Prospective applicants may address enquiries and applications for admission to the Program Assistant, School of Information. Specify the Master of Archival Studies program.
The School accepts only students whose personal and academic qualifications appear to make them suitable for successful practice in the library and archival professions.
The M.A.S. program has a limited enrolment. The number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of available places. In recent years, therefore, those accepted have shown academic ability above the minimum required standard specified below.
For admission to the M.A.S. program, a candidate must:
- possess a four-year bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) from a recognized university in a relevant discipline or in an area which is regarded as appropriate by the Admissions Committee for the program;
- have achieved a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC) in third- and fourth-year level courses of a bachelor's degree; and
- show promise of superior professional performance as attested by letters of reference and the SLAIS questionnaire.
Applicants to the M.A.S. program from international institutions will be considered on a case-by-case basis for eligibility. An applicant possessing a bachelor's degree or its academic equivalent who does not meet the requirements of point two above should contact the School's Educational Services Coordinator for information regarding possible qualifying coursework.
Undergraduate Preparation
An undergraduate student considering working in the field of archives should consult the School about useful preparatory courses. An interview may be arranged at any time.
A broad cultural background is expected of the working archivist. The prospective student should therefore endeavour to become acquainted with the humanities, social sciences, and sciences during undergraduate studies. Because of the close link between archives and historical studies of all kinds, particular attention should be paid to studies in history and allied disciplines that take an historical perspective, such as anthropology, economics, geography, and sociology. The study of Canadian history is extremely useful preparation for a number of the required courses of the program; successful completion of at least 12 credits in Canadian history at the undergraduate level is desirable.
The librarian, archivist, or other information professional must often interpret documents, and/or data in searching systems, in more than one language. The study of major languages other than English at the undergraduate level is therefore strongly recommended. Efficient use of computers is essential in information professions today; it is expected that students come into the School with basic computer competence.
Language Requirement
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. The School of Information requires a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based TOEFL, or a score of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL, or a minimum overall band score of 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.0 in each component of the academic (NOT general) IELTS test.