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Media center specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a media center specialist. Media center specialists usually study business, elementary education, or psychology. 63% of media center specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 128 real media center specialist resumes to see exactly what media center specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for media center specialists are the Ball State University and the Ball State University.

There are also many online media center specialist courses to help get the education required to be a media center specialist.

What education do you need to become a media center specialist?

What degree do you need to be a media center specialist?

The most common degree for media center specialists is bachelor's degree, with 63% of media center specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 63%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a media center specialist?

You should major in business to become a media center specialist. 13% of media center specialists major in business. Other common majors for a media center specialist include elementary education and psychology.

Most common colleges for media center specialists

Media center specialists often get their degrees at Ball State University, Merrimack College, and Indiana State University. Here are the most common colleges for media center specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Media center specialist common collegePercentages
Ball State University10.34%
Merrimack College10.34%
Indiana State University6.90%
Liberty University6.90%
Arizona State University6.90%

Best majors for media center specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business12.7%
2Elementary Education7.9%
3Psychology6.3%
4Public Relations6.3%
5Library Science6.3%

Best colleges for media center specialists

The best colleges for media center specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A media center specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for media center specialists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become media center specialists.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for media center specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for media center specialists

The most affordable schools for media center specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for media center specialists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for media center specialists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media center specialists

The hardest universities for media center specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for media center specialists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for media center specialists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media center specialists

The easiest schools for media center specialists to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media center specialist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for media center specialists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

Average media center specialist salary by education level

According to our data, media center specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $36,273 annually. Media center specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $34,423.
Media center specialist education levelMedia center specialist salary
Master's Degree$36,273
Bachelor's Degree$34,423

Media center specialist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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