The Master’s as the new Bachelor’s

There was a time Bachelor’s degree was the pre-requisite for landing a great job, but it is now turning out differently. 

In today’s economy, with the increasing number of people attending college, it can often seem as though a Master’s degree such as this program: https://www.bbs.unibo.eu/hp/global-mba has become the new Bachelor’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree has become the new high school diploma. 

The question that first comes to mind is “why has it turned out like this?

There was a time when it was critical to have a Bachelor’s degree; a time when a B.S. served as an accepted measure of an educated and readily employable adult. But now, the Bachelor’s degree appears to be losing its edge paving the way for the Master degree.

With more and more Americans completing Bachelor’s programs, it can be difficult to stand out to employers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s data on educational attainment, the number of people 25 and older with Bachelor’s degrees increased from 19 percent in 2011 to 33 percent in 2015.

The reasons are not far-fetched. The number of people who have Bachelor degrees is increasing. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), the percentage of people who earned a Bachelor’s or higher rose from 22 to 32% between 1980 and 2011. With such growth in educational attainment, how can you set yourself apart from other people when it comes to employment? In the past, earning a Bachelor’s degree will make you be automatically employed by an employer but now with this degree trend, arrives a distinction between degrees of the past and a Master’s degree today.

For example, the popularity of a Professional Science Master (PSM) is gaining momentum. It is a new type of graduate degree that encourages advanced training in STEM-related fields like science and math, along with honing workplace skills. A degree of this type could be attractive to employers who are seeking graduates with employable skills. Even humanities departments seem to want in on the professional degree action—for instance, a Master’s degree in public history that is geared for work in a museum—is now available at certain colleges and universities.

Even now in many fields, having a graduate degree allows a person to enter the field at a higher level and this is the reason Many jobs now even require a Master’s degree to start a job at entry level, depending on the field.”

Now all jobs like counselors, therapists, social workers, and social scientists, which previously accepted Bachelor’s degrees for entry-level positions, now require higher qualifications, as well as marketers, business professionals, doctors, and lawyer.

In a more clarified word, with an increase in the number of people with a Bachelor’s degree, it is now up to the undergraduate to upgrade their degree after graduation, since it has become pre-requisite. This is because the more the market improves, the more pressure is on employers to hire the best candidates who must have undergone the professional level and Master’s degree. Many entry-level jobs today now require a Master’s and virtually all senior management and senior professional positions require a Master.

However, even though the Master’s degree is rapidly becoming the Bachelor’s degree, it still doesn’t guarantee you a job after graduation, but with a Master degree, you have better chances of employment. 

Tags: Bachelors, Masters, STEM

Category: College and Careers