Kent MLIS vs. UMD MLS

[ndsummers1]

Hello, I wanted to see if anyone has an opinion about either the MLIS program at Kent State University or the MLS program at University of Maryland. I have been accepted into the UMD general online MLS program for fall 2014, and waiting to hear from Kent State about their online MLIS. Right now, I am leaning toward attending Kent State (if accepted) for the following reasons:

1) I will be able to start classes sooner (summer 2014 vs. fall 2014) and have the option to finish more quickly (opportunity to take more classes if desired than at UMD)

2) UMD online course catalog is rigid and one cannot deviate from the prescibed coursework, whereas there is more flexibility with Kent schedule of classes (I am particularly interested in the Museum Studies and/or Young Adult Librarianship specializations at Kent)

3) Kent is cheaper (not by a whole lot, but worth mentioning, even with in-state tuition for Maryland)

 

I am also considering Maryland because:

1) According to the U.S. News and World Report Library and Information Studies rankings, UMD is #10 and Kent is #18. I know to take these results with a grain of salt, but any advice from alumni of either school would be helpful in confirming or refuting these rankings.

2) I live in Maryland and will be hoping to obtain a job in the DC area. Will going to UMD be more helpful when applying for an internship or job that is nearby? Or would having a specialization in museum studies from Kent benefit me more when thinking about applying to places like the Smithsonian?

 

I will be doing the online program at either university because I want to continue working at my current full time job until I finish my grad degree. 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[kaitthegreat]

I live in Ohio so I'm going to Kent. I'll be taking online classes as Kent is a couple of hours away. I'll let you know how it is once classes start.