by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 13 U.S. colleges awarded 324 degrees and certificates in Archives/Archival Administration. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 99% of graduates. Graduates earn a median $48,588 one year after completing, rising to $56,663 after four years.
A degree in Archives/Archival Administration involves the study of Archives/archival Administration. A Program That Prepares Individuals To Identify, Manage, Preserve, And Make Available Records With Long-Term Value For Documentation, Legal, Research, And Other Purposes. Includes Instruction In Appraisal And Collection Development, Information And Records Management, Archival Preservation, Access Systems, Management Of Electronic Records, Archival Outreach, And Legal And Ethical Issues. Examples: [Archival Administration And Records Management], [Archival Studies], [Records Management].
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings. Data as of: July 2026.
Across the country, archives/archival administration draws strong interest, with 324 degrees awarded annually. 13 colleges award archives/archival administration degrees, an average of 25 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 136.
By level, the 324 awards include 3 certificates and 321 master’s degrees.
Women earned 82% of archives/archival administration degrees and certificates in the latest year (265 of 324). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (255) and Hispanic or Latino (30), and international students earned 1.
The most common archives/archival administration credential is the master’s degree: 321 of the 324 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to archives/archival administration call most for Reading Comprehension, Active Listening and Writing, and for knowledge of English Language, Administration and Management and Customer and Personal Service, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Written Comprehension, Oral Expression and Written Expression.
Top skills, rated 0–5:
Top knowledge areas, rated 0–5:
How long an archives/archival administration degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 3 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 321 |
Master’s degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to archives/archival administration, at 48.1%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 48.1% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 32.4% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 4.7% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 3.6% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 3.5% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 3.2% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 2.3% |
| Some college courses | 1.8% |
| Doctoral degree | 0.4% |
Source: O*NET Online.
8 occupations are related to Archives/Archival Administration, with an average median salary of $112,752; the strongest outlook belongs to Compliance Managers, at 13.0% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Registrar, Records Manager, Museum Archivist and Document Scanner.
The occupation related to archives/archival administration with the most projected jobs is Archivists, at 1,193,221.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Archivists | 1,193,221 | 1.6% |
| Managers, All Other | 468,025 | 6.2% |
| Compliance Managers | 310,203 | 13.0% |
| Loss Prevention Managers | 265,210 | 2.2% |
| Regulatory Affairs Managers | 206,415 | 9.9% |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | 128,884 | 5.2% |
| Wind Energy Development Managers | 107,541 | 10.1% |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | 105,398 | -1.9% |
Archives/Archival Administration graduates earn a median $48,588 one year after completing their program, $56,663 after four years and $57,411 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $48,588 |
| 4 years | $56,663 |
| 5 years | $57,411 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to archives/archival administration is Wind Energy Development Managers, with a median salary of $169,952.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Wind Energy Development Managers | $169,952 |
| Loss Prevention Managers | $165,723 |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | $122,567 |
| Compliance Managers | $117,178 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | $99,321 |
| Managers, All Other | $95,684 |
| Regulatory Affairs Managers | $77,828 |
| Archivists | $53,759 |
Archives/Archival Administration has 3 similar majors in the Library Science field, which together award 6,347 degrees a year; the largest are Library and Information Science (6,308), Children and Youth Library Services (38) and Library Science and Administration, Other (1). Browse all Library Science majors or the full list of college majors.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Library and Information Science | 6,308 |
| Children and Youth Library Services | 38 |
| Library Science and Administration, Other | 1 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.