Forbes set out to determine which master's degrees would provide the best long-term opportunities, based on salary and employment outlook. To find the mid-career average pay for 35 popular degrees, we turned to Payscale.com, which lets users compare their salaries with those of other people in similar jobs by gathering real-time salary data from its 35 million profiles. We then looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment estimate data to see how fast employment was expected to increase between 2010 and 2020 in popular jobs held by people with each degree. Finally we averaged each degree's pay rank and estimated growth rank to find the best and worst master's degrees for jobs. Physician assistant degree is at the top of the Forbes' third-annual look at the best master's degrees for jobs. Physician assistants are medical professionals who provide diagnostic and preventative health care services under the guidance of doctors. "Both an aging population and health care reform are contributing to a higher demand for health care services," says Katie Bardaro, Payscale's lead economist. They don't earn as much as doctors, but their mid-career average pay is $97,000. Another advantage of a physician assistant degree: Employment opportunities are expected to grow 30% by 2020 (from the 2010 employment numbers), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By our count, computer science follows close behind as the No. 2 best advanced degree for jobs. Mid-career average pay for these grads is $109,000, sixth best out of the 35 degrees in our survey. Employment opportunities for computer science degree-holders are expected to expand about 22% between 2010 and 2020. Electrical engineering, physics and economics degrees also make the top 10, all with an average mid-career salary of more than $110,000 a year. Not all master's degree holders enjoy anywhere near such optimistic job prospects or extraordinary pay. Biology, chemistry and history degrees are toward the bottom of the list--but that doesn't mean they're useless. If you're enthusiastic about these fields, the lower pay and slimmer job prospects shouldn't prevent you from pursuing a master's. Before you make a decision, you should bear one thing in mind: master's degree-holders don't necessarily earn more than other people in similar jobs--so don't base your decision to pursue one on the idea that you'll bring in bigger paychecks. It's also important to think about work-life balance and employee satisfaction for the common jobs associated with these degrees. "You need to consider overall happiness," Bardaro says. "If obtaining a master's degree causes an imbalance due to time devoted to education and potentially more stress at work, then one will need to decide if these costs are worth it." What can be inferred from the passage?
$100,000 or so is a satisfying pay for most of the grads. It is the first time that Forbes has done a survey of this kind. Biology degrees were once hot for those master's degree pursuers. Doctors earn more than those in electrical engineering on the average.