50 Best & Highest Paying Careers with a Master’s Degree

Research studies have demonstrated that obtaining a university education pays off. This is true for both bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. At master’s degree level, how much it pays off will depend on the investment you had to make in your degree, however. Master’s degrees exist in hundreds of different subjects, and most have further sub-specializations as well. This is why choosing a master’s degree should initially be about your personal interests, and not about which one offers the highest paying career prospects. After all, there wouldn’t be much point studying towards a chemical engineering degree, if your strength is in languages, for instance. So what are some of the careers you can expect with a master’s degree – in any subject?

1. Genetics Counselor

Help families who have had children with birth defects, or who have genetic disorders and are at risk of passing those on to their unborn children.

2. Substance Abuse Counselor

Work with people who suffer from substance abuse issues and disorders in an effort to get them to lead a clean and sober life.

3. Dietitian

Help people lead healthier lifestyles by focusing on enhancing their diet to provide their nutritional needs. You often work with people with specific needs, such as those with diabetes or Celiac disease.

4. Social Worker

Work with adults, children, and/or families to ensure they have access to the relevant services that allow them to lead safe, happy, and healthy lives. You will also be responsible for conducting interventions should this safety, happiness, or health be compromised. Jump to Masters in Social Work + 3 No GRE Options

5. Community Counselor

Help people experiencing a plethora of different problems that can be resolved through various community services.

6. Public Policy Analyst

Determine whether governmental policies and procedures about any level of society are fit for purpose will be your main role. Jump to Get a Masters in Public Policy + No GRE Options

7. Disaster and Emergency Specialist

Since 9/11, disaster and emergency preparedness has become a top feature of the government’s agenda. You can work on different areas here, such as specific disasters, or specific elements of responses to disasters.

8. Community Program Administrator

Help in the development and running of various community programs, monitoring and evaluating them as they are implemented, while making changes as and where necessary as well.

9. School Counselor

Help pupils with educational, personal, learning, physical, or developmental problems in an effort to make sure they can meet their educational needs.

10. Public Health Nurse

Develop strategies that enhance the health and well being of populations as a whole, while also working on predicting future community health concerns. There is a strong focus on diabetes, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles.

11. Health Care Social Worker

Provide support to those who are dealing with chronic and acute illnesses and disease, signposting them to relevant services who can help them improve their quality of life. You will also be a strong advocate for the needs of those with complex health care issues. Jump to 50 Amazing Things You Can Do with a MSW Degree.

12. Private Health Care Consultant

Attempt to improve the quality of life and overall health of people in this country and beyond. You will be responsible for the management of some of the greatest public health challenges and will usually be employed by the CDC or FDA.

13. Case Manager

Coordinate the care of patients, whether it is physical or mental health care. Your goal is to ensure outcomes for patients are improved. You may become sub-specialized in areas such as geriatrics or rehabilitation.

14. Criminologist

Study what motivates criminals in order to gain a greater understanding of their behavior.

15. Criminal Justice Educator

Teach law enforcement and corrections professionals about the different elements of criminal justice, in the hopes of reducing crime and recidivism rates. Jump to Get a Masters in Criminal Justice + Online No GRE

16. Biostatistician

Study the statistics of public health, with a focus on biology. This includes conducting surveys and experiments, with the goal of maintaining or improving public health.

17. Physical Therapist

Diagnose and provide treatment for people with agility problems. Your main goal is to restore mobility.

18. Social Work Teacher

While you will not be able to teach at university level with a master’s degree, you can deliver workforce development training to social workers, as well as teach entry level classes to those interested in the profession.

19. Physician’s Assistant

Allow people to have access to medical assistance, even when physicians are incredibly busy.

20. Financial Analyst

Help project future financial issues and problems, or work with individuals to provide them with financial planning services.

21. Health Care Manager

Ensure services in health care are properly directed, coordinated, and planned. You may be able to do this within a specialized field of health care delivery systems. Jump to Why Get a Masters in Healthcare Management

22. Correctional Facility Counselor

Help incarcerated individuals come to terms with their crime to lower the chance of recidivism. You may also work with their families if the prisoners are due to be released.

23. Nurse Practitioner

Provide specialized care to patients, while also educating them on making healthy lifestyle choices. The American Nurses Association has stated that as much as 80% of preventive and primary care can be delivered by nurse practitioners, particularly by those with specializations such as women’s health, family practice, acute care, adult practice, geriatrics, and pediatrics. Jump to Guide to MSN Nurse Practitioner Degree.

24. Economist

Since the financial crisis of 2007/2008, there has been a huge demand for economists who can better understand the current economic situation and help to prevent any future economic crisis from occurring.

25. Occupational Therapist

Help people who have different types of disabilities, either congenital or caused by traumatic injury, enabling them to regain as much independence and mobility as possible.

26. Public Relations Manager

Manage the PR requirements of any type of business or government organization.

27. Astronomer

Astronomers study the stars. They are physicists and combine physics and math to gain a better understanding of the universe.

28. Cardiovascular Perfusionist

Help ensure lung and heart function is maintained during medical procedures, such as open heart surgery. You will, for instance, operate the bypass machine.

29. Physicist

Perform research, focusing on issues such as atmospheric physics, nuclear physics, or astrophysics, to name but a few.

30. Clinical Trial Manager

Manage clinical trials to help in the development of potentially life saving new medication and procedures. You will work very closely together with the FDA in order to seek approval for new treatment methods.

31. Petroleum Engineer

Develop methods and procedures for extracting, refining, and storing petroleum, while at the same time researching the nature of the finite resources of our planet.

32. Computer Software Engineer

Design new software for a variety of industries.

33. Clinical Nurse Specialist

This is a specialization for those with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and includes a great deal of data evaluation and scholarly research to improve nursing practice. Jump to Why Get a Masters in Nursing Degree?

34. Nurse Researcher

This is a particularly interesting position if you are looking at pursuing a doctorate degree in nursing, enabling you to research new practices and clinical methods.

35. Database Administrator

Collect and interpret data through the databases of a particular organization, including running regular reports.

36. Senior Human Resource Officer

Handle the recruitment and retention of staff, succession planning, disciplinary procedures, payroll, and training and development. Jump to Masters in human resources management without the GRE.

37. Nuclear Engineer

Help in building, running, or decommissioning nuclear power facilities across the world. You may also work in other fields of nuclear energy, such as submarines, or nuclear propulsion.

38. Computer and Information Research Scientist

This is another interesting position for those who aim to eventually get a doctorate degree. you will help to develop new technologies and solutions that are all computer based. Jump to Why Choose a Masters in Cybersecurity

39. Engineering Management

Lead a team of engineers, while also being focused on the business management element of this type of work. Engineers are required in a variety of different industries, so this can be a very interesting career.

40. Industrial Organizational Psychologist

This is one of the few fields of psychology where a doctorate degree is not yet required. You will study human relationships in the workplace, and how productivity can be improved by changing psychological processes, including increasing workplace happiness. Jump to Psychology Degree programs without the GRE.

41. General and/or Operations Manager

You can take on this role in virtually any industry, although it is particularly common in retail and manufacturing. You will be responsible for the day to day running of the organization.

42. Natural Science Manager

You will usually work in a Research & Development (R&D) department, conducting tests and research projects. You will work closely with federal government.

43. Engineering and Architectural Manager

Participate in large scale engineering and architectural plans, including urban development and regeneration.

44. Financial Manager

Ensures the proper financial management of an organization, as well as regulatory compliance.

45. Clinical Therapist

Work directly with patients who are dealing with specific problems. Most clinical therapists go on to earn a doctorate degree.

46. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

The CRNA is a specialization within the MSN degree and requires specific certification and licensing.

47. Director of Nursing

Various master’s degrees can lead to a director of nursing position, enabling you to manage nurses in any health care setting.

48. Chief Executive Officer

This role is particularly suitable for those who have completed an MBA (Master of Business Administration), and also one of the highest paid of all potential master’s careers.

49. Occupational Health and Safety Officer

Handle the health and safety requirements of an industrial organization .

50. Marriage and Family Therapist

Address the needs of the family unit as a whole to help save relationships, or to encourage amicable breakups in some situations, depending on the individual needs of members of the family unit. Jump to MFT Degree programs.

As you can see, there is a number of highest paying careers and opportunities out there if you have a master’s degree. This is reflective of the many different degree pathways that are out there as well. Most importantly, holding this type of degree will always increase your career prospects to command the highest paying salary, as well as give you the personal sense of accomplishment of having completed an advanced degree.