AASL-CAEP School Librarianship Education Programs

For school librarians, the appropriate first professional degree is either of the following:

• A master's degree from a program accredited by ALA,
• A master's degree with a specialty in school librarianship from a program recognized by AASL in an educational unit accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Prospective students should review the guidelines for choosing a master's program in library and information studies.

The authoritative directory of CAEP-accredited/AASL-recognized programs is maintained by CAEP. The CAEP Directory of Accredited Institutions contains all school librarianship programs* that have been reviewed and recognized (National Recognition, National Recognition with Conditions, or National Recognition with Probation) by AASL's program reviewers using the ALA/AASL/CAEP School Librarian Preparation Standards (2019) ​​​​​​. Under the AASL Standards, program recognition is tied to CAEP unit accreditation. AASL does not review school librarianship programs that are not affiliated with a CAEP-accredited unit. To search for school librarian programs in the CAEP Directory, click on "Nationally Recognized Program Search" and select "American Library Association (ALA)" in the drop-down menu next to "Program Area."

You can also view a list of all programs ever recognized by AASL.This list also includes all currently recognized programs, which are indicated by bold and hyperlinked (to the program website) institution names.

*To view the currently recognized AASL-CAEP programs in list format, go to the CAEP Directory of Accredited Institutions, click on “Nationally Recognized Program Search” and then select “American Library Association (ALA)” for Program Area and “All” for State/Country.