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Media librarian education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a media librarian. Media librarians usually study communication, business, or photography. 68% of media librarians hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 186 real media librarian resumes to see exactly what media librarian education sections show.

The most common colleges for media librarians are the University of South Florida and the University of South Florida.

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

What education do you need to become a media librarian?

What degree do you need to be a media librarian?

The most common degree for media librarians is bachelor's degree, with 68% of media librarians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Associate, 14%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a media librarian?

You should major in communication to become a media librarian. 14% of media librarians major in communication. Other common majors for a media librarian include business and photography.

Most common colleges for media librarians

Media librarians often get their degrees at University of South Florida, New York University, and Oklahoma Baptist University. Here are the most common colleges for media librarians in the US based on their resumes.
Media librarian common collegePercentages
University of South Florida7.14%
New York University7.14%
Oklahoma Baptist University7.14%
University of North Texas7.14%
University of Northwestern Ohio7.14%

Best majors for media librarians

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication13.7%
2Business12.6%
3Photography11.6%
4Psychology7.4%
5English6.3%

Best colleges for media librarians

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

A media librarian 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 librarians. 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 librarians.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

5. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for media librarians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for media librarians

The most affordable schools for media librarians are SUNY Farmingdale, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and florida state university.

If the best universities for media librarians 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 librarians.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media librarians

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

Some great schools for media librarians 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 librarians 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

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 librarians

The easiest schools for media librarians to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media librarian 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 librarians.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

9. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average media librarian salary by education level

According to our data, media librarians with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $55,232 annually. Media librarians with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $51,240.
Media librarian education levelMedia librarian salary
Master's Degree$51,240
Bachelor's Degree$42,981
Doctorate Degree$55,232

Media librarian 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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