Master’s programs with the highest salary potential

While salary potential is just one of many factors to consider before attaining your master’s degree, it is an important consideration amidst increases in tuition. According to PayScale‘s Best Master’s Degrees for Jobs, here are the master’s programs with the highest salary potential:

• Biomedical Engineering (BME)
• Computer Science (CS)
• Physics
• Corporate Finance (MBA)
• General & Strategic Management (MBA)
• Mathematics
• Management Information Systems (MIS, MBA)
• Statistics
• Financial Management
• Applied Mathematics

You may have noticed that careers in STEM dominate the list. This is due in large part to the overwhelming demand for young professionals in today’s job market who can handle highly specialized and technical work.

When evaluating the salary potential of your master’s degree, students should take into account the cost of living/location as well as the difference in salary between students with a bachelor’s degree vs. a master’s degree. In some cases, the opportunity cost of pursuing a master’s degree isn’t what you might expect.