"Day in and day out, I use what I learned every day. I learned the language of business that I wasn’t necessarily competent in before.” — Casey O’Neill, MSI ‘16

Contact Sarah Kanouse

Associate Professor and Graduate Program Head

Contact Mara Sidmore

Associate Teaching Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator

Over a career, a bachelor’s degree holder earns $2.5 million; a master’s degree holder, $2.9 million; a PhD holder, $3.5 million; and a professional degree holder, $4 million (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, 2009-2015).

It is critical to illuminate the pathways from graduate school into careers given the U.S. economy’s growing need for workers with advanced skills and knowledge. Between now and 2020, an estimated 2.6 million new and replacement jobs will require an advanced degree (Commission on Pathways Through Graduate School and Into Careers, Council of Graduate Schools and Educational Testing Service, 2012).

You don't always need to commit to a full degree program to advance your career. Shorter and sometimes less costly, a graduate certificate might be a better option to get ahead (U.S. News and World Report, 2016).

By 2022, 18 percent of jobs will require a master’s degree (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). By that year, the master’s will account for nearly a third of all degrees awarded. This growth will come primarily from professional master's programs focused on helping students gain a new job or advance in their position (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2017).

Interested in the Research-based Doctor of Philosophy degrees? Explore our PhD programs.

Careers for PhD graduates are more abundant than many students and faculty have traditionally imagined. According to survey data from multiple sources, roughly 42 percent of U.S. PhD graduates are employed outside of academic positions (University Research Forum, 2017).

"Day in and day out, I use what I learned every day. I learned the language of business that I wasn’t necessarily competent in before." — Casey O’Neill, MSI '16