What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)

Getting a Bachelor’s degree is a remarkable achievement but it is not the end of your learning. There is much more after it. You might think about getting an Advance degree. An advanced degree is a higher-level academic degree that is done after a bachelor’s. Getting an advanced degree will help you to expand your knowledge in your subject and helps you to land your dream job. 

Quick Takeaways

  • An advanced degree is a higher-level academic degree which is earned after the bachelor’s degree.
  • There are usually two types of advanced degrees – a Master’s degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Getting an advanced degree will help you to get high earning career and get advanced knowledge.

However, we recommend you read till the end so that you do not miss any of the important facts.

What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)

What Is An Advanced Degree?

An advanced degree is a higher-level academic degree that is earned after a bachelor’s. This degree helps you to get specialized in your subject area. It can increase your job opportunities and can help you to get a higher salary job. The difference between the salary of the people depends upon the industry and position level. Many industries require a Master’s Degree to get into it. However, if you are unable to do that, you can always try taking up 6 month associate degrees.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) –

  • The average weekly wage of people working full time (above 25) with a Master’s degree is $1547. Whereas the average weekly wage of people with a Bachelor’s degree is $1334.
  • Job opportunities for Master’s Level Degrees are expected to increase by 16% in the next decade. 

Bachelor’s Degree vs Advanced Degree

A Bachelor’s Degree is an undergraduate degree that generally needs four years of completion. Sometimes, people may achieve it in less time, depending on their discipline. It usually helps students to get a fundamental knowledge of their subject. With this degree, a student gets eligible for many entry-level positions in the industry. Bachelor’s Degree is the basic requirement if you are planning for higher-level studies. They usually have three types –

  • Bachelor Of Arts(BA)
  • Bachelor Of Science(BS)
  • Bachelor Of Fine Arts(BFA)
What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)

Whereas, to pursue an advanced degree the basic requirement of a student is to have a Bachelor’s Degree. Advanced degree is generally of two types Master’s degree or PhD. This degree helps people to get a higher-level job position in the industry. The main aim is to give specialized knowledge in a particular discipline to the students. In this program, students need to prepare a final dissertation that helps to test their knowledge of the student. Further, your professors will look at the words in the assignments. The length of the program depends upon which type of advanced degree a student is pursuing. 

Types of Advanced Degrees

When you are in college, your professor will also have to take care of their outfit. However, the following are the common types of Advanced Degrees-

Master’s Degree

A Master’s Degree is a degree that is done in a particular subject after the Bachelor’s. This degree requires 30-60 credits for its completion. It means that you need a maximum of two years to complete it. Depending on the choice of your subject there are different types of Master’s Degrees-

Master Of Arts(M.A.) or Master Of Science (M.S.)

It is a Post-Graduate Degree that may be completed within 1-2 yrs. Accomplishing a Masters’s Degree, represent a higher and deep understanding of your particular field. The course work is generally into two parts- theoretical Knowledge and a small thesis (Dissertation). In certain cases, you may also get financial help to complete your master’s. Completing your master’s will also help you to get prepare for greater challenges in P.HD.

What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)

Master Of Education (M.ED)

It is another Post Graduate Degree that is related to the education sector. Like any other master’s degree, this degree is also completed within 1-2 yrs depending upon your university or the subject. Most of these programs are not funded but there are chances of getting financial aid in special cases. There are many job opportunities after completing an M.ed Degree like Instructional coordinator, Principal, Career counsellor, etc. The ideal range of these professions lies between $60,510 – $98,420

Master Of Social Work(M.S.W)

This is a Post-Graduate program, that helps in making up an understanding of the field of social work. This program is authorized by the Council On Social Work Education and is necessary for those who want to work as social workers. The average monthly salary of people who have an M.S.W degree is $51,760. In general, students pursue this course in two ways: 

  • Clinical Track – Where the students can get directly engaged with the clients
  • Practice Track – Where the students get a chance to create changes of issues on local state or federal government.

 Master Of Business Administration(M.B.A)

What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)

It is another Post – Graduate Program, that deals with advanced education in Business Administration. This program covers various aspects of business administration like statistics, accounting, human resources, etc. It first originated in the late 20s in the United States. The M.B.A. program allows you to learn various aspects of business management that will help you to get a higher position in the company. The minimum average annual salary of people with this degree is $137,890 depending on the position and nature of the company.

Master of Public Administration (M.P.A)

M.P.A. is one of the post-graduate degrees in public affairs. This degree is for those, who want management careers in the local or federal government, or in the public service sector. It will teach you about accounting, and human resources, policy development, specifically for the public sector.

There are high chances of getting policy development jobs in the private sector at a senior level. It also provides the student with the opportunity of working with human rights groups or organizations. The average annual salary of the students in this program is $68,000. 

  1. Doctor Of Philosophy (PhD.)

PhD is the highest level of an advanced degree. This degree is required for those who want to become a lecturer at the university. It has three components – 

What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)
  • Coursework in the planned field of study
  • Detailed oral and written examination to test the wide knowledge of the subject
  • Depending upon the subject, complete a dissertation of 100-450 pages. 

This degree requires a long time commitment and passion from the student. It will also give you the opportunity of teaching undergraduate students and assist your professor while earning a degree. The main requirement to get admission to it is to have a master’s degree in the same discipline. The average annual salary of the people holding a PhD depends on their discipline and type of work. 

Advantages Of pursuing an advanced degree

There are many advantages to pursuing an advanced degree. Some are mentioned below-

Higher Earning Potential –

Although pursuing an advanced degree is expensive, the rate of your investment is quite high. The students can get private or government funding to pursue an advanced degree. According to the U.S. Bureau Of Labour Statistics, the average annual earning of people with a master’s degree was $12,000 more than that of people with a Bachelor’s degree. Also, the unemployment of people with an advanced degree seems to be low (1.5%) than that of people with a bachelor’s degree(2.8%). 

Advance Career Opportunities-

Many people do master to get the next step in their career. There are many industries that required a master’s degree for an entry-level job. If your industry required any kind of license or you want to be a legal practitioner, then getting an advanced degree is mandatory.

What is an advanced degree? (Types and Advantages)

Getting Advanced Knowledge

Doing an advanced degree means getting specialized knowledge in your discipline. If you are looking for a job in your related discipline then it will surely help you. Having an advanced degree shows your credibility which increases your chance of getting a high paid job. 

Flexibility

One of the biggest advantages of doing an advanced degree is its flexible nature. It means that you can complete it in your part-time or even in correspondence. Many students do their advanced degrees while doing a job. It also helps you in developing problem-solving skills and helps in completing tough projects. 

Makes You Smarter

When you are in your master’s degree, you have many opportunities to learn new things. Having a master’s degree helps you to increase your thinking abilities and develop cognitive skills. The advanced degree is designed in such a manner that teaches you to apply the practical knowledge of your subject.

Conclusion

Doing an advanced degree is an important step if you want to get a high-paying job in your field. An advanced degree is a higher-level academic degree obtained after completing a bachelor’s degree. This degree will assist you in becoming more specialized in your field of study. It can be flexibly completed from distance learning or part-time. Pursuing an advanced degree also helps to build up your cognitive skills and gives you more career opportunities.

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