2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,403 people earned their degree in library and information science, making the major the 124th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, library and information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $41,496 and had an average of $36,654 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 301 library and information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,600 and $33,408 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 289 library and information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in library and information science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality library and information science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the library and information science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Library & Information Science Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Library & Information Science (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$45,696 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s library science degrees to qualified students.

UNI also took the #0 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Northern Iowa Library & Information Science Report

#2

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$22,058 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$40,341 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Emporia State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Emporia, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s library science degrees to 148 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree library science students whose families make $48-$75k list, ESU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Library & Information Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Emporia State University are $22,058, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at ESU

#3

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$17,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$46,407 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Catherine University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s library science degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

St. Kate’s also took the #3 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at St Catherine University are $17,400, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Library & Information Science at St. Kate’s

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$41,937 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 37 masters’s library science degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #2 spot in our “Best Library & Information Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Iowa Library & Information Science Report

#5

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

#4 in overall quality

$16,394 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$41,565 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Missouri. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UCM is a public institution located in Warrensburg, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Library & Information Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCM are $16,394, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at UCM

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Library & Information Science (Income $48-$75k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Diliff.

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