After spending four years in college, a small percentage of grads discover the value of adding another layer to their educational resumes.
While less than one-tenth of four-year graduates choose to earn master’s degrees, those who do reap significant rewards in terms of higher earnings, a much wider selection of career paths, personal satisfaction, and as a stepping-stone toward a Ph.D. doctoral degree.
While it’s true that only the top tier of college and university grads move on to master’s programs, they do so for a varied list of reasons.
Some want to prepare themselves for a spot on a university faculty or professorship, while others simply wish to gain a clear advantage in the search for corporate or government jobs in an era of stiff competition.
Are you ready to take on the challenge? If so, keep your motivation high by remembering the many benefits that come to those who choose graduate school.
Financial Help Available
Those who want all the lifestyle advantages that come with earning a graduate degree often wonder how to pay tuition and related expenses.
Luckily, it’s possible to take out a student loan that can cover some or all the cost of getting a master’s diploma, no matter what the subject area, school, or length of the program.
For many college grads, private graduate student loans are the quickest and most cost-effective way to deal with the financial demands of post-college education.
In many cases, just for the purpose of comparison, it’s interesting to note that most master’s programs are just one or two years in length and come with lower total costs than a typical four-year college degree.
Access to Higher Lifelong Earnings
It’s long been true that those who hold advanced degrees earn higher lifelong incomes than those who don’t. That’s simply a basic fact of the way capitalist economies work.
Those with additional skills and educational achievements are in demand in nearly every career field.
In today’s highly competitive world, where specialized training and post-college educational degrees are valued by major corporations and educational institutions, grad school diplomas can spell financial success in multiple ways.
Wider Selection of Careers
If your goal is to teach at the university level or even at a local community college, having a master’s degree in any subject will open more doors than a four-year diploma.
Besides the field of education, advanced study qualifies you for numerous jobs and careers that are simply not available to high school and college graduates.
This is especially true in areas like scientific research, mathematics, technical, and analytical markets.
As a Ladder Toward a PhD
For a select few, the idea of obtaining a doctoral degree, or Ph.D., is the end goal of their studies. If you are in that group, obtaining a grad diploma is often a wise move.
Many Ph.D. programs prefer candidates who already have a year or two of after-college education under their belts. Keep in mind that doctoral degrees open up highly rewarding professional fields to those who spend the time earning a Ph.D. and aim to become psychologists, researchers, professors, and economists.
