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.

Revised by the ACRL Board of Directors and consolidated with the former Statement on the Certification & Licensing of Academic Librarians, June 2026.

The terminal professional degree for a position titled as “librarian” at an institution of higher education is a 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 Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment.        

ACRL encourages employers to prioritize the terminal professional degree. ACRL does not oppose relevant supplemental degree, licensing, or certification requirements in addition to the accredited, terminal degree for academic librarians.