A core curriculum? Master's degree catalog course offerings at universities and colleges with NCATE-approved school library media specialist programs

The concept of librarianship has been that of a profession with a common core of knowledge. The master's degree is considered the entry-level degree for the profession. The American Library Association (ALA) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredit graduate library programs. The majority of graduate library programs in the United States for school librarians are accredited by NCATE.; The purpose of the study is to determine if there exists a common core of knowledge for school librarians with a master's degree. Using the competencies published by NCATE, content analysis was performed on catalog course offerings of institutions with NCATE approved master's programs to educate school library media specialists. NCATE competencies addressed in the catalog course offerings were analyzed, as were research paper or thesis requirements for the master's degree.; The findings of the content analysis show that a common core of knowledge for school library media specialists exists in most of the NCATE competency areas. Deficiencies were noted in the areas of Organization, Administration, and Professionalism. A research paper or thesis was not required in the majority (65%) of programs.