Library and Information Studies Methodology

US. News ranked 50 master's degree programs in the United States that are accredited by the American Library Association. The rankings are based on the results of a fall 2005 survey sent to the dean of the program, the program director, and a senior faculty member in each of these programs. 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 51 percent.