Library and Information Studies Methodology

U.S. News ranked 50 master’s degree programs in the United States that are accredited by the American Library Association. The rankings are based solely on the results of a fall 2008 survey sent to the dean of each program, the program director, and a senior faculty member in each program. The questionnaires asked individuals to rate the academic quality of programs at each institution as outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1). Individuals who were unfamiliar with a particular school’s programs were asked to select “don’t know.” Scores for each school were totaled and divided by the number of respondents who rated that school. The response rate was 56%.

Specialty rankings: These ratings are based solely on the nominations of program deans, program directors, and a senior faculty member at each program. They were asked to chose up to 10 programs noted for excellence in each specialty area. Those with the most votes are listed.