The Plan of Work (POW) serves as a statement of the student's academic objectives and constitutes a contract between the student and the university. Each student must file a POW with the SIS upon completion of the first nine (9) hours of course work. The POW should be completed with the guidance and direction of the student's faculty advisor. It is the student's responsibility to draft a POW and to obtain the faculty advisor's approval and signature. Students must file a POW in the required time period or an academic hold will be placed preventing further registration. Please note that the "Term/Yr" column on the Plan of Work form is for your planning purposes only and does not imply a guarantee that a course will be offered that term.

Following SIS approval of the POW, notice of candidacy status is forwarded to WSU Student Records and the completed document is retained in the student's folder in the SIS files. This document becomes the official list of courses to be completed satisfactorily by the student for fulfillment of the requirements for the MLIS degree.

Steps to Complete a SIS Plan of Work (POW)

Each SIS student must file a Plan of Work (POW) upon the completion of nine (9) hours of course work. Failure to complete the POW on time will result in a registration hold.

1. Think about your career goals and what you want to achieve in your master's degree program. If necessary, review the MLIS or MSIS degree information to decide which specializations interest you most.
2. Review the lists of specializations to select the electives you want to take. You can choose from any/all specializations to craft a plan of work that meets your unique career interests and goals.
3. Review your selected elective course descriptions to determine any necessary pre-requisites. You must complete any pre-requisites before enrolling in the elective course.
4. Review the master schedule to see which semester(s) the courses are offered.
5. Determine how many courses you want to take in any given semester. Refer to the SIS course load policy for guidance.
6. Download the appropriate POW form from the SIS website. Fill in the top part being sure to use your WSU email address.
7. Fill in the elective courses you plan to take. Note: you can submit a revised POW any time.
8. Formulate your anticipated course sequence taking into consideration any pre-requisites and the course template.
9. When your POW form is filled out, sign it, save the pdf, then open it to be sure it's complete. Once it is, email it to your faculty advisor.