The
Master of Library and Information Science (
MLIS) is the
master's degree that is required for most professional
librarian positions in the United States and Canada. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the
Master of Library Science (MLS), or
Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS) degree. In some universities, these degrees are denoted as MLISc or MLSc or MSLS, as in the case of
M.S. for
MSc. However, in most
Commonwealth universities, both bachelor's program and master's program has been merged to provide MLIS/MLISc degree. Admission to MLIS programs normally requires holding a bachelor's degree in any academic discipline, and library schools encourage applications from people with diverse academic backgrounds.