If You Have A Master's Degree, You Need To Look Into These High-Paying Jobs
Attending graduate school is a big decision for those with Bachelor's degrees who may want to make a step up in their careers, or require a higher level of pay to meet their expenses, or who's employer would sponsor their Master's degree to retain them in the company. If you're considering getting your Master's degree, or already have one—you may qualify for these high-paying jobs.
Aerospace Engineer
If you're fascinated by exploration and the cosmos, then a career as an aerospace engineer might be just what you've been searching for. If you already have a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering or a related engineering field, then you'll be in line for a Graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering and could begin working for a private space firm like SpaceX, or even NASA.
The average annual salary for aerospace engineers is $130,720 per year.
Anesthesiologist
An anesthesiologist is a highly-trained medical specialist that helps put patients to sleep before a surgical procedure. These individuals know a lot about human physiology, biology, and medicine to provide the correct amount of anesthetic to a patient to put them to sleep for the duration of a surgical procedure.
Anesthesiologists must have a Master's degree in Biology or Natural Sciences, or a related science field, and then attend medical school, then complete a two-year anesthesiology residency. Once completed, you can earn $340,000 per year.
Architectural Manager
When companies are constructing a new building, the person in charge of the construction is almost always an architectural manager. They're responsible for ensuring that the building is built to client specifications and meets all safety requirements. As an architectural manager, you'll likely have completed your BA of Architectural Studies and a Master's of Architectural Studies.
Once you've completed your Master's, you could find a job working as an architectural manager and earning an average salary of $165,000.
Astronomer
If you often look up in wonderment at the night's sky and already have a huge telescope, you're well on your way to becoming an astronomer. Once you've completed a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy, and a Master's degree in Astronomy, you can either work as an astronomer or possibly teach astrophysics at the university level.
An astronomer can expect to earn an average annual salary of $127,930.
Biochemist
A biochemist is a scientist who studies the biological aspects of living organisms, often using microscopes, lasers, and x-ray machines. If you have a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master's degree in biochemistry, you could find yourself working in a lab as a biochemist.
The average annual salary of a biochemist is $107,460.
Chief Executive
While chief executive officers of companies are also able to rise to that position with a Bachelor's degree, having completed a Master's degree in Business Administration will make you all the more likely a candidate for that top job. CEOs are some of the highest-ranking individuals in corporations and get to make major decisions about all aspects of a company.
CEOs earn an average annual salary of $206,880.
Computer And Information Research Scientist
If you love computers and already have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Sciences, then you could obtain a Master's in Computer Science or a related field and use that knowledge as a computer and information research scientist. These types of scientists help design new computer-based technologies and innovate existing technology to perform more tasks, or help computers perform tasks more effectively and efficiently.
Computer and information research scientists earn an average annual salary of $145,000.
Computer And Information Systems Manager
If you enjoy computers and see yourself taking a lead role in an organization's IT network, consider a career as a computer and information systems manager. These individuals—typically armed with a Master's in Computer Sciences or Information Technology—are responsible for the IT systems of large companies and corporations. At the managerial level, there are huge opportunities to work anywhere in the country, or the world.
Computer and information systems managers earn an average annual salary of $169,510.
Computer Hardware Engineer
If you like making your computer run faster—or already have an established career in tech support, consider becoming a computer hardware engineer, helping to build computers that perform more efficiently and effectively. You'll need to pursue a Master's degree in Computer Engineering to qualify for most positions.
Computer hardware engineers earn an average annual salary of $138,080.
Data Scientist
Data scientists are responsible for the collection and analyses of data within a company. They use data collected and their analysis to help companies make various business decisions. You can obtain a position as a data scientist with a Bachelor's degree, but companies prefer those with Master's degrees in Data Science.
Data scientists earn an average annual salary of $108,020.
Dentist
Dentists are one of the most sought-after professions in the United States. So, if you take good care of your mouth and want to help others take care of theirs, consider a career as a dentist. You'll need to have a Bachelor's degree in Science and a Master of Science in Dentistry that's tailored to whichever aspect of dentistry you want to focus on.
Dentists are also one of the top earners in the United States, earning an average annual salary of $166,300.
Economist
If you love learning about how the world works and how money moves around the world, consider a career as an economist. Not only could you help others make the best financial decisions possible, but you could also earn a lucrative living—you'll need a Master's degree in Economics first, though. You could be hired by companies or organizations and offer your analysis about how business decisions will impact their bottom line.
Economists can earn an average annual salary of $115,000.
Environmental Engineer
As an environmental engineer, you'll be helping craft the latest and greatest technology that benefits our environment. If you have a passion for the environment and want to help make it better, as well as a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering, then this may be the job for you.
Environmental engineers earn an average annual salary of $100,000.
Family Medicine Physician
Family medical practices are in dire need of new physicians to take over from those retiring, and becoming a family medicine doctor is a hugely rewarding job with a wide variety of patients to attend to. If variety is the spice of your life and helping people is your top priority as a doctor, consider becoming a family medicine physician.
You'll need a Master's degree in Clinical Science or Family Medicine, and you'll have to attend medical school and a residency program, but once completed, you can earn $240,790 per year.
General Internal Medicine Physician
Primary care physicians are otherwise known as general internal medicine physicians that can diagnose problems with one's internal organs, but also help to treat other illnesses and provide non-surgical care to patients. General internal medicine physicians typically have a Master of Sciences with a focus on internal medicine and have attended medical school.
The average annual salary of a general internal medicine physician is $245,000.
General Pediatrician
If one of your goals as a doctor is to work with younger patients, then a role as a general pediatrician is what you should aim for. General pediatricians are often employed by hospitals directly and work with younger patients (those under 18), treating illnesses and injuries.
The average annual salary of a general pediatrician is $205,860.
Human Resources Manager
Human resources managers are the people that keep HR departments running. Operating within large companies and corporations, human resources managers oversee the entire HR department and function as a go-between with the HR department and senior management. They also oversee the hiring process, discuss company benefits, and can mediate conflict among employees.
HR managers can earn an average annual salary of $136,650.
Industrial Production Manager
If you enjoy taking charge of projects and want to work in an industrial setting, then working as an industrial production manager could be the perfect job for you. Ensuring that industrial hubs are running smoothly and that production of industrial material is effective and efficient will be a big part of your job description.
Industrial production managers can earn an average salary of $116,970 per year.
Information Security Analyst
Information security analysts play a critical role in ensuring the security of networks and computers at either a corporate or government level, providing insight and trouble-shooting capabilities to the corporation or government employer, as well as leading a team of IT specialists.
Information security analysts can earn an average annual salary of $120,360.
Judge And Hearing Officer
If the law is something you're passionate about and you've already got your law degree, consider a career as a judge or hearing officer. You'll need to have a Master of Laws (LLM) in order to become a judge, but once you're there, you'll wield tremendous power in the courtroom and make decisions about people's lives—hopefully, enforcing the law to a positive end.
Judges and hearing officers earn an average salary of $132,950 per year.
Law Professor
If the courtroom isn't your thing but the classroom is, consider taking your legal knowledge to the university or college level. Law professors often have a Master of Laws and specialize in a particular type of law, but have a broad enough understanding of general law to teach students.
Law professors have an average annual salary of $127,360.
Lawyer
If you've already obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law or a related arts field and want to be a legal advocate for individuals who find themselves afoul of the law, consider becoming a lawyer. You'll need a Master of Laws and can choose which type of law you want to specialize in, but being a lawyer is an incredibly rewarding (if demanding) job.
Lawyers have an average annual salary of $145,760.
Naval Architect
If you like ship design and shipbuilding, consider a career as a naval architect. You'll need a Master's degree in Naval Architecture or Marine Engineering to qualify for most positions as a naval architect.
Naval architects have an average salary of $100,270 per year.
Lucy Elizabeth Collins, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marketing Manager
If you're a salesperson at heart and perhaps have a small business that you've built up over many years, always self-promoting, consider making the leap into the corporate world as a marketing manager. You'll take control of a marketing team and work with senior management to propose, direct, and manage existing and new marketing campaigns. This job allows you to be expressive and creative, while keeping your employer's brand on-message.
Marketing managers can earn an average annual salary of $157,620.
Mathematician
If you have a graduate degree in mathematics—you smart cookie—you could find work applying mathematical theories to help solve technical or engineering problems, teaching mathematics to a university class, or working within a financial institution or government entity, using your brain to solve various numerical problems.
Mathematicians have an average annual salary of $116,440.
Medical Scientist
If you have the skills and knowledge for a career in medical sciences, you likely enjoy the challenge of finding cures for diseases or illnesses, and conducting research that could save lives. Medical scientists often hold a Master's degree in Medical Sciences.
The average annual salary of a medical scientist is $100,890.
Geological Engineer
Geological engineers are people interested in how engineering beneath the Earth's surface will affect the Earth. Largely coming from a scientific background, geological engineers are highly sought after in the oil and natural gas sector. These jobs often come with large paychecks.
The average annual salary of a geological engineer is $100,640.
kittirat roekburi, Shutterstock
Nurse Anesthetist
Nurse anesthetists provide a similar medical service as anesthesiologists—however, they're responsible for administering anesthesia to patients before and during a procedure, but are not directly responsible for the dosages. Nurse anesthetists are registered nurses with a Master's degree in Nursing.
Nurse anesthetists have an average annual salary of $212,650.
Nurse Midwife
Nurse midwives provide an advanced level of medical care to newborn babies, over and above that of traditional midwives. In order to become a nurse midwife, you're required to have a Master's degree in Nursing (MSN).
Nurse midwives can earn an average annual salary of $129,650.
Nurse Practitioners
While some nurses aren't required to have a Graduate degree, nurse practitioners are required to have a Master's of Nursing. Nurse practitioners can work in a hospital setting, or in a family medical practice.
The average annual salary for a nurse practitioner is $126,260.
Obstetrician-Gynecologist
If you're passionate about female reproductive health and have a Master's degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology, consider a rewarding career as an OB-GYN. You'll provide patients with birth control, address fertility problems, and conduct cancer screenings of reproductive organs.
The average OB-GYN salary is $278,660 per year.
Optometrist
Optometrists are specialists in eye health. Performing eye exams, prescribing glasses or contact lenses, and diagnosing and treating eye diseases, optometrists see a wide variety of patients and can often be employed by a company that specializes in eyeglasses as part of a franchise location, or at a hospital or primary care clinic.
Optometrists earn an average annual salary of $131,860.
Oral Surgeon
Rest assured that while nobody likes having oral surgery, your skillset could well save their teeth—or even their life—from gum disease, severe tooth decay, and other oral diseases. Usually, dentists will have a Master of Science in Oral Surgery and are certified medical doctors.
Oral surgeons earn an average annual salary of $239,200.
Orthodontist
Orthodontists are specialized dentists who examine patients who need orthodontics, braces, or false teeth or dental implants. Being an orthodontist is the perfect career for anyone who's teeth were saved by braces and would like to perform the same miracles for others. Orthodontists typically have a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.
Orthodontists earn an average annual salary of $239,200.
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are specialists in pharmacology, or the study of how medications affect the human body. They fill drug prescriptions, provide consultations for patients about the medications they're taking, and can provide immunizations. Pharmacists are typically required to have a Bachelor of Science and a Master's in Clinical Pharmacy, or a related field.
Pharmacists can earn an average annual salary of $136,030.
Physician Assistants
Physician assistants work as part of a team, often as understudies of fully-licensed physicians—examining, diagnosing, and treating patients is a part of their purview. However, they are often shadowed by a full MD and have to ask the MD before making certain treatment decisions.
Physician assistants can earn an average salary of $130,020 per year.
Physicist
If you enjoy learning about the universe, how it began, and why it is the way it is today, as well as tracking changes within the universe, then a scientific career as a physicist may be a great option for you. Physicists are often required to have BSc in Physics with a Master's in Physics.
Physicists can earn an average salary of $155,680.
Podiatrist
Podiatrists ensure that their patients have healthy feet! They can treat foot-related illnesses, but also ailments related to the lower legs and ankles. They can recommend foot supports for those that need them and can work with patients with disabilities to improve their gait or walking.
Podiatrists earn an average salary of $141,560 per year and can work in a hospital setting or a private clinic.
Juan Manuel Montejano Lopez, Pexels
Political Scientist
If you love the study of international politics and learning about how national and international political systems work, or are considering a career in politics yourself, then starting out as a political scientist—analyzing political decisions and policies for a thinktank or government entity is a great option.
Most political scientists typically have a Master's degree in Political Science and International Relations, with a specific area of focus. As a political scientist, you can earn an average of $132,320 per year.
Data Scientists In Highest Demand
As "big data" and technology become more prevalent and our information and personal data is exchanged on the internet more often—via banking transactions done online, personal information sharing via medical applications, and so on—data scientists are going to be in the highest demand, according to research about post-graduate degrees.
For those with Master's degrees In Data Science, expect to be very hireable. Additionally, student interest in Master's of Data Science programs has increased over 22% since 2022, according to the research from StudyPortals' Graduate Opportunities in 2024 Report.
