Library Science

Types of Degrees Library Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many library science graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	5,485
Graduate Certificate	432
Doctor’s Degree	12

What Library Science Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, library science majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Library Science Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Library Science Majors

When studying library science, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Library Science Majors

As you progress with your library science degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Library Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with library science:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Archivists	14.7%	$52,240
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Librarians	9.0%	$59,050
Library Science Professors	8.3%	$71,560
Library Technicians	9.1%	$34,040
Loss Prevention Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Security Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Library Science?

This major is dominated by women with about 83% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of library science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	173
Black or African American	259
Hispanic or Latino	554
White	4,051
International Students	53
Other Races/Ethnicities	395

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Library Science. About 1.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Library Science Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in library science have a median salary of $42,784 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,759 (25th percentile) and $46,109 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to library science.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $56,400 to $75,450 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to library science. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Library Science

Some careers associated with library science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for library science careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	4.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.4%
Some College Courses	3.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	35.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.9%
Master’s Degree	32.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.6%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.5%
Doctoral Degree	6.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Library Science Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 129 schools offered some type of library science program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	15	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	40	12
Bachelor’s Degree	35	5
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	78	32
Post-Master’s	34	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	13	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Library Science Worth It?

The median salary for a library science grad is $61,530 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 54% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $432,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Library Science

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to library science.

Major	Number of Grads
Education	199,724
Psychology	42,013
Social Sciences	22,292
Communication & Journalism	12,242
History	4,391
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	3,692
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	2,911

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By John Cummings under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.