Gender and age distribution * Ethnicity and geography * Alma maters * Majors * Work experience
Please be patient -- the 2009 profile cannot be available until September at the earliest, as there are last-minute enrollments and withdrawals, and it takes a lot of time to compoile the data.
Seventeen fewer new students entered the MLIS program in the fall of 2008: 119 as opposed to 136 in the fall of 2007. These students joined 236 continuing students, making a total of 355, almost the same as the previous year's total. Forty-one of the new students were enrolled in the online MLIS degree program, 37% more than last fall. Most distance students chose the school librarianship specialty, with the rest in the digital librarianship track.
As is true of the profession as a whole, the class is largely female: 98 women (82%) to 21 men (17%). The percentage of men shows a drop from the last year, when men constituted an unusual 24%. The age distribution for 2008 is not dramatically different from that of the Fall 2007 class. The 58% that were under 30 was close to the 60% of Fall 2007, but when one compares the under 35 groups, Fall 2008 has 78% versus the 67% of 2007. There is a notable difference in the 21 to 24 age groups between on-campus and online students, with the latter comprising only 7%. Nevertheless, 73% of the online students are under 35.
| Age | N | % |
21-24 | 34 | 29 |
25-29 | 29 | 29 |
30-34 | 24 | 20 |
35-39 | 10 | 8 |
40-44 | 7 | 6 |
45-49 | 3 | 3 |
50+ | 6 | 5 |
Ethnicity continues to be less diverse than we would like. The class is overwhelmingly white, with 4 African Americans, 2 Asian Americans, 3 of Puerto Rican and 3 of Hispanic background. Three students are originally from India, Korea, and Russia. Unlike previous years, here were no international students. Residentially, the class is equally homogeneous. The vast majority, 96 (81%) are New Jersey residents. There were 5 from New York, 2 from Pennsylvania, 2 from Maryland, 2 from Tennessee, and one each from Arizona, Virginia, Maine, New Mexico,Texas, Michigan, Washington, and Indiana. Even the online students continue to be almost entirely from New Jersey.
As one might expect, many students graduated from local schools: 48 bachelor's degrees are from New Jersey institutions, including 21 from Rutgers. Other New Jersey bachelors' alma maters are: The College of New Jersey, 8; Rowan, 5; 2 each from Montclair, Wm Paterson, Seton Hall. Stockton, Ramapo; and 1 each from Monmouth, NJ City, Georgian Court, and Thomas Edison.
After New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York are the states with the most institutions from which this entering class earned bachelor's degrees. Pennsylvania sent 3 from Lehigh, 2 each from Clarion and Penn State, and 1 each from Drexel, Villanova, Temple, Muhlenberg, Art Institute-Philadelphia, Dickinson, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Penn, Bryn Mawr, Widener, and Albright. New York institutions were also wide-ranging. One student attended both Queens and SUNY Geneseo; 2 each went to NYU and Fordham, and 1 each attended Yeshiva, Cornell, Manhattanville, Barnard, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Stony Brook, CUNY Brooklyn, Houghton, and Marist. Wesleyan and the University of Connecticut drew 1 each. Other New England colleges and universitites include Brown, Clark, the University of Maine, and the University of Massachusetts. Three students attended the University of Delaware. Three degrees were earned in Texas, 1 from Rice, 2 from U. Texas. Another 3 were from the District of Columbia, 2 from American and 1 from George Washington. There were also 3 Maryland schools: Washington, Loyola, and the University of Maryland. Further south, Mary Washington in Virginia, the University of South Carolina, and the Univarsity of Louisiana account for 1 each. Further afield were the Universities of Wisconsin, Chicago, and Oregon with 2 each. State universities with 1 each are: Oklahoma, Nevada, and New Mexico. One student each came from the following: Truman, Missouri; Hope, Michigan; Brigham Young, Utah; Carleton, Minnesota; Purdue, Indiana. Universitites outside the U.S. from which our new students earned undergraduate degrees were Delhi, St. Petersburg, Korea,and McGill.
Undergraduate majors vary widely but, as always, English/literature heads the list with 28. History is next with 21 majors. Ten degrees were in education. Five each were computer science, journalism, psychology, and business/finance. Four students majored in language/linguistics; 3 each in environemtnal science/ecology,justice, anthropology; and 2 each in political science, music, communication, geography, and classics.The remaining majors chosen by 1 each were: economics, mathematics, religion, art history, music sociology, fashion, graphic design, pre-med, dance, theater, library science, women's studies, Latin American studies, neuroscience, and philosophy. Some students completed double majors.
Twenty-five of the entering students already have graduate degrees. Similar to last year, 8 master's and 3 JDs are held by members of the online cohort. Thus 27% of the online group have advanced degrees, while only 18% of the on-campus students do. The graduate areas of study include master's degrees in In addition to law degrees ( 2 from Rutgers-Camden, 1 from Villanova, and 1 from NY Law School), 5 master's degrees were in English/literature from the universitites of Delhi, Georgia, Lousiana, Seton Hall,and Rutgers-Newark. Four master's in education were obtained at Teacher's College, Rider, and Rutgers. Three MAs in history were earned at Villanova, Rochester, and Rutgers-Newark. The remaining degrees were in forensic anthropology from Bradford (Washington), geography from Rutgers, social sciences from Charles University in Prague, Bible studies from Philadelphia Bible Institute, humanities from NYU, audiology from Temple, classics from UCLA, political science from the University of Connecticut, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Information on work experience indicates that 42 (35%) already have library or archives experience. Another 27 are in education; 7 in publishing; 6 in law; and 10 in some aspect of business. Less typical occupations have included concierge, coach, digitizing texts for the blind,and professional dance. Two have taught abroad, in China and Japan.
As in the past, the entering class of fall 2007 brings the kind of diverse academic and work backgrounds to SCILS that are essential to a rich educational experience for everyone in the program, and eventually for the profession.