2027 MLIS vs. a History Master's for Archives Careers
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing between an MLIS and a history master's can shape both the archives jobs you qualify for and the work you learn to do. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects archivist employment to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, making preparation, not just the degree title, worth examining.
If you are comparing programs or changing careers, this guide explains employer expectations, archival coursework, practical experience, costs, and earnings so you can choose a path that fits your intended role.
Key Things You Should Know
- Neither degree is universally required for archivist jobs: employers may accept an MLIS, a history master's, or another relevant graduate degree, but they often expect archival training and experience.
- An MLIS generally offers a more direct route into archival description, digital collections, and related library roles. A history master's may be stronger for subject research if you deliberately add archival practice.
- The median annual wage for U.S. archivists was $64,550 in May 2025. Compare each program's full cost against realistic job requirements, not the occupational median alone.
Is an MLIS or history master's better for an archives career?
Choose the program that gives you the strongest combination of archival coursework, supervised experience, and affordable completion. An MLIS is often the more straightforward choice if you want to work across archives, special collections, digital collections, and libraries.
A history master's can be equally relevant when the target job values deep subject knowledge and the program lets you build hands-on archival skills. Neither degree title substitutes for those skills.
This comparison shows where each degree typically starts. Individual curricula and employer requirements can differ substantially.
| Decision factor | MLIS or related LIS master's | History master's |
| Typical academic emphasis | Organizing, preserving, describing, and providing access to information | Historical research, interpretation, sources, and subject expertise |
| Archival preparation to verify | Archives electives, digital preservation, and applied projects | Archives coursework, public history options, and repository placements |
| Potential career flexibility | May also support library and information-management roles, depending on the job | May also support historical research, public history, and museum-related roles |
| Main risk | Assuming any LIS program includes substantial archives training | Graduating with strong research skills but little archival practice |
Start with several jobs you would actually apply for, then compare their stated qualifications with each program's required courses and placement opportunities. A lower-priced program is not automatically better if getting the needed archival experience requires extra study or unpaid travel.
For broader cost context, an affordable library masters salary potential comparison can help frame the financial trade-off without predicting your individual earnings.
What degree do you need to become an archivist?
Archivist positions commonly seek graduate education, but there is no single degree that qualifies applicants for every job. An employer may specify an MLIS, a history master's, archival studies, or another related field; some listings accept several. Read the full posting for required coursework, language or subject expertise, digital skills, and experience before treating the degree label as decisive.
Degree names also vary. An MLS, Master of Science in Library Science, or Master of Information may provide relevant preparation, but the title alone does not establish its curriculum or ALA accreditation. If you already hold a relevant master's, gaining targeted archival coursework and repository experience may be more useful than assuming you need a second full degree.
How do MLIS and history master's programs prepare archivists differently?
An archives-focused MLIS pathway may teach appraisal, deciding which records warrant long-term retention, alongside arrangement, description, access, and digital preservation. Broader LIS courses can add metadata and information-systems skills useful for searchable collections. Check whether these are required courses, electives, or merely topics mentioned in a program description.
A history master's typically develops source criticism, research, and knowledge of a period or region. Those strengths matter when interpreting collections and assisting researchers, but a research thesis is not the same as processing records or managing born-digital files. A history student should look for archives or public history courses and a supervised placement that produces demonstrable work.
In either route, ask to see recent course schedules and find out who arranges placements. A catalog listing does not mean a course runs when you need it, and an archives-related elective does not constitute a formal concentration.
Does an MLIS need to be ALA-accredited for archives jobs?
Some archives employers require or prefer a master's from an American Library Association-accredited program; others accept a history or other relevant master's. ALA accreditation can be especially valuable if you also want to remain eligible for librarian positions that specify it. Check each prospective LIS program in the current ALA directory rather than assuming the university's institutional accreditation covers the degree.
Accreditation does not confirm that a program offers an archives concentration, a particular elective, or an internship. It also does not grant a state school librarian credential. If library work is part of your backup plan, investigate the requirements for your intended state and role separately. Illinois MLIS programs and careers provide one state-specific starting point, not a rule for archivist positions nationwide.
What archival coursework should each degree program include?
Look for a curriculum that covers both the decisions archivists make about collections and the systems they use to make those collections accessible. These are the subjects to check in course descriptions, regardless of degree type:
- Appraisal and records selection: deciding what to retain and documenting why.
- Arrangement and description: organizing records and creating finding aids that help people discover and use them.
- Preservation and digital stewardship: caring for physical materials and planning for continued access to digital files.
- Reference, access, and ethics: serving researchers while respecting privacy, donor agreements, and other restrictions.
- Applied work: a supervised practicum, processing project, or comparable assignment with work you can discuss in an interview.
For digital archives roles, examine whether students actually work with metadata, digitization workflows, and born-digital records, not just read about them. A history program may offer these through a public history partnership; an MLIS student may need to choose electives carefully. Ask which courses have run recently and whether you can complete the sequence before graduation.
Are online or campus-based programs better for archival training?
Neither delivery format is inherently better. An online program can make graduate study feasible while you work, but archives training still benefits from handling collections, receiving feedback, and completing an authentic project. Campus access may simplify placements at a university repository, though it does not guarantee one.
For an online option, confirm whether archival courses are asynchronous or meet at set times, how often they run, and whether a practicum can be completed near you. Ask who approves local supervisors and whether any campus visits or travel are required.
When using an online librarian masters comparison, verify these archives-specific details directly with each program; online delivery alone does not establish scheduling flexibility or hands-on access.
What are the admission requirements, costs, and length of each degree?
Both paths generally require a bachelor's degree and an application that may include transcripts, recommendations, and a statement of purpose; policies vary by school.
A history department may ask for evidence of historical research preparation, while an LIS program may welcome applicants from a wider range of undergraduate majors. Confirm prerequisites, application materials, and part-time options with each institution.
No single tuition figure or completion timeline fairly represents either degree. To compare offers, multiply the published tuition per credit by the credits required for your program, then add mandatory fees, materials, and likely travel or placement expenses.
Check whether a thesis, internship, or infrequently offered elective could add a term. Distinguish the published program cost from what you would pay after confirmed funding and from what you would borrow.
Ask about assistantships, employer support, and scholarships before choosing based on sticker price. If you are moving into archives from another field, MLIS scholarships for career changers may offer funding leads; verify eligibility, deadlines, and award terms with the provider. Confirm current loan eligibility and terms with your financial aid office rather than assuming an award or borrowing option will be available.
What archivist jobs can you pursue with either master's degree?
Graduates of either route may qualify to compete for archivist, processing archivist, digital archivist, or university archives positions when their training matches the posting. Archivists appraise and organize records, document collections, preserve materials, and help people find and use them.
Duties vary: one role may center on paper collections and researcher requests, while another emphasizes digital files and access systems.
Special collections librarian roles may include archival work but can have distinct library-service duties and an explicit ALA-accredited master's requirement. Museum collections and records-management jobs may accept different credentials.
Compare duties, not just titles, and use an information professional salary comparison to explore adjacent paths without assuming that all require an MLIS or pay like archivist positions.
How much do archivists earn, and what is the job outlook?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $64,550 for archivists in May 2025 and projects 3.4% employment growth from 2025 to 2035. The median describes an occupation, not a starting offer or the outcome of either degree. Pay and openings vary by employer, location, responsibilities, and experience.
Use that wage as context when weighing tuition and potential borrowing, not as a promised return on investment. A program with strong placement opportunities may be worth considering, but ask for documented outcomes relevant to archives rather than relying on broad university employment claims.
Do archivists need certification, licensure, or professional experience?
Archivists do not generally need a state license to practice. Some employers value professional certification, but it is not a universal legal requirement or a replacement for the qualifications in a job posting. Check the specific employer's language before paying for an additional credential.
Practical experience can be more consequential early in your career. A supervised internship, student job, or substantial volunteer project can show how you handled collections, described materials, or solved access problems.
Seek work you can explain clearly in an application: your task, the standards or procedures you followed, the decisions you made, and the result. If an unpaid placement would be financially difficult, ask programs about paid opportunities and whether relevant employment can satisfy an experiential requirement.
Other Things You Should Know About Library Science Programs
An archivist manages records and access to collections. A conservator focuses on examining, stabilizing, and treating physical objects or materials; that work typically calls for different specialized training.
No. Donor agreements, privacy concerns, legal obligations, or an item's condition may restrict access. Repository staff can explain applicable rules and whether another copy is available.
No. Genealogists use sources to investigate family histories; archivists preserve, describe, and provide access to sources that genealogists and other researchers may use.
It can help when a collection or job requires reading records in that language. Choose languages based on the communities, periods, and repositories you hope to work with rather than assuming every archives position requires one.
References
- Types of Employment Positions at the National Archives https://www.archives.gov/careers/jobs/positions.html
- Library and Information Science - MLIS - Kent State Online https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/degrees/master-of-library-and-information-science
- How to Become an Archivist - Arizona Online https://online.arizona.edu/news/how-become-archivist-step-step-guide-launching-your-career
- Archivist Jobs, Salary & Career Path Guide | EWU https://online.ewu.edu/degrees/education/master-arts-history/archivist-jobs-salary/
- Archivist vs. Librarian: Which Career is Right for You? | Syracuse University https://ischool.syracuse.edu/archivist-vs-librarian/
- How to Become an Archivist: Requirements & Salary (2026) | mastersinlibraryscience.org https://www.mastersinlibraryscience.org/how-to-become/how-to-become-an-archivist/
- Careers for Students of History: Historians in Archives - AHA https://www.historians.org/resource/careers-for-students-of-history-historians-in-archives/
- Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions | ALA https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/accreditedprograms/faq
- Master's in Archival Studies - Library Science Degrees Online https://librarysciencedegreesonline.org/masters-in-archival-studies/
