Relevant experiences based on workforce demands. Employers are demanding ever-more education. This has meant growth in professional master's degree programs that yield significant job opportunities at graduation. Trends in graduate training have emphasized intensive, application-based experiences tailored to an individual's chosen field. Students experience relevant academic work that can be applied directly to their career.
Accelerated programs that let you finish in less time and at less cost. Students also have more options in choosing how to pursue their degree. They can opt for a dual-degree or accelerated "fast-track" program that enables them to achieve a bachelor's, a master's, or doctorate degree in as little as five years! Or they can participate in partner school programs, earning two degrees, one from each school.
Something for everyone. Coursework both on-and-off campus fits the lifestyle, learning style, and work schedule of diverse groups—from face-to-face instruction to online distance learning and hybrid alternatives in-between. There are programs for those pursuing more options in their own career or those who wish to change careers completely. And exploring today's ever-expanding menu of graduate education options is easily done with Web sites devoted to matching students with programs to map a course of study and a desired career path.
The Economics of an Advanced Degree
With a slumping economy, locating a career without an advanced degree is more difficult now than ever.
Education is a significant driver of labor market outcomes. As a result, the demand by employers for applicants with advanced degrees has resulted in "education creep," rendering today's master's degree equivalent to yesterday's bachelor's degree. Staying ahead of the educational curve has become essential.
The pecuniary benefits of a graduate degree. Median weekly salaries are approximately 20 percent higher for employees who hold a graduate degree over those who do not, all other things equal; that adds up to nearly $4.4 million over a lifetime. More than 90 percent of employees with a graduate degree have pension plans at work, and roughly 96 percent are covered by their employers' health insurance.
Job Security and flexibility. People with graduate degrees not only have an easier time establishing and advancing in their careers, but experience added job security and job flexibility than those who do not hold a graduate degree. On average, people with advanced degrees experience less unemployment. And they hold jobs with flexible work schedules that enable a better balance between paid work and family life. Graduate degrees holders are employed in more independent positions and have more career mobility than their non-degree holding coworkers.
Official U.S Department of Labor projections suggest that professional employment will have the largest increase over the next ten years, growing at a more rapid rate than any other major occupation in the United States. An increasing job supply for degree holders, complemented with a diverse range of other incentives, truly make an advanced degree the degree needed to achieve!
This article was contributed by Annemari Tarsitano, assistant director for graduate enrollment management at Richard Stockton College's School of Graduate & Continuing Studies.
