What a Master’s Degree Can do for Your Career
At the San José State University (SJSU) School of Information, a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) can open doors to a whole world of opportunity.
For proof of all that a librarian and information professional can be, the SJSU iSchool offers stories and video snapshots of what its graduates are doing in the information profession.
The SJSU iSchool’s Life After the MLIS page gives both prospective and current students a look at how a master’s degree program will give them the applicable skills to help them succeed in their chosen career in the evolving field of library and information science.
The majority of students enrolled in the exclusively online master’s degree programs at the SJSU iSchool are seeking an MLIS, and can take courses in cataloguing, archival studies, library programming, technology and web design, political advocacy for libraries, and a variety of other subjects.
SJSU iSchool graduates like Dolly Goulart, Whitni Watkins and Scott Brown all found career success in corporate libraries. Goulart works as the library director at Qualcomm while Watkins is a web systems engineer with Analog Devices. Brown works for Oracle and now teaches technology courses at the SJSU iSchool.
Sylvia Aguiñaga received her MLIS from the SJSU iSchool in 2016 with a focus on youth services. With the skills she learned in her course work, Aguiñaga works as director of curriculum for DIY Girls, encouraging and teaching teenage girls in the Los Angeles area about engineering and technology.
Alumna R. Lynn Baker is an early childhood literacy specialist and author, using the knowledge and resources from her course work to write Counting Down to Kindergarten: A Complete Guide to Creating a School Readiness Program for Your Community.
The SJSU iSchool’s MLIS At Work videos feature several alumni talking about their current jobs and how their master’s degrees and the iSchool’s course work gave them applicable working-world knowledge to be successful in what they do.
Beth Atlas who graduated with an MLIS in 2013 is now the senior coordinator at the San Francisco 49er’s Museum at Levi Stadium. Other videos include SJSU iSchool alumni who hold unique job positions like knowledge infrastructure manager, digital assets librarian and innovation manager.
Alumnus Chris Brown is now the deputy library director in Santa Clara, California. In 2014 Brown put together the acclaimed library program War Ink, showcasing the tattoos of war veterans and letting the veterans themselves tell the story of their tattoos and their experiences in the armed forces.
Besides the MLIS degree, the SJSU School of Information offers advanced degrees and certificates including a Master’s degree in Archives and Records Administration, a Post Master’s Certificate in Library and Information Science, and certificates in Big Data and Digital Assets and Services.
Like the MLIS program, the Masters of Archives and Records Administration degree (MARA) is a complete graduate degree program delivered exclusively online. The iSchool’s Life After the MARA web page highlights the successes of several of the program’s graduates.
Alumna Jennifer Gavin currently works at NASA in the Life Science Data Archive. She began her work with NASA after an internship she completed while enrolled in the MARA program at the SJSU iSchool. Alumni Kristen Cook, who currently works with ESPN in digital and media asset management, and Robert McLauchlin, who works at a law firm in Calgary, Alberta, credit the MARA program with their success as highly valued employees in the archives and records management fields.
With a master’s degree in hand, you can follow your passion and achieve your dream career like SJSU iSchool alumni. Get to know the ins and outs of their jobs by conducting an informational interview. Many alumni featured on the Alumni Career Spotlights web pages welcome career development questions. Their insight is invaluable. Not to mention the networking opportunity.
