Wisconsin Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/wi
Wyoming Yes State Licensing Requirements https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/wy
American Samoa No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/as
Federated States of Micronesia No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/fm
Guam No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/gu
Northern Mariana Islands No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/mp
Puerto Rico No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/pr
Republic of Palau No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/pw
Republic of the Marshall Islands No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/mh
Virgin Islands No Neither met https://www.ed.gov/contact-us/state-contacts/vi

 

PUBLIC LIBRARIAN LICENSURE

State/Territory Is Licensure Required

Determination: Does the program meet the standards for licensure?

Contact Info
Alabama No N/A N/A
Alaska No N/A N/A
Arizona No N/A N/A
Arkansas No N/A N/A
California No N/A N/A
Colorado No N/A N/A
Connecticut No N/A N/A
Delaware No N/A N/A
District of Columbia (D.C.) No N/A N/A
Florida No N/A N/A
Georgia Yes Yes  
Hawaii No N/A N/A
Idaho No N/A N/A
Illinois No N/A N/A
Indiana Yes Yes  
Iowa Yes Yes  
Kansas No N/A N/A
Kentucky Yes Yes https://kdla.ky.gov/Library-Support/Library-Staff-Development/Pages/Certification-FAQ.aspx
Louisiana No N/A N/A
Maine No N/A N/A
Maryland Yes Yes https://www.slrc.info/development/Default.aspx?id=81422
Massachusetts Yes Yes  
Michigan Yes Yes  
Minnesota Yes Yes  
Mississippi No N/A N/A
Missouri No N/A N/A
Montana No N/A N/A
Nebraska No N/A N/A
Nevada Yes Yes https://nsla.nv.gov/public-library-toolbox/Certification
New Hampshire No N/A N/A
New Jersey Yes Yes https://www.njstatelib.org/services_for_libraries/resources/librarian_certification/
New Mexico No N/A N/A
New York Yes Yes https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/cert/index.html
North Carolina Yes Yes https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/services-libraries/resources-library-staff/public-librarian-certification-commission
North Dakota No N/A N/A
Ohio Yes Yes https://olc.org/resources/education/certification/
Oklahoma Yes Yes https://oklahoma.gov/libraries/lib-dev/academy.html
Oregon No N/A N/A
Pennsylvania Yes Yes https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/statelibrary/resources/librarian-certification.html
Rhode Island No N/A N/A
South Carolina Yes Yes https://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/libraries-librarians/professional-development/public-librarian-certification
South Dakota No N/A N/A
Tennessee Yes Yes  
Texas No N/A N/A
Utah No N/A N/A
Vermont No N/A N/A
Virginia Yes Yes  
Washington Yes Yes  
West Virginia No N/A N/A
Wisconsin No N/A N/A
Wyoming No N/A N/A
American Samoa No N/A N/A
Federated States of Micronesia No N/A N/A
Guam No N/A N/A
Northern Mariana Islands No N/A N/A
Puerto Rico No N/A N/A
Republic of Palau No N/A N/A
Republic of the Marshall Islands No N/A N/A
Virgin Islands No N/A N/A

 

ARCHIVIST LICENSURE

Our review of each of the above-referenced locations indicates that Archivists are not required to be licensed