An ALA-Accredited Program with a Rich Heritage
As you consider your choice of a school that will prepare you for a career in the information professions, we urge you to consider the University of Pittsburgh. First, consider the long-standing reputation of the Master of Library and Information Science program, which has been continuously accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) since 1962. The program has more than a century-long tradition of educating librarians and archivists. Our roots began in 1901 when the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh began a program to educate librarians to serve children in the new library located in a city of immigrants, and Andrew Carnegie was our first benefactor. We also offer a rigorous Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science for those seeking careers as faculty members, researchers and administrators.
Our students come from across the United States and abroad and represent many backgrounds. Their undergraduate majors span the disciplines, creating intellectual vigor in our classes. The MLIS Program has thousands of alumni working in libraries, archives, government, non-profit, corporate settings around the world. They form an informal network to help our current students.
The University itself is a top-tier research institution with more than 200 graduate degree programs, a large and diverse graduate student body, and an outstanding library system that is consistently ranked by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in the top quartile.
Rankings
Our MLIS degree program was recognized as one of the top-twenty programs by U.S. News & World Report in the magazine’s 2025 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The program as a whole was ranked 16th in the nation.
MLIS degree programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report every seven years. Only schools accredited by the ALA are included in the survey. The magazine surveys deans, program directors, and senior faculty from these accredited schools, asking them to evaluate the academic quality of the MLIS programs.
