2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Library Science (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 5,894 people earned their degree in library science, making the major the 35th most popular in the United States. 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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Library Science Schools

The library science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Library Science Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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 Science (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

$22,648 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #1 spot on the list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s library science degrees to 8 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, UNI has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNI are $22,648, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UNI Library Science Report

#2

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas

#1 in overall quality

$22,058 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Emporia State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Emporia, Kansas, and it awarded 148 masters’s library science degrees in 2019-2020.

ESU also made our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Emporia State University are $22,058, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Emporia State University Library Science Report

#3

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, Minnesota

#3 in overall quality

$17,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 made our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at St. Kate’s are $17,400, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about 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 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. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 37 masters’s library science 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Library Science at University of 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 $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Missouri landed the #5 spot on the list. Warrensburg, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s library science degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCM, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Library Science Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCM are $16,394, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Central Missouri Library Science Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Library 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 John Cummings.

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