If you plan on getting your master's degree in
library & information science, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #38 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 46 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Library & Information Science Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,378 master's degrees in library & information science during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The library science master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality library science program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on library & information science students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of library & information science students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt library & information science students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized library & information science related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for library & information science students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Library & Information Science Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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