Undergraduate Degree

The path to becoming a librarian begins with an undergraduate degree from an accredited 4-year college or university, which is required for admission into graduate school. Undergraduate students are not required to study any specific major; however, graduate schools typically only admit students with a B average or minimum 3.0 grade point average. Admission into graduate school may also entail submitting recommendation letters, sitting for interviews and passing a standardized test.

Graduate Degree

Employers typically prefer to hire librarians who have completed a master's degree program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). Such degree programs include the Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Library Science (MLS), which typically take 1-2 years to complete. Master's programs prepare students for careers in library and information science. Courses may include:

Library management

Cataloging

Information science

Research methods

Reference resources

Library collections

Specialization

While some librarians hold degrees in general library or information science, others pursue specialty degrees in concentrations of the field, such as school, archival or art librarianship. Specialization may be required for some positions. For example, school librarians in many states are required to earn a master's degree in education or library science with a specialty in library media.