To determine the best master’s degrees, we looked at 30 popular degrees and mid-career salaries, as provided by Payscale.com, which lets users compare their pay with that of other people in similar jobs. Next we looked at Bureau of Labor Statistics data, to see how fast employment was expected to increase over the next decade for popular jobs held by people with these degrees. Finally we considered the number of job openings based on expected replacement needs during the next 10 years.
Mid-career median pay: $98,900
Projected employment increase: 39%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 57%
Common jobs: Physician assistant
Mid-career median pay: $111,000
Projected employment increase: 27%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 39%
Common jobs: Database administrator, software architect, information technology consultant
Mid-career median pay: $98,700
Projected employment increase: 24%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 41%
Common jobs: Project engineer, senior civil engineer, structural engineer
Mid-career median pay: $96,900
Projected employment increase: 22%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 51%
Common jobs: Actuary, statistician, high school teacher
Mid-career median pay: $110,000
Projected employment increase: 16%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 44%
Common jobs: Physicist, medical physicist, senior systems engineer
Mid-career median pay: $97,200
Projected employment increase: 29%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 39%
Common jobs: Information technology project manager, information technology specialist, software developer
Mid-career median pay: $81,900
Projected employment increase: 22%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 47%
Common jobs: Human resources consultant, human resources manager, recruiter
Mid-career median pay: $108,000
Projected employment increase: 19%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 38%
Common jobs: Economist, financial analyst, business analyst
Mid-career median pay: $90,100
Projected employment increase: 17%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 44%
Common jobs: Environmental project manager, hydrogeologist, petroleum geologist
Mid-career median pay: $109,000
Projected employment increase: 17%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 35%
Common jobs: Business development manager, management consultant, senior financial analyst
<Source: www.monster.com>
