Degrees & Licenses

The school library media minor is a valuable addition to any education degree. A student can simultaneously work on both the 1902 license and another teaching license as an undergraduate. The following courses are required for the school library media minor. There are 24 credits in the minor plus a 3-credit practicum courses to earn the 1902 license.

• School Library Media Minor Program Plan
• For those working on a minor in school libraries, the general education and education coursework will be done as part of their teaching major 
• School library minors will do a practicum course to complete the 1902 license
• You can begin taking undergraduate library media courses near the beginning of your undergraduate career at UW-Whitewater, although it is advisable to start after you have started taking education courses such as the Foundations block. This will give you some background in teaching and learning that will benefit you in the library media coursework. Library media courses are at the 300 and 400 level which assume junior and senior level work. Meet with your undergraduate advisor to set up a program of study that will fit your eight library media courses and practicum experience into your program.

The library science minor can be taken by students in a wide range of majors who are interested in becoming public librarians in small libraries, who want a background in resources and research, or who plan to earn a master's degree in library science. Library science minors may take the library media courses at any time during their college careers. There are 21 credits in the minor plus the practicum.

• Public Library Minor Program Plan
• The minor in library science prepares students for Grade 2 or 3 certification in Wisconsin. This is for library directors in communities up to 5,999 people.
• Please note that this minor DOES NOT provide Grade 1 certification. Grade 1 certification requires a master's degree from an American Library Association accredited program. More information about certification levels is available from DPI: Public Library Director Certification.
• Students with any major can take the library science minor

Master's of Science in Education Degree - Professional Studies, with an emphasis in Information, Technology and Libraries incorporating the 1902 license.

• You may choose to earn the 1902 license as part of a Master of Science in Education - Professional Studies with an emphasis in Information, Technology, and Libraries (MSE-PS). 
• Apply as a graduate student
• You may choose to take the library media courses remotely through UWSSLEC. In this case, you will need to apply to UWSSLEC as well. 

• At any point in taking courses, you can switch from undergraduate to graduate level and begin work on a degree, but you will need 30 graduate credits, 15 of which are 700-level courses to earn the degree. If you start to take graduate courses as a non-candidate-for-degree student and decide you want to get the degree, apply to the Graduate Office immediately as you can only transfer in nine graduate credits before acceptance into the master's program. Once you start the degree, you have seven years to complete it.

• This degree is focused on school librarianship and is NOT accredited by the American Library Association. If you want to work in an academic or large public library, you need to get your master's degree from an ALA-accredited institution such as UW-Madison or UW-Milwaukee.   
• Students pursuing an initial license can do so through a Master’s degree, by completing the required education courses first, and then applying to the graduate school. (See program plan to see all required courses.)
• Program plans
  • For those with another teaching license: Master’s Degree Program Plan
  • For those seeking an initial license: Master’s Degree with Initial Licensure Program Plan

Students who have a bachelor's degree but no existing teaching license may choose to work on the 1902 license as their initial teaching license as post-baccalaureate students

• Initial Licensure Program Plan
• Apply to UWW as a “special student full credentials”
• You may choose to take the library media courses remotely through UWSSLEC. In this case, you will need to apply to UWSSLEC as well. 
• The student must meet all the UWW requirements for teacher-education candidates including the portfolios, admission to professional education, field experience, and student teaching
• General Education Courses: These requirements are usually met through the general education requirements of the applicant's initial bachelor's degree
• Education Courses: For those without a teaching license in another area, the following courses will be required. UW-Whitewater COEPS admission requirements must be met by those seeking initial licensure.   Students working on initial licensure must pass the Foundations Block portfolio and meet the requirements for admission to professional education and then pass the Methods portfolio demonstrating the teaching standards.  The COEPS Advisors will determine if they meet other PI34 requirements. Any courses not taken through UW Whitewater must be approved as equivalent by the College Advisor and/or program coordinator.  If you plan to take any courses elsewhere, make sure to have them approved before taking them.  If one or more of these courses are taken at another institution, the student will take EDFOUND 214 to develop the foundations portfolio. A minimum of 14 credits must be taken at UWW before student teaching. 

• 1902 Library License Courses
  
  • Students who wish to earn a graduate degree with this initial license may take these library courses plus EDFOUND 780 at the graduate level. They must apply to be a graduate candidate for degree before taking the library courses. 
  • If you have any previous library coursework that may count, including courses done as part of a MLS, you will need to submit syllabi to match the courses to the program competencies. Courses over 8 years old may not be current enough. Not all MLS programs will meet the Wisconsin DPI guidelines for school library media specialist preparation.
  • Children's Literature, Young Adult Literature and/or Digital Tools can be waived based on evidence of prior learning portfolios.

Students who already hold a professional teaching license in another area and want to earn a library media license without getting another degree

• Add-on License Program Plan
• Apply to UWW as a “non candidate for degree”
• You may choose to take the library media courses remotely through UWSSLEC. In this case, you will need to apply to UWSSLEC as well. 
• Courses may be taken at the undergraduate level. This can save a substantial amount of money if the individual does not want to work on a master's degree. Once taken at the undergraduate level, a course cannot be converted to a graduate level course. 
• The courses can also be taken at the graduate level as a non-candidate for degree if there is any chance that the student wants to eventually move into a graduate degree program.

Apply for a 1902 License

It is your responsibility to apply for the appropriate license through DPI. You will be submitting the capstone portfolio to UWW's library program. You will use Educator Licensing Online to apply for a license. It will be important to do the portfolio and submit it immediately after your last class. Your completed portfolio and graded coursework will be the checkpoint for approving your license. Send your portfolio link to the Library Media program coordinator.

• Go to the Licensure page and complete the Educator Licensing Online (ELO) UWW Application Form (Located under Applying for a License). The deadlines for doing this are December 1 and May 1. Do this at the beginning of the semester when you start your final course and expect to finish the portfolio.
  • List all your degrees
  • For this certification or degree:
    • List the program as Library Media
    • Also put Library Media under minor equivalent 
    • Ignore Major and Emphasis unless: 
      • You are working on a MSEPS (emphasis: Information, Technology and Libraries) 
      • Or on an undergraduate minor (list your major and your minor in appropriate fields)
  • K-12 as the level
  • List the licensure area as 1902 
  • Return the form to the Winther Hall Information Desk Window or email it to education@uww.edu
• Complete your coursework and the portfolio
• Upon receipt of your portfolio, the UWW Library Media program coordinator checks that all coursework and portfolio were successfully completed, sending information to the Certifying Officer 

Once you have successfully completed all this and are eligible for the license, you will get an email from the Certifying Officer telling you to apply for the license through Educator Licensing Online for this license