Highest paying Master’s Programs of 2012

If you are considering an advanced master of business administration degree, or an MPH (master in public health) degree, it is a safe guess that topmost in your mind, alongside choosing your field of study, is figuring out if your starting salary will enable you to pay back your student loans in full and on time. This is a growing concern amongst a graduating body of highly trained and prepared advanced degree candidates. Entities both public and private that are charged with evaluating the “best” and “worst” advanced degrees have delivered clear proof that earning potential is not equal amongst differently degreed professionals who hold a master’s degree or higher. The truth is, if you are investing money into your advanced degree program, you most likely want to know you will earn that money back and then some. Learn what the highest master’s programs are—in terms of income earning potential and advancement in the field—as you decide what your own next steps for an advanced degree may be.

Computer Science

In this globally technological age, it is no surprise that an advanced degree in computer science is a fast-track ticket to higher earnings and growth potential. From the IT help desk to the boardroom, computer science professionals start pulling in the big bucks faster than their non-technical peers and can expect to earn an average salary in the low six figures by the mid-point of their career. With a projected increase in open positions of 27 percent and job turnover of 39 percent, there is little not to love about computer science as a field (unless you have an aversion to computers, that is).

Engineering

Virtually everywhere you look in the field of engineering, what you find is high pay, healthy above-average job growth, and high turnover (which translates into lots of potential for advancement up the corporate ladder). Whether your particular career oyster is civil engineering, industrial or mechanical engineering, or even engineering-route-to-business, where you can expect to enter the lucrative field of business consulting, you can also expect a median income of right around six figures and plenty of jobs for all.

Mathematics

With United States students in grades K through twelve turning in some of the all-time record lows in their math and science test scores, there is nowhere in this country today where qualified, talented mathematics professionals are not in high demand. From teaching to research, science to the medical field, finance to accounting to applied mathematical science, if you have an aptitude for and love for numbers, you can pretty much write your own ticket, and earn a healthy salary while you do it. Your job field will grow 21 percent and turnover will hit at right above the 50 percent mark, with a median career income right around the six figure benchmark. All of which means that earning advanced degree in the field of mathematics is well worth the price of admission, so to speak.

Physician’s Assistant (PA)

The PA program is one of the fastest growing advanced degrees in the nation, turning in median income potential at above that of a highly trained mathematician or engineer. This two-year advanced degree program trains you to serve at the side of a doctor or surgeon in your chosen area of specialization. Your career growth is currently set at an impressive 39 percent, and turnover is at 59 percent, including the replacement of retiring professionals in the field. While the PA degree is still under-recognized in its potential, this also means if you jump aboard and earn your PA degree now and well in your chosen program, you will find a myriad of exciting job prospects to choose from upon graduation.

Physics

Literally the “rocket scientists” of our time, an advanced degree in physics can gain admittance to some of the most exciting projects in the world. An advanced degree in physics will earn students a commensurate median salary with that of a computer science professional, with a projected growth in employment of 16 percent and a 44 percent turnover rate. Many fields employ physicists, including the fields of science, medicine, mathematics, technology, and others.

About the Author:

Byron Edson is an MSN nursing graduate with an insatiable hunger to learn and grow.  He loves blogging about the things he finds interesting more than anything else in life.