2020 Most Affordable Master's in Library Science Online
All 24 of these colleges and universities offer affordable online master's in library science programs. Northeastern State University, our top-ranked school, has the lowest tuition on the list at only $4,267 per year. Valdosta State University, ranked #2, has an annual tuition rate of $5,860 for their Master of Library and Information Science, offering classes such as Cataloging and Classification, Electronic Resources in the Library, Information Sources and Services, and Management of Libraries and Information Centers.
You can read more about our ranked schools below or browse our rankings of the most affordable online master's programs. View our methodology or learn more about OnlineU.
All tuition numbers were manually collected and verified
| Rank | School | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Northeastern State University | $4,267 | |
| Valdosta State University | $5,860 | |
| University of Central Missouri | $6,220 | |
| Trevecca Nazarene University | $6,525 | |
| Southern Arkansas University | $6,600 | |
| Minnesota State University at Mankato | $7,266 | |
| University of Alabama | $7,560 | |
| University of Missouri | $7,720 | |
| University of Southern Mississippi | $8,264 | |
| Texas Woman's University | $8,379 | |
| Old Dominion University | $8,925 | |
| Sam Houston State University | $9,283 | |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | $10,004 | |
| Clarion University | $10,026 | |
| SUNY at Albany | $10,170 | |
| University at Buffalo | $10,170 | |
| San Jose State University | $10,191 | |
| University of North Texas | $12,146 | |
| University of Kentucky | $12,330 | |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | $12,460 | |
| Rutgers University | $13,248 | |
| Middle Tennessee State University | $13,428 | |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | $14,400 | |
| Dominican University | $15,300 |
- Annual Tuition: $4,267
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,167
- Example Classes: Advanced Materials for Children; Advanced Materials for Young Adults; Collection Development and Management of School Libraries; Emergent & Early Literacy Development; Information Resources and Services; School Library Leadership and Advocacy
Online Master's Degrees
- M.S. in Library Media & Information Technology
- Annual Tuition: $5,860
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,511
- Example Classes: Cataloging and Classification; Electronic Resources in the Library; Information Sources and Services; Management of Libraries and Information Centers
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Education in Instructional Technology - School Library Media
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Annual Tuition: $6,220
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,187
- Example Classes: Action Research in School Libraries; Children’s, Adolescent & Young Adult Literature; Children’s, Adolescent, & Young Adult Literature; Curriculum & the Media Center; Developing & Managing Collections; Library Media Administration; Reference Sources & Services
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Library Science and Information Services
- Annual Tuition: $6,525
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,616
- Example Classes: Collection Development and Organization; Enhanced Student Teaching; Fiction/Nonfiction Resources for Children and Young Adults; Professional and Ethical Issues; Research Tools and Strategies
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Annual Tuition: $6,600
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 929
- Example Classes: Collection Management and Development; Information Access; Instructional Design and Production; Integration of Library Resources into the Curriculum; Library Materials for Children and Young Adults; Management and Evaluation of Media Programs
Online Master's Degrees
- M.Ed. in Library Media and Information Specialist
- Annual Tuition: $7,266
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,882
- Example Classes: 21st Century Multiple Literacies; Foundations of Information Centers; Information Resources; Library Leadership and Management; Materials for Young Adults; Technology for the School Librarian
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in School Library and Information Studies
- Annual Tuition: $7,560
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 5,362
- Example Classes: Information Technologies; Management Theory and Practice; Public Libraries; Research Methods; School Media Centers; User Center Information Services
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Studies
- Annual Tuition: $7,720
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 7,359
- Example Classes: Collection and Access Management; Copyright in Libraries; History of Books and Media; Management of Information Agencies; Reference Sources and Services; Scholarly Communication
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Master of Library and Information Science - Library Media Specialist
- Annual Tuition: $8,264
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,589
- Example Classes: Cataloging and Classification; Library Instruction; Library Management; Literature and Related Media for Young Adults; Reference and Information Sources; Research Methods in Library and Information Science
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Master of Library and Information Science (Licensure)
- Annual Tuition: $8,379
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 5,130
- Example Classes: Collection Development; Information and Communication Technology; Information Retrieval; Information Sources and Services; Library Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Dual Master of Library Science and Master of Science in Health Studies
- Master of Arts in Library Science
- Master of Arts in Library Science - Academic Libraries
- Master of Arts in Library Science - Community Informatics
- Master of Arts in Library Science - Health Science Libraries
- Master of Arts in Library Science - Information Technology
- Annual Tuition: $8,925
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 4,804
- Example Classes: Children’s Literature Across the Curriculum, PK-8; Culturally Responsive Librarianship; Knowledge Organization and Access; Knowledge Resources: Planning, Selecting & Managing Collections; Literature and Media for Young Adults; User Services and Programming
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Studies
- Master of Library and Information Studies - School Librarianship
- Annual Tuition: $9,283
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,715
- Example Classes: Computer Science Application Librarianship; Digital Technology for the School Library; Information Services & Resources; Literature For Children; Literature For Young Adults; School Library Administration
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library Science
- Annual Tuition: $10,004
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,465
- Example Classes: Emerging Technological Trends in Information Access; Information Organization and Access; Information Sources and Services; Library Administration and Management; Media Production Services for Library Programs
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Studies
- Annual Tuition: $10,026
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 927
- Example Classes: Administration and Management of Libraries; Advanced Cataloging and Classification; Informational Sources and Services; Integrated Technologies in Libraries; Organization of Information
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Library Science in Information and Library Science
- Master of Science in Library Science in Information and Library Science - Reference and User Services
- Master of Science in Library Science in Information and Library Science - Local and Archival Studies
- Master of Science in Library Science in School Library Media
#15 SUNY at Albany
- Annual Tuition: $10,170
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 4,346
- Example Classes: Administration of School Library Media Centers; Information and Knowledge Organization; Information Sources and Services; Literature for Children; Literature for Young Adults; School Libraries: Theory, Practice and Assessment
Online Master's Degrees
- M.S. in Information Science - Library and Information Services
- M.S. in Information Science School Library
- Annual Tuition: $10,170
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 9,896
- Example Classes: Curriculum Role of the Media Specialist; Intellectual Freedom; Management of Libraries and Information Agencies; Music Librarianship; Pedagogy for School Librarians; Reference Sources and Services
Online Master's Degrees
- MS in Information and Library Science
- MS in Information and Library Science - Information Lifecycle: Information Management
- MS in Information and Library Science - Information Lifecycle: Information Technologies
- MS in Information and Library Science - Information Users & Use
- MS in Information and Library Science - Professional Skills
- MS in School Librarianship
- Annual Tuition: $10,191
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: WSCUC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 8,073
- Example Classes: Automated Library Systems; Design and Implementation of Instructional Strategies for Information Professionals; Issues in Academic Libraries; Issues in Public Libraries; Marketing of Information Products and Services; School Library Media Centers
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Annual Tuition: $12,146
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 6,866
- Example Classes: Information Access and Knowledge Inquiry; Information and Knowledge Professions; Management of Information Agencies; Metadata and Networked Information Organization/Retrieval
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Library Sciences
- Annual Tuition: $12,330
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 7,046
- Example Classes: Information in Society; Information Representation & Access; Information Seeking, Retrieval & Services; Management in Library Information Science
Online Master's Degrees
- Master in Library and Information Science
- Annual Tuition: $12,460
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 8,062
- Example Classes: Curricular Role of the School Librarian; Design and Management of Databases; Digital Libraries; Planning Library Facilities; Problems in Library and Information Agency Administration; Strategic Intelligence for Information Professionals
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Science
- Annual Tuition: $13,248
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 14,215
- Example Classes: Emerging Literacies: Learning and Creating With Digital Use; Foundations of Interaction Design and Informatics; Information Literacy, Learning, and Teaching; Knowledge Organization, Access, and Services for School Libraries; Learning, Inclusion, and Student Engagement in School Libraries; Metadata for the Information Professional
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Information
- Master of Information - Archives and Preservation
- Master of Information - Library and Information Science
- Master of Information - School Librarianship
- Annual Tuition: $13,428
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,379
- Example Classes: Collection Development and User Services; Digital Library Collections; Information Searching Strategies; Management of Libraries; Materials for Literacy of Children; Skills and Issues in the Library
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library Science
- Annual Tuition: $14,400
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 4,675
- Example Classes: Competitive Intelligence & Business Information; Digital Information Services; Electronic Publishing & Web Design; Legal Information Sources & Services; Metadata; Music Librarianship
Online Master's Degrees
- Combined MLIS/Certification in School Library Media Specialist
- Combined MLIS/Certification in School Library Media Specialist (With Licensure)
- Dual Degree MLIS & MA in Language, Literature and Translation
- Dual Degree MLIS & MA in Language, Literature and Translation - Professional Track: Arabic to English
- Dual Degree MLIS & MA in Language, Literature and Translation - Professional Track: French to English
- Dual Degree MLIS & MA in Language, Literature and Translation - Professional Track: German to English
- Annual Tuition: $15,300
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 884
- Example Classes: Big Data and Competitive Intelligence; Core Values, Ethics, and Issues in the Library and Information Professions; Facilitating User Learning and Information Needs; Metadata for Digital Resources; Social Media and Emerging Technologies; System Analysis and Design
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Library and Information Science