Yet government backed loans do not distinguish between majors and degree fields. A prospective poet is treated as having the same loan payback risk as the petroleum engineer.
4. Commercial Art and Graphic Design
An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 16% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 10% lower.
Experienced college grads earn an average of $56,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $65,000 a year, on average.
7.1% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 6.4% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.
*Numbers from 2010-2011
I have a two year degree in Commercial Art from a community college. At one point (2010) I was approaching 6 figures, including my annual bonus. Layoffs (2 since 2010) have done their damage, but I’m still in the post-graduate income average range.
HR #1. Shocker. In my experience over 20 years at 4 different companies I find all HR people, regardless of degree, completely useless.
I call BS on the STEM graduate degrees. The difference would be going back to school in later life for the graduate after getting 10-15+ years experience. That may not benefit you. Had I got a Masters in Computer Science younger it would be beneficial but waiting until my late 40’s and older would reap small gains.
Also, I think the gap has closed because many H1B folks tout their Master’s degree from the University of Curry and still have no practical skill only theoretical.
Some interesting professions on the list. Chem Es and Civil Es.
I wonder how economically solvent automobile insurance would be if they didn’t take into account the make/model of car you were driving?
Wymyn’s Studies.
Wow, I didn’t realize that MCSW were so poorly paid, $44 to $58 thousand per year.
They must take it out in their ability to disrupt families.
Oddly, many of the “useless” degrees on the list are “hard science” degrees like chemical engineering, computer science, information systems, and civil engineering.
The advanced degrees are most useful in academia. They are always surprised when they go out in the real world. They flash their PHD and no one is impressed.
Simplistic attack on hard skills degrees for the most part. I am sure a masters in Gender Studies is solo much better than the one in Chemical Engineering they panned.
Hmmm, BusinessInsider, one of the voices of corporate weaseldom.
Notable that grad degrees for hard STEM subjects like CIS, Engineering, are deemed to be useless. Maybe that explains why there are so many long time STEM employees out of work while the grad schools in those areas of study are increasingly filled by foreign students who move from graduation ceremony to H1B workers in those fields almost immediately.
They push for hiring and raising quotas for H1Bs with U.S. residence established and graduate degrees obtained while encouraging U.S. citizens to stick with the education they have.
Highly misleading title. Many of the “useless” graduate degrees are common for people moving into very high-paying second careers (computer science, engineering, etc.). Look, if you spent 10 years with a BBA or a teaching degree or whatever, and decided you could be an engineer or a computer programmer, you’re going to get a graduate degree, instead of a second bachelor’s because it probably involves *fewer* courses. I got an MIS with only 16 courses; a CS major would have been 19, and could have been 24 for someone else.
But here’s the thing: that CS major with 24 courses and experience and who went away to the best school for undergrad instead of the nearest/cheapest night school is going to be making more money, and for good reason. But getting a graduate degree is still a great move in these fields.
Comparably, if you got an undergrad in psychology or even some sciences like biology, you’ll be making diddly squat. But if you got an advanced degree, you COULD be making a lot: an undergrad in sociology, psychology, or even biology is worthless. A graduate degree in one of those subjects likely means you are a professional, and therefore making good money. (Or are a dirt-poor adjunct professor...)
What a crappy article! I can find dozens of more useless graduate degrees, like “Gender Studies” and “Bi Sexual Asian Studies” etc.
The Current FReepathon Pays For The Current Quarter's Expenses?
A friend of mine who is a recruiter received a book of resumes of Masters Degree candidates from a very prominent university in the southeastern US.
Virtually every one of those kids had majored in some sort of green/environmental/sustainability discipline. Wanting to be division commanders in the green jackboot army apparently.
Political science is worthless.
It should be called “Lying 101”