Kudos to you for completing your undergraduate degree! Whether you graduated years ago or just this year, you’ve achieved something meaningful that can serve you for the rest of your life. Now with your bachelor’s in hand, you may be thinking about continuing toward a master’s degree in a more focused area of study.
Having gone through the process, you’re already well acquainted with what it takes to earn a college degree—the planning, the scheduling, the financing, and all that goes into completing your coursework successfully.
Depending on your situation and choice of careers, enrolling in a graduate program might be the logical and necessary next step toward advancement. Or, you might find the decision to go back to school requires a bit more thought. Here are some important things to consider:
Increased Earning Potential
In general, earning a master’s degree tends to improve one's salary expectations. According to the (CPS) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people over the age of 25 with a master’s degree earned an average of almost $15,500 more in annual salary in 2024 than those with only a bachelor's degree.
For some of the most in-demand majors, those with a master’s degree can potentially earn significantly higher salaries than those with only an undergraduate degree.
Mean Annual Salaries by Major – Bachelor's vs. Ѳٱ’s
| Major | ǰ’s | Ѳٱ’s | Percent Gain |
Computer Science | $76,746 | $85,894 | 11.9 |
Marketing | $59,652 | $68,370 | 14.6 |
Accounting | $59,884 | $69,232 | 15.6 |
Communications | $56,791 | $67,229 | 18.3 |
Human Resources | $57,357 | $70,314 | 22.6 |
Business Administration | $59,514 | $73,318 | 23.2 |
Source: . National Association of Colleges and Employers. 2022.
Completing a master’s degree can not only increase your earning potential; it can improve your employment prospects, as well. The CPS shows lower unemployment rates among people with a master’s degree (2.2 percent) than among those with just a bachelor’s (2.5 percent).
An advanced degree can also lead to better jobs. In many cases, a master's degree can allow an applicant to bypass an entry-level position and start in a more advanced role.
Enhanced Professional Value
Through a master’s program, you can improve your marketability by demonstrating advanced expertise in your field, commitment to continuous learning, and the ability to think critically to solve complex problems. Earning a graduate degree can help you accelerate your professional development with specialized, workplace-ready skills while building the leadership, management, and communication skills that employers prize.
Along with positioning yourself for advancement, earning a master’s degree can also be a powerful catalyst for career change, providing specialized skills, professional networking opportunities, and a respected credential.
Colin Soisson, who got his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, describes his motivation for seeking an MBA at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), which he completed in 2022.
"I wanted to move beyond just being a technician working on machinery and take that leap into management," said Soisson. "I felt that earning an MBA was the best way to propel my career to the next phase. I was looking for a program that was flexible enough so that I could continue to work, but at the same time have an intensive and rigorous learning experience that really challenged me and helped bring out the best skills in myself.”
Opportunities for Personal Growth
Excelling in a field you're passionate about can lead to a strong sense of satisfaction and intellectual enrichment. Even beyond the knowledge and skillsets you attain, the very process of advancing your education can instill an even deeper appreciation of your discipline, elevate confidence in your own abilities and can garner additional respect from your colleagues.
Master's programs can also provide opportunities to network with other professionals in your field. Connecting with faculty, fellow students, and industry leaders is a time-honored way to foster valuable personal and professional relationships.
Earn a Ѳٱ’s Degree at UMGC
If you’re considering graduate school, University of Maryland Global Campus is a great choice. is an accredited state university and a proud member of the University System of Maryland. Since our founding in 1947, has been making world-class higher education available to working adults and military students around the globe.
We offer 40 online master’s programs in some of today’s most in‑demand fields, including business and management, cybersecurity, data analytics, healthcare and science, IT and computer science, and more. Most of our master’s programs culminate with a research or capstone experience that allows you to put your knowledge into practice.
To make your education not only practical and relevant but financially achievable, offers competitive tuition rates, especially our in-state rates for Maryland residents, and a reduced military tuition rate. Plus, we offer a variety of ways to help you reduce and manage your out-of-pocket costs.
And because we value the success you’ve already achieved, we allow you to transfer up to 12 credits toward a master's degree from related coursework at an approved institution, so you can graduate faster, more affordably, and without duplicating your efforts.
To make it a truly online learning experience, we provide no-cost digital materials in place of textbooks for most courses, so you can study wherever you are—and start whenever you’re ready.
With career-focused online master's programs, convenient and flexible learning options, and affordable tuition, can help you build on the education you’ve attained and succeed again.
Graduate Certificates
Not ready to commit to a full graduate degree program? A cost-effective way to gain advanced, concentrated career skills and a valuable credential is by earning a graduate certificate. offers a wide variety of graduate certificates in emerging fields like cloud computing and bioinformatics and in time-honored disciplines such as business, healthcare, and computer science. Students can complete a graduate certificate in as few as 12 credits and apply those credits to a related master's degree program.
Reference on this webpage to any third-party entity or product does not constitute or imply endorsement by nor does it constitute or imply endorsement of by the third party.
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