Here you will find a complete list of courses offered at UBC School of Information, organized by program and subject area. Each title links to the individual course page where you will find more details about the course and requirements.
For a list of courses being offered this term, visit our Timetables page.
If you are planning your course schedule for the next term and want to consult a list of draft syllabi, please visit this page.
LIBR Courses
* Core Course † Required Course
Foundations & Required Courses
- LIBR 504 (3) Management of Information Organizations† [cross-listed with ARST 570]
- LIBR 506 (3) Human Information Interaction *[Cannot be taken by students who have already completed the previous MLIS Core]
- LIBR 507 (3) Methods of Research and Evaluation in Information Organizations *[Cannot be taken by students who have already completed the previous MLIS Core]
- LIBR 508 (3) Information Practices in Contemporary Society *[Cannot be taken by students who have already completed the previous MLIS Core]
- LIBR 509 (3) Foundations of Bibliographic Control *[Cannot be taken by students who have already completed the previous MLIS Core]
Knowledge Representation & Organization
- LIBR 510 (3) Taxonomies: Research and Evaluation
- LIBR 511 (3) Cataloguing and Classification
- LIBR 512 (3) Indexing
- LIBR 514 (1-13) Topics in the Bibliographic Control of Information
- LIBR 514F (3) Information Visualization and Visual Analytics [cross-listed with ARST 575H]
- LIBR 514G (3) Records Systems in the Digital Environment [cross-listed with ARST 556E]
- LIBR 514H (3) Records and Information Governance [cross-listed with ARST 560]
- LIBR 514J (3) Administering Records Under Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Legislation [cross-listed with ARST 565]
- LIBR 514K (3) IT Security, Information Assurance and Risk Management [cross-listed with ARST 575J]
- LIBR 514L (3) Metadata [cross-listed with ARST 556L]
Information Behaviour, Materials, and Services for Children & Young Adults
- LIBR 520 (3) Survey of Literature and Other Materials for Children
- LIBR 521 (3) Contemporary Literature and Other Materials for Children
- LIBR 523 (3) Canadian Literature and Other Materials for Children
- LIBR 524 (3) Writing, Publishing and the Book Trade for Children
- LIBR 525 (3) Illustrated Literature and Other Materials for Children
- LIBR 526 (3) Literature and Other Materials for Young Adults
- LIBR 527 (3) Services for Children
- LIBR 528 (3) Services for Young Adults
- LIBR 529 (3) Services for Families and Early Literacy in the Preschool Years
Information Behaviour, Materials, and Services for Adults
- LIBR 530 (3) Subject-Based Information Services
- LIBR 531 (3) Client Centred Services for Adults
- LIBR 532 (3) Science and Technology Information Sources and Services
- LIBR 533 (3) Legal Information Sources and Services
- LIBR 534 (3) Health Information Sources and Services
- LIBR 535 (3) Instructional Role of the Librarian
- LIBR 538 (1-13) d Specialized Literatures
- LIBR 539 (1-13) d Specialized Materials
- LIBR 539H (3) Personal Archives [cross-listed with ARST 575K]
- LIBR 539J (3) Data Sources in the Public Domain
Additional Information Behaviour, Materials, and Services Courses
- LIBR 541 (3) New Media for Children and Young Adults [LIBR 559B prior to Summer 2016]
- LIBR 542 (1-13) d Services for Youth
- LIBR 544 (1-13) d Services for Adults
- LIBR 545 (3) Adult Popular Reading and Media Interests
- LIBR 548 (1-13) d Issues in Information Services
Information Technology & Systems
- LIBR 551 (3) Library Automation and Systems
- LIBR 553 (3) Understanding Information Users in Diverse Environments
- LIBR 554 (3) Database Design [cross-listed with ARST 554]
- LIBR 555 (3) Information Design I: Systems
- LIBR 556 (3) Information Design II: Documents
- LIBR 557 (3) Information Retrieval Concepts and Practice
- LIBR 558 (3) Information Retrieval Systems: Structures and Algorithms
- LIBR 559 (1-13) d Topics in Computer-Based Information Systems
- LIBR 559A (3) Sociotechnical Perspectives of Information Systems
- LIBR 559C (3) Python Programming
- LIBR 559D (3) Social Media Intelligence
- LIBR 559L (3) Issues in Scholarly Communications and Publishing
- LIBR 559M (3) Social Media for Information Professionals
- LIBR 559N (3) Text Analytics
- LIBR 559S (3) Research Data Management for Information Professionals
- LIBR 559T (3) Blockchain Technology for Information Professionals
Information & Society
- LIBR 561 (3) Information Policy
- LIBR 562 (3) International Issues and Innovations
- LIBR 564 (3) Information Practice and Protocol in Support of Indigenous Initiatives
- LIBR 569 (1-13) d Current Issues and Trends in Library Services and Information Science
- LIBR 569C (3) Extending the Progressive Tradition of Information Professions
- LIBR 569R (3) Graduating Project [cross-listed with ARST 575R]
Management of Information Organizations
- LIBR 570 (3) Marketing in Information Organizations
- LIBR 571 (3) Human Resource Management
- LIBR 572 (3) Information Services Consulting
- LIBR 573 (3) Financial Management in Information Organizations
- LIBR 574 (3) Project Management in Information Organizations
- LIBR 575 (3) Academic Libraries
- LIBR 576 (3) Public Libraries
- LIBR 577 (3) Special Libraries
- LIBR 578 (3) Planning and Design of Libraries
LIBR 579 (1-13) Topics in the Management of Libraries and Archives
- LIBR 579D (3) Rare Book and Special Collections Librarianship
- LIBR 579G (3) Introduction to Archives for Librarians
- LIBR 579J (3) Community-Led Libraries
- LIBR 579M (3) Innovation and disruptive entrepreneurship
Text & Collections
- LIBR 580 (3) Collection Management
- LIBR 581 (3) Digital Libraries [cross listed with ARST 556M]
- LIBR 582 (3) Digital Images and Text Collections [cross-listed with ARST 556P]
- LIBR 587 (3) Preservation [cross-listed with ARST 587]
- LIBR 588 (3) Theory and Practice of Oral History
Individual Study Courses
- LIBR 592 (3) Directed Research Project
- LIBR 593 (3/12) d Seminar
- The D/E sections of this course code are used to indicate WISE Courses.
- LIBR 594 (3) Directed Study
- LIBR 595 (0) Practicum
- LIBR 596 (3) Professional Experience [cross-listed with ARST 596]
- LIBR 597 (3) Research Collaboration
- LIBR 599 (6) Thesis
LAIS 605 (3) Advanced Seminar in Research Methods
LAIS 607 (3) Doctoral Proseminar
LAIS 608 (3) Academic and Research Practices in Library Archival and Information Studies
LAIS 609 (3-6) Advanced Seminar in Library, Archival and Information Studies:
- LAIS 609A (3): Interactive Information Retrieval
- LAIS 609B (3): Archival Theory
- LAIS 609C (3): Data Analysis
LAIS 620 (6) Advanced Study in Major Area
LAIS 621 (6) Advanced Study in Minor Area
LAIS 699 (0) Doctoral Dissertation
Students in the MACL program should consult the MACL "Courses" webpage for details on approved courses.
Courses within the School that may be taken by MACL students are:
MAS and MLIS Students:
- Elective courses other than those designated ARST (for MAS students) and LIBR for (MLIS students) may be applied to the program, whether taken at UBC or another institution.
- External courses may total no more than 12 of the 48 credits required for the MAS or MLIS degree.
Dual MAS/MLIS Students:
- Elective courses other than those designated ARST and/or LIBR may be applied to the program, whether taken at UBC or another institution.
- External courses may total no more than 9 of the 81 credits required for the Dual MAS/MLIS degree.
Undergraduate Courses:
- All courses external to the degree program must be at the 300-level or above (or the equivalent at another institution).
- A maximum of 6 credits at the undergraduate level in courses numbered 300 to 499 may be counted toward the requirements of a master's degree.
- Students completing the First Nations Curriculum Concentration are allowed a maximum six (6) credits of approved First Nations coursework at the 300- or 400-level in their Master’s degree program.
Process to Apply for External Credit:
- Permission to apply such a course for credit towards one's degree must be obtained from the iSchool Graduate Advisor before the student begins the course. The granting of permission will be based on the course's direct relevance to the student's work in their program. Students must complete the Application for External Credits Form.
- Permission must also be obtained from the instructor of the course and the host department/institution. Some fees may apply for courses taken outside of the department and/or university. Students should consult directly with the hosting department/institution. UBC has exchange agreements with some post-secondary institutions through the Western Dean's Agreement, the Graduate Exchange Agreement, and the Go Global program.
Some courses are listed in the UBC Calendar with a choice of credit value. This permits the School to offer several different courses in the same area of specialization carrying the same course number. The form (3-9) indicates that courses within a specialization group number may be taken more than once for credit (with different content each time, as designated by different letters following the course number, and worth 3 credits each time). Within a specialization area, a letter differentiates the courses, e.g. 575A.
Courses at UBC iSchool are worth 3 credits.