Statement on the Terminal Professional Degree for Academic Librarians

Approved as policy by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, on January 23, 1975. Reaffirmed by the ACRL Board of Directors, June, 2001 and June, 2007. Modified and reaffirmed by the ACRL Board of Directors at the Spring Executive Committee Meeting, May 11, 2011. Reaffirmed by the ACRL Board of Directors, April 2018.

The master's degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association or from a program in a country with a formal accreditation process as identified by ALA’s Human Resource Development and Recruitment Office is the appropriate terminal professional degree for academic librarians.