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2024 Best Library & Information Science Schools

47 Colleges in the United States
5,950 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$43,949 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in library & information science is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #121 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 47 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of library & information science. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,950 degrees in library & information science during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Library & Information Science School

Best Library & Information Science Schools The library science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Library & Information Science rankings. For our Best Overall Library & Information Science School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Library & Information Science Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Library Science
Master's Degrees in Library Science
Doctor's Degrees in Library Science

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Library & Information Science Schools list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Library & Information Science in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of library science degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Schools in Library Science

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
273 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$42,784 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Simmons University if you wish to pursue a degree in library & information science. Located in the large city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #90 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Simmons is a great university overall.

There were approximately 273 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at Simmons in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the library science program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,784.

More information about a degree in library & information science from Simmons University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
648 Library Science Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

San Jose State University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in library & information science. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 648 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year. Those library & information science students who get their degree from San Jose State University earn $4,790 more than the typical library science grad.

More information about a degree in library & information science from San Jose State University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Library Science Degrees Awarded
5.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in library & information science needs to look into Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #98 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were about 194 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the library & information science program at Rutgers University - New Brunswick earn $6,941 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in library & information science from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$42,614 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in library & information science has to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 36 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the library science program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,614.

More information about a degree in library & information science from University of Southern California

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$26,165 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of San Diego, UAGC is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 50th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 39 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at UAGC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the library science program report average early career income of $26,165.

More information about a degree in library & information science from The University of Arizona Global Campus

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$52,945 Median Starting Salary

Pratt Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.

There were approximately 36 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at Pratt Institute in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the library & information science degree program at Pratt Institute - Main get $8,996 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in library & information science from Pratt Institute - Main

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$46,077 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were about 54 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Library & Information Science degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill get an earnings boost of around $2,128 above the typical earnings of library & information science majors.

More information about a degree in library & information science from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

7
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Library Science Degrees Awarded
$54,117 Median Starting Salary

QC is a large public college located in the city of Queens. This college ranks 26th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 94 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at QC in the most recent data year. Library & Information Science degree recipients from Queens College earn a boost of about $10,168 over the average income of library & information science graduates.

More information about a degree in library & information science from Queens College

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Library Science Degrees Awarded
0.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 121 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the library science program report average early career earnings of $41,474.

More information about a degree in library & information science from University of South Carolina - Columbia

9
LIU Post crest
LIU Post
Brookville, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Library Science Degrees Awarded
34.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Brookville, LIU Post is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. This school ranks 35th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 102 library & information science students who graduated with this degree at LIU Post in the most recent year we have data available. Those library & information science students who get their degree from LIU Post earn $19,273 more than the standard library science grad.

More information about a degree in library & information science from LIU Post

Library & Information Science by Region

View the Best Library & Information Science Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Library & Information Science is one of 2 different types of Library Science programs to choose from.

Library Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Library & Information Science 5,696
Archives/Archival Administration 214
Children & Youth Library Services 40

View All Library Science Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Library & Archives Assisting 467
Other Library & Archives Assisting 121

View All Library Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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