Evaluation the Impact of Library and Information Science Master's Degree (MLIS) on Graduates in Iran

Objective: The study aimed to examine the effect of MLIS degree on graduates in Iran from different dimensions. The study examined the effects of MLIS on scientific progress, the development of subject expertise, employment, individual characteristics, skills and capabilities, and scientific activities of Iran's graduates. Method: The study was a descriptive-survey and researcher-made questionnaire is used for data collection. The population of the study included all graduates MLIS in Iran that their information was available in, "Iranian Library and Information Studies Alumni Database". 212 persons are selected randomly from 547 persons. After confirming the validity and reliability of questionnaire and collecting the answers, data has been analyzed with SPSS software on both levels of descriptive statistics (frequency tables and graphs of relevant data) and inferential statistics (including single-sample t test to examine the hypothesis, ANOVA test to check differences between variables, Tukey test to compare paired variables, and Pearson correlation test to assess the relationship between two variables). Results: The overall effect average of degree of MLIS on Iranian graduates was equal to 3/25. The findings showed that the average effect of MLIS degree associated with each studied factors on the graduates in the country were: Scientific progress (3/13), development of subject expertise (3/27), employment (3/27), individual characteristics (2/75), skills and capabilities (3/48), scientific activities (3/57). Discussion: Based on the results, the effect of MLIS degree on Iranian graduates was more than moderate. Generally, it can be concluded that MLIS courses at universities in the country, can increase the value of a master's degree of graduates at an acceptable level, but is not perfect; it seems that the authorities should increase their efforts to promote the value of a master's degree in graduates.