Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Library and Information Management

The doctoral program enables students to conduct research that will contribute to society’s understanding of the creation, diffusion, and utilization of information. The program also places special emphasis on developing effective teachers. The program draws upon the strengths of SLIM’s academically diverse faculty, a unique curriculum designed for today’s working scholar, and an environment of faculty-student interaction. The SLIM doctorate does not require a traditional residency on campus; instead, students meet residency requirements by attending weekend-intensive classes that meet two times per course for a total of 10 hours each weekend. The classes are held at Emporia State University-Kansas City in Overland Park (Kansas City area), Kansas. Scholarships to cover travel expenses are available. The doctoral curriculum is a five-tier process. Coursework in the first tier introduces students to library and information science research and theory. In the second and third tier courses, students examine fields related to their research interests in greater depth. Student may take courses from the three tiers simultaneously. Fourth tier courses prepare students for the qualifying to create research proposals and dissertations, and teaching. Upon successful completion of the qualifying exam and selection of the dissertation chair, students will advance to the fifth tier. The fifth tier is dedicated to proposing and writing the dissertation. After approval of the research proposal, students advance to Ph.D. candidacy status.