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The master’s degree is the profession. An MLIS, MLS, or MSIS from a program accredited by the American Library Association is the expected credential for professional librarian roles in most public, academic, and many special libraries. School library media certification, optional archives credentials, and subject expertise in a special library are built on top of it or beside it. A master’s from a program that is not ALA-accredited generally will not meet hiring standards for librarian-classified jobs, regardless of the institution’s reputation.
This page explains how these programs are structured, what fieldwork involves, how school and archives paths differ, and what to compare across online or hybrid schools.
It is a master’s in library and information studies that delivers academic coursework online or in a hybrid format. Awarded as an MLIS, MLS, MSIS, or a closely related title, it is the entry credential for professional librarian work in ALA-standard settings. A practicum, internship, or fieldwork placement is common and is usually completed at a library or archive, not only on a screen.
Public, academic, and many special libraries write ALA-accredited master’s degrees into librarian job specifications. Without that accreditation, you may complete a full master’s and still be screened out. Verify current status in the ALA directory of accredited programs rather than trusting a program’s marketing page.
Commonly about two years of full-time study, shorter with year-round enrollment, longer part-time. Confirm total required credits with each school rather than assuming a standard. Online MLIS programs are a mature format, so pacing options are more common here than in many other graduate professional fields.
No. A bachelor’s in any field is the usual requirement. See undergraduate pathways if you are still choosing a major – and do not delay a completed bachelor’s in another field in order to pick up an undergraduate library science major.
State teaching certification or school library media certification through the state department of education, on top of the MLIS. The MLIS alone is often not enough for K-12. Rules differ by state.
A completed bachelor’s degree, transcripts, a statement of purpose, a resume, and often letters of recommendation. Library or archive experience helps. Some programs still require the GRE; many do not. There is no single national entrance exam for librarianship.
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| Course Topic | What You Learn |
|---|---|
| Information Organization | Cataloging, classification, and metadata – how collections become findable |
| Reference and User Services | Research interviews, source evaluation, and public-service practice |
| Collection Development | Selection, acquisition, licensing, and weeding across print and digital formats |
| Information Literacy Instruction | Teaching students and patrons how to find and judge information |
| Library Management | Budgeting, personnel, assessment, and the politics of a public or campus institution |
| Information Technology | Databases, discovery systems, digital libraries, and library systems administration at a professional level |
| Information Policy and Ethics | Privacy, copyright, intellectual freedom, and access |
| Research Methods | How the field produces evidence about services, collections, and users |
| Fieldwork / Practicum | Supervised practice in a library, archive, or information setting |
Concentrations then specialize that core. Public librarianship, academic librarianship, school library media, archives and special collections, youth services, digital librarianship or data curation, and special libraries (law, health, government, corporate) are the usual menu. Not every school offers every concentration online. School library media is the one most likely to be constrained by state educator rules as well as by ALA.
Admission. You need a bachelor’s degree. The major can be anything. Programs commonly want a statement, a resume, and recommendations; some want evidence of library work or volunteering.
Coursework and fieldwork. Academic courses cover organization, services, technology, management, and policy. Many programs add a practicum or internship. Online students typically complete that placement at a site near them. Ask who arranges it.
Graduation and job search. There is no national librarian license analogous to nursing or speech-language pathology. Hiring is the gate, and the gate is the ALA-accredited master’s plus, in many systems, relevant experience. Public and academic libraries are the largest professional markets.
School path. If you want a K-12 school library, add your state’s teaching or school library media certification, run by the state department of education, not by ALA. Confirm the match with the state where you will work, not where the university sits.
Archives path. Archivists may complete an MLIS with an archives concentration or a separate archives master’s. Academy of Certified Archivists certification is optional – not a license and not an MLIS substitute.
For pacing and delivery comparisons, see: How Online MLIS Programs Work
Requirements vary by school, but most programs require a completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, transcripts, a statement of purpose, and a resume. Letters of recommendation are common. Library, archive, teaching, or public-service experience strengthens an application and is sometimes expected in practice even when it is not required on paper.
Applicants from outside the field are the norm. You do not need leveling coursework the way career-changers in clinical fields do. You do need a plan for the setting you want. Librarians and media collections specialists had a median annual wage of $68,270, with 133,790 jobs, and BLS projects 1.7 percent employment growth from 2024 to 2034 with 13,500 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
An undergraduate pathway – a bachelor’s in any field, or a BA/BS in library science where it exists – is preparation, not the professional credential. It can support technician and assistant roles, which do not require the MLIS and which BLS projects to decline. Professional librarian work in ALA-standard settings requires the master’s. If your goal is that work, the MLIS is not optional.
Compare degree options:
For a value and fit discussion, see: Is an Online MLIS Degree Worth It. For the school setting, see the education program guide.
Data verified: September 1, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
