10 Best Graduate Degrees to Have

This list of the ten best graduate degrees is based on job availability and the degree to which there is career flexibility available with each of them.  The criteria for the ten best educational options in the world are subjective at best, but we assumed that the purpose of the graduate education would be something other than dedication to pure academia.  If the career destination was research, it had to be research that had some commercial or scientific application that went beyond pure academic endeavor.  All of these degrees can eventually take the graduate to an income level in the six figure range.  Assigning salary figures to degrees with a wide range of career options didn't make sense, but the potential for a lucrative career was one of the considerations for this selection of academic choices.

PhD in Finance: This degree is transitioning from an academic's career goal to a degree that is highly coveted for new employees in the financial sector.  Quantitative analytics has become an enormous part of the investment industry and people who have the mathematics and analytical training to work in that field are respected and well paid.  A PhD in Finance may also work in risk management and risk analysis for a corporation or investment house.

Master of Business Administration: The has been the most highly prized degree for ambitious graduates seeking careers in the business world and remains so today despite the rise of PhD graduates among Wall Street careerists.  One of the important elements of an MBA education is the networking that results from relationships with fellow students, and with alumni from the business school.

Physician Assistant: This master's degree program will allow the graduate to work in medical settings almost as a peer with medical doctors.  Physician assistants treat patients, diagnose cases, handle follow up with patients, prescribe medication and generally handle much of the day to day work in a physician's office or other medical treatment facility.

Juris Doctor:  Despite representing the profession people love to hate most, a law degreecan lead down innumerable career paths.  There are any number of legal specializations – for attorneys who are interested in accumulating wealth, for those interested in social justice, for careers in medical law, antitrust, defense, and many more types of legal practice.  Attorneys can become judges, or they can enter into the public sector as senior government officials, as policy managers or as elected officials – more politicians are attorneys than any other profession.

Medical Doctor:  A medical degree is not longer a punched ticket for a lucrative career as a respected member of the community.  Physicians work in an environment that is increasingly controlled by forces beyond their control, both financially and with regard to the quality of patient care.  But it is still an honored profession, the speed with which medicine is developing new treatments and technology is a tremendous intellectual challenge, and helping people is still a powerful purpose for any professional.

Master of Science in Nursing: This degree has a number of specializations attached to it, not unlike the M.D.  MSN graduates can become midwives, anesthetists, nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists.  There are specialties within these specialties such as acute care clinical nursing, pediatric nurse practitioner, mental health clinical nurse specialist and at least a dozen others.

Master of Environmental Science: A professional with either a Master's or a PhD in environmental science can work in environmental protection, for clean water or clean air agencies, for construction or architectural firms, or for any number of public agencies.  It's become a catch-all type of degree that opens up careers in several economic and public sectors.

PhD in Biochemistry:  This is arguably the best degree for entering the biotech field.  If you are science oriented and interested in entrepreneurial ventures as well, biotech should be an intriguing field.  There are opportunities with small start-ups, large pharmaceutical companies and government-sponsored research programs.

PhD in Psychology: This degree is still academically oriented at most graduate schools, but there are several areas of concentration that can lead to interesting professional careers.  Clinical psychologists are more numerous than psychiatrists today, performing essentially the same function.  Industrial/organizational psychology is a fascinating field and can be a lucrative one as well on a consulting basis.  Developmental psychology is an interesting mix of the medical and psychological disciplines.

Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy: There are principal counseling degrees at the master's level: the MFT and the Master of Social Work, or MSW.  Of the two, the MFT allows the graduate to open a private practice much more readily, providing more latitude in career options than a MSW for that reason and providing a more lucrative option as well.

For more information on the best masters & graduate degree to get including accredited schools, scholarships, requirements, salary & job prospects with a masters of science graduate level education, see us online.

Article Source

Leave a Reply

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.