Benefits of Obtaining a Master’s Degree 1 In the highly competitive global marketplace, a master’s degree sets you apart from other job candidates. 2 With a master’s degree, you’ll be eligible for more jobs. The number of occupations that typically require a master’s degree will increase by nearly 20% between 2006 and 2016. In many career sectors, such as higher education administration, public affairs, and social services, a master's degree is replacing a bachelor's as the minimum requirement for employment. With a bachelor's degree in the 1980s, one could secure an entry level position as an admissions counselor, academic adviser, or student services coordinator. By the 2000s, applicants for these same entry-level positions were not even considered unless they held a master's degree. While holding a graduate degree is not a guarantee of ultimate success, it certainly opens many more doors for employment. 3 A master’s degree helps give you job security. Data from the 2012 U.S. Census Bureau show that the unemployment rate for holders of master’s degree is 3.5% compared with 4.5% for those with only bachelor’s degrees, while unemployment rates among those with doctorates (2.5%) and advanced professional degrees (2.1%) are approximately half that of those with only a bachelor’s degree.
workers between the ages of 21 and 64 with a master's degree or higher earn an average annual salary of $55,242, versus those with a bachelor's degree whose average annual salary is $42,877, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Unquestionably, an advanced degree makes a difference on a résumé. It says something about who you are and the dedication you have to your chosen field.
With a bachelor's degree in the 1980s, one could secure an entry level position as an admissions counselor, academic adviser, or student services coordinator. By the 2000s, applicants for these same entry-level positions were not even considered unless they held a master's degree. While holding a graduate degree is not a guarantee ...
Earning a graduate degree is evidence of persistence, determination, intellectual prowess, and the ability to handle challenging environments—all of which are sought-after qualities for individuals filling manager and director positions.
To prepare for graduate study at the doctoral level. To expand their knowledge of fields related to their current areas of professional specialization. To study a field they love and to explore future employment in a related area. To acquire skills in new technologies and methods that have developed in their fields.
Enjoy travel opportunities. Some programs, such as archaeology, require studying abroad for research purposes. For those who like to travel, this is a bonus.
A master’s degree is an investment in your financial future. An employee who has earned a master’s degree typically earns over $10,000 more per year than one who graduated with a bachelor’s. The additional hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your career could mean more savings, living more comfortably, planning dream vacations, or security in case of an emergency.
Jordyn recalls, “I decided to get my masters because most people in my field of interest (higher education) who had associate director roles or higher, had a master’s degree in education or counseling.”
Some people who earn their master’s experience the leapfrog effect. Instead of starting out in an entry position in their field, they “leap” over the introductory jobs into higher places of management. Approximately 16 million people —only 8% of the US population have a master’s degree– which can lead to a competitive advantage in a sea of candidates.
Graduate school immerses you further into your specific industry. Without the need to fulfill general education requirements, you can focus solely on your field of study. With the opportunity to try several areas of your specialty in a short amount of time, you may gain a greater understanding of how to narrow down the path you want to pursue.
There are several fields—and more specific companies—in which a master’s degree is required either for entry or to move to upper-level management . Earning your graduate degree provides you with security in your qualifications as you move into the career field.
Although your individual identity consists of far more than your education level or career, a master’s degree is certainly an achievement of which you should be proud of. When you earn a graduate degree, you have also earned additional value and credibility that invites a high level of respect.
Many companies will reimburse their employees to continue their education. In addition, many colleges and universities will support your pursuit of a master’s degree through teaching or research assistantships.
References build a picture of each candidate, allowing admissions tutors to create a shortlist. For a Masters application, you'll need to supply two academic references.
Each university sets its own timeframes for processing applications. It'll usually take between two weeks and two months to discover whether you've got a place.
However, UCAS Postgraduate provides application management for a small number of UK universities and colleges. Check which institutions use UCAS Postgraduate. Many institutions have their own online application system.
Arts and humanities candidates may be asked to provide evidence of their work, in the form of a portfolio to support their application. This collection of work demonstrates your commitment to and enthusiasm for your chosen subject, while also conveying your personality and creativity.
Conditional - you've received an offer to join the course, providing that you meet certain requirements.
Ideally this means at least six months before your course begins. Even if you're still in your final year of undergraduate study and don't have a degree transcript to provide, your university should be able to provide a predicted degree grade for you to submit.
If you're unable to supply an academic reference, for instance if you've taken a break from studying, you'll need to provide a professional reference from your most recent employer.
If (like me) you’re considering further study as preparation for a specific career, you probably know roughly which subject you want to study. But, chances are there isn’t just one postgraduate route into your chosen profession.
Certain professions may also have additional requirements that aren’t purely academic. These usually involve some form of accreditation, which may or may not be compulsory.
If in doubt, find someone who has your dream job, and ask them how they got it. If possible, ask someone with relatively current knowledge of your field.
As soon as I’d read up on the Print Journalism Masters at the University of Sheffield, I sent off my application and started hunting for funding. I’d unfortunately already missed out on a couple of opportunities, but managed to apply for a Sheffield Postgraduate Scholarship, which I was lucky enough to receive.
Another good answer to the question “why did choose a course as your major?” is the wide area of application available in such field. Some fields have more areas of application than others. And this could be an influencing factor to choosing such field as a major
Students could choose to study a particular course due to the discovery of their personal strength. Every student has their area of strength and to major in your area of strength is a good decision made to ensure you get going while things seem tough.
Opportunities available in such field of study: One of the reasons students chose a particular course as their field of study or major is because of the opportunities available in such field of study. Some students already got the opportunity available to them even before they applied to study the course while some applied for the course because ...
One of the reasons many studies a course is to ensure there is continuity in that field of study. The continuity could be in the family (e.g When one of the parents is a role model in such area of Study, and one of the Children decides to follow the part of such parent by studying the course), and it could be in the country or the world at large. (e.g is when professionals from a particular field are discovered to be reducing/diminishing, governments could encourage young people to study such course by giving them supports such as scholarships, etc, on the other hand, it could be a personal concern/conviction.
Your concern for its impact on you or mankind: One of your driving forces to studying a course could be your concern about its importance or impact on you or mankind. E.g. a student could want to study medicine and surgery or other related courses because of its impact on their health and their society.
E.g. a student could want to study medicine and surgery or other related courses because of its impact on their health and their society. Some will love to understand the human body and how it works while some will have a focus on other parts of the human body, such as the eye, teeth, skin etc.
We have carefully studied and come up with these answers; they are general answers and can be applied to any area of study.
An MS degree is designed to make an expert out of you, concentrated in a specific area – a specialty. So its choice obviously entails an understanding of a level of your past proficiency, the current availability of institutions, and courses offered, and finally how that MS is going to help you in the future.
For Non-Technical fields, the most popular Masters specialities are Occupational Therapy, Communication, Public Relations and Education.
One way to decide your specialization is by assessing its usefulness. It requires research into job trends. What are companies looking for? Is there a particular “hot” field that may be hiring more than others?
So, it is advisable that you are careful of the time spent in obtaining a degree. Typically MS programs, in the US, take between 1.5 to 2 years. While a long program can hurt you financially, a short one may probably lack in significantly important curriculum structure. Does it have the requisite number of courses? Does it have an independent thesis project? You should definitely verify the accreditation of the University and the degree that is being offered.
While not all jobs require an MS, to be hired, there are many specializations that can help you get ahead of others in terms of career growth. Based on studies done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), certain STEM fields indicate a typical raise in salaries, for MS graduates, as compared to their Bachelor degree graduates.
There is a clear preference to the US for its class of Universities, funding options, precedence from previous students and the variety of specialities offered by their MS programs.
US universities can be surprisingly flexible to your needs. It’s the Immigrations that you should be careful about though. It is advised that you check with the International Student’s Office to find out if this can be a simple switch or does it have the potential to turn into a paperwork circus.
Getting a master’s degree also means spending your time reading, researching, and writing — all of which are incredibly valuable, transferable skills.
A master’s degree is a graduate degree that indicates you have high-level knowledge of a specific area of study or professional practice. These degrees are the first level of graduate degrees, followed only by doctoral degrees, such as the PhD.
In other words, earning a master’s degree means higher wages on average. (This is a general trend; weekly earnings can vary a lot depending on factors such as the field, amount of work experience, etc.)
Once you have a general idea of the industry or field you want to have a career in, begin thinking about specific skills and topics you want to learn, and look for master's degree programs that can help you become an expert at these.
A professional degree is meant to prepare you for a specific career or field. Many careers, such as lawyers, doctors, and pharmacists, require you to earn a series of professional degrees (usually master's and doctoral degrees). Examples of professional degrees include the MBA and LLM.
Unlike doctoral programs, many of which are fully funded for up to five years, master’s degrees in the US are rarely funded. Therefore, it’s important to find out whether you’ll have to pay for your master’s degree — and whether you think the program is worth the price tag.
Academic master’s degrees are primarily focused on increasing your mastery of a specific field of study that connects to your academic and intellectual interests (which you might or might not want to use in your career).
Pursuing graduate school may mean having to juggle a full-time job while taking night classes or quitting work all together. It may also require you to take out additional loans, on top of the other financial and personal decisions that may surface along the way.
While getting a master’s degree can provide many dividends, the process can be taxing and can require much sacrifice. Your reasoning needs to be able to withstand the storm of difficulties that may come your way while in school.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing an MBA or any master’s degree for that matter, especially when it’s to advance your dream career and to help you make more money in your industry.