The requirements for School Library Media Specialist Certification are pursued in conjunction with a Master's Degree. All School Library Media Specialists must be certified to teach. Students who complete the FSU state-approved program in School Library Media meet all the requirements for PK-12 certification as an Educational Media Specialist in the state of Florida. Students who intend to pursue certification outside the state of Florida should contact their own State Department of Education certification offices for any additional requirements before beginning the FSU program.

The number of hours required for a degree that includes school library media specialist certification depends on which of the four approaches that are chosen. Two options are available for certified teachers, and two options are available for students without teacher certifications, depending if students are in-state or out-of-state.

MLIS GRADUATES

As noted above, all certification requirements for school library media are incorporated into the master’s degree for currently enrolled students.  There is no program at FSU for holders of the master’s degree in library and information science to add on coursework in order to achieve certification.  Those interested in working as a school library media specialist in Florida schools, who possess a master’s degree in library and information science, can pursue certification directly with the State of Florida Department of Education.

Project LEAD

Project LEAD is leadership coursework for school media specialists available within the master's degree, as a post-master's certificate, and as a specialist degree. Project LEAD incorporates tenets from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in order to facilitate National Board Certification in Library Media. See details at our Project LEAD website.