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School Library & Media

Types of Degrees School Library & Media Majors Are Earning

People majoring in School Library & Media can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	529

What School Library & Media Majors Need to Know

Studies in School Library & Media emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that School Library & Media graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in School Library & Media emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a School Library & Media program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to School Library & Media careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, School Library & Media graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by School Library & Media professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
Cascading style sheets CSS	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Adobe Premiere Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Really Simple Syndication RSS	Web page creation and editing software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML	Web platform development software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for School Library & Media graduates include:

• Media Center Specialist
• Institution Librarian
• Instructional Services Coordinator
• Metadata Librarian
• School Librarian
• Audio Visual Collections Coordinator (AV Collections Coordinator)
• Research Librarian
• Audio Visual Specialist (AV Specialist)
• Instruction Librarian
• Technical Services Librarian
• Interlibrary Loan Services Librarian
• Special Collections Librarian
• Bibliographer
• Visual Specialist
• Government Documents Librarian

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to School Library & Media graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	64.7%
Some college courses	10.2%
Bachelor’s degree	8.2%
Post-master’s certificate	4.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.7%
Doctoral degree	1.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in School Library & Media?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.6% of School Library & Media degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	490	92.6%
Men	39	7.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of School Library & Media graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	409	77.3%
Asian	7	1.3%
Hispanic or Latino	54	10.2%
Black or African American	29	5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.6%
Two or More Races	11	2.1%
Race Unknown	16	3.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do School Library & Media Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of School Library & Media graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online School Library & Media Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for School Library & Media. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	12	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in School Library & Media Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, School Library & Media graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	13.1303
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Drama and Dance Teacher Education	13.1324
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.