A Comparative Study of MSc Degree in Library and Information Science Curriculum in Selected Countries and Suggesting Up-to-date Courses with Medical Orientation

Introduction: The goal of this study was the comparative review of MSc syllabus in librarianship and information science in selected countries and presentation of an updated medical curriculum. Methods:  This applied research is of descriptive type reviewing the websites of universities using Delphi technique, which was conducted in two phases with checklist and questionnaire as data collection tools. In the first phase, the curricula of selected universities were collected. In the second phase, the summarized curricula were sent to faculty members of Department of Library and Information Science at MOHME in the form of a questionnaire in two rounds of Delphi. Results: The results indicated that 98% of the professors participating in Delphi agreed to update the curriculum. Moreover, majors such as advanced scientometrics, familiarity with evidence-based medicine and its databases, clinical librarianship, advanced health research methodology, and familiarity with the basic concepts of source finder, and crucial indicators in evaluating information resources were their recommended majors to be included in the suggested syllabus in addition to those extracted from universities’ websites, which were subject to survey by professors in the second round.  Conclusion: The findings of this research suggest that the views of professors participating in Delphi on curricula were largely aligned with those extracted from websites of the universities under study. Finally, the proposed syllabus was designed considering the review results of curricula and opinions of faculty members. The findings of this thesis can be a guide for curriculum planners at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education