Is it worth it for college grads to pursue a master's degree?

Many college graduates are choosing to go back to school, but some experts are questioning the value of a master's degree. James Murphy, senior policy analyst at Education Reform Now, calls it "the biggest scam of higher education." He explains to CBS News' Tanya Rivero and Tony Dokoupil why that is.

#News #Masters #Education

[richardj]

I didn't CHOOSE to pursue a master's degree. I am FORCED by job market

[TBell-vbnw]

I just graduated with my Master's Degree, and it was worth it. I recommend going into a field that's in high demand, and do your research on the field. I also recommend certifications. You may not need a Master's degree, but additional skills is needed.

[tobiasexarchopoulos]

I also believe that many of us were fed the statistic as high schoolers that the higher education you go, the more money you will make. This might have been true decades ago but it's certainly not the case anymore (excluding obviously med school and law school). Not to mention the massive amount of student loan debt you will have to take on in order to receive those higher degrees. Also in my personal experience, people who go into grad school are simply trying to offset the responsibilities and bleakness of being a full time worker so they want to return to that familiarity that they had as an undergrad. When you treat education as a commodity instead of a public good you are going to approach a limit where demand is so high that attaining it means nothing anymore.

[ryancampbell]

EVERYONE has a bachelors nowadays. A masters degree is the new bachelors and is almost required now in entry level positions. I do not regret getting my MPH in the slightest.

[xq]

I'll never regret my masters. 😂 But for real though. I was at a graduation and the number of MBA's was crazy.

[jaiharry]

I'm a Speech-Language Pathologist, and a master's degree is the entry level degree for the field.

[bcnicholas]

I got my MBA part-time for free through my work. Definitely worth losing my freedom in the evenings because I make 25% more now

[Alhamdullillah]

Biggest problem is the cost of education in the US. Got my masters for free years ago. But we know that the US has many problems that 3rd world countries don't have, health (care) insurance and student debts is 2 of the biggest. ones.

[Determination]

Masters often costs less than undergrad because 36 credits is often required for the program instead of a 120 credits. When I did my Masters, it was more for personal enrichment but I wanted it to help me at my job. So at this point, I probably use at least 40 percent of my masters. From a Master of Public Administration, I apply policy and write up a lot up decision letters. The biggest thing that program helped me with was with my writing and research skills.

[ronaldharding]

I've held a masters degree since 1990 and it hasn't made me one dollar. If I had all of it to do over, I would've apprenticed myself to a tool and die program.

[Cheyf]

Everyone in my area has a masters degree it’s like the new Bachelors degree, no big deal around here. Now you’ll need a doctorate to get ahead and be competitive. I am going for MD myself.

[Hproawesome]

If you have master degree but no experience, they would rather hire someone with only a bachelor but with some experience and they both end up being paid similar salary except the masters student have to take out more loans to get their master. So master is a scam if not stem related major just image getting master in arts.

[Angel-cvnc]

I can barely afford to pursue a bachelor's degree

[anaroman]

When the recession in 2009 hit, no company wanted to hire those straight out of college, they wanted 5 years experience or a Masters degree. They did not even accepted internships as experience. I went to graduate school as I was told you can make more money and seem more marketable. Fast forward 5 years, companies don't get care about Masters Degrees and even though they mention it as well as Bachelors, they will pay you as someone just for having a BS. I had to get a second job to pay my loans and decided to go to another industry that cares and pay alot more. I did both degrees in Science.

[lefromthecity]

Yeah, the costs is the only reason I haven’t gone back but I plan to do it part time over a few years in engineering

[kensmith]

A lot of master's degrees are vanity degrees. People that want to say they have a master's degree. My brother in law has one in Philosophy and my sister has been financially supporting him for 30 years as he refuses to work. But he does make sure to tell everyone he meets that he has a master's degree. They can make sense if you are a career changer. If your undergrad doesn't pay well or you want to enter a new field, it makes sense to go for a master's in accountancy or a physician assistant masters. Otherwise, it's just a diploma to hang on your wall and (not) impress your friends.

[AlexZ-lcnl]

Definitely not. Depends on what you are doing and what you are focusing on. If you have a masters and you did a stem degree you are using it as a stepping stone towards medical or other higher degree/ very competitive doctorate program if your BS/BA did not cut it. However, you can go straight into a PhD for STEM -with a stipend- and if the PhD fails (in some programs) they give you a masters instead (if you flunk out or don’t make the cut). However, if you’re getting an MBA, that’s somewhat profitable. Don’t get a masters unless you truly 1000% need it. The cost does not outweigh the benefit. Why spend so much…to only get a 3-5K bump? worthless depending on the field.

[tormentedterror]

Its viable only if you have more scope in your academic journey, As a mathematics major, I want to learn more and keep on discovering new ideas. Some people are underwhelmed when they perceive the grandiose of universe, others overwhelm themselves. I categorise myself in the second one.

You will keep on discovering new things as we proceed, stacking your ideas on shoulders of giants and the cycle of life will march on. Now its solely depends on your life, whether you take the risk or not.
I am still a student so I don't know repercussion of taking anyones academic journey further ahead but that's how I feel.

[kelechukwuanozyk]

The graduation assistant scheme helps Masters degree cheaper. Most Masters students don't pay school fees, but certainly cheaper than Bachelors degree in cost

[kelechukwuanozyk]

Most of the graduate students are non Americans in general and Asians in particular. The international students are getting ahead