San José State University

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE

SLIS Home – Programs – MARA – Professional Opportunities – Professional Certification

The Master's Degree in
Archives and Records Administration (MARA)

Professional Certification

Professional certification programs document a specific level of professional knowledge and experience based on established competencies. Certification programs are built upon a defined body of knowledge acknowledged as critical for a professional's success in the field. The Master’s degree in Archives and Records Management is designed to incorporate the bodies of knowledge recognized by the Institute of Certified Records Managerslink goes to non-SJSU web site and the Academy of Certified Archivistslink goes to non-SJSU web site and the skills necessary for careers in both archives and records management positions.

Qualifying for the MARA Professional Certification Course [Top of Page]

To qualify for MARA’s Professional Certification course, you must:

  1. Be matriculated in the MARA degree program.
  2. Remain in good academic standing.
  3. Have completed MARA 200, 202, 204, and six advanced courses.

Completing the requirements [Top of Page]

If you meet the qualifications, you will be registered for MARA 292. Through consultation with an advisor, you will engage in preparation exercises and receive information and guidance toward registration for and successful completion of exams administered by the ICRM and/or ACA for professional certification(s) in archives and records administration.

Certification programs have stringent eligibility requirements, including minimum levels of experience and education. If you do have the requisite work experience, you will be encouraged to apply for approval to take both the Certified Archivist’s and the Certified Records Manager's exam.

For satisfactory completion of this course, however, you are expected to take and pass both a mock CRM examination and a mock CA examination developed based on materials obtained from both the ICRM and ACA. The objective sections of these examinations will be presented and graded electronically. The case study portion of the mock CRM examination will be completed and submitted electronically but manually graded by individuals who have already earned the CRM designation.

Evaluating the Experience [Top of Page]

Several instruments will be used to evaluate your participation in this course. The actual method or combination of methods used for evaluation will depend on your established certification goals, learning outcomes, and assignments. Some or all of the following will be requested upon completion of the course:

  1. Participation. You will be required to enroll in an online course (MARA 292) and contribute to the online discussion of the certifications' content and process and participate in in-class exercises.
  2. Certification log. You will be required to maintain an on-going record of your reading, study, and other certification preparation activities. Further information regarding the certification log will be available through the online course.
  3. MOCK CRM and CA examinations.You will be expected to take and pass a mock CRM and a mock CA examination before the end of the semester. All portions of each examination will be administered through the online course management system. The mock CA examination will be based on those prepared by the Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) and the mock CRM examination will be based on those prepared by the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM).

Note: Students who come into the MARA program with either a CA or CRM designator will be expected to enroll in this course but would be expected to devote their time toward preparing for only one exam. Students who enroll in the MARA program with certification in both archives and records management would work with the academic advisor to develop an acceptable alternative to this course.

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