2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Library Science is the 35th most popular major in the country with 5,894 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, library science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $41,658 and had an average of $36,277 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 318 library 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 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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in library science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great library science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the library science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Library 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 $30-$48k” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree library science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Library Science (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

$22,648 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 8 masters’s library science degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648.

Read full report on Library Science at UNI

#2

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$22,058 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emporia State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Emporia, Kansas, this medium-sized public school handed out 148 diplomas to qualified masters’s library science students in 2019-2020.

ESU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Emporia State University are $22,058, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Library Science at ESU

#3

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$17,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Catherine University landed the #3 spot on the 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at St. Kate’s are $17,400.

Read full report on Library Science at St. Kate’s

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$27,613 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on Library Science at Iowa

#5

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

#4 in overall quality

$16,394 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Missouri landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Central Missouri is a medium-sized school located in Warrensburg, Missouri that handed out 22 masters’s library science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCM also took the #4 spot in our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Missouri are $16,394.

Read more about Library Science at UCM

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Library Science (Income $30-$48k)

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 John Cummings.

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