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Masters Degree Jobs
Whether you’ve got your masters degree and you’re well on your way in your chosen career path, or if you’re only just starting to consider doing one, jobs are probably on your mind. With the news often talking about the state of the job market, it might not always be in the most positive way. But we’re here to tell you that when it comes to masters degree jobs, there are plenty of options.
Recent UK data shows that postgraduates, on average, have higher employment rates and higher median earnings than graduates and non‑graduates, although outcomes still vary significantly by subject and sector.
Now, one major thing you need to consider before doing a masters degree is whether you’ll get a good return on the cost of your degree, and this will obviously affect the sort of jobs you’ll be looking at. But to give you some ideas, let's take a quick look through some common job areas that require a masters degree.
Find your PERFECT POSTGRAD PROGRAMGraduate jobs
Firstly, those jobs known as ‘graduate jobs’. These are often found via recruitment agencies, and are most common in a few major areas: sales, marketing and management. Whilst any job requiring a masters degree is a graduate job, these are what most people will think of when hearing that. These sort of roles are designed for those who want to move upwards in a company whilst earning at a decent rate.
For sales, this can be more stressful as it is often commission based, but there is therefore the potential to earn really well. With management, you start in as a trainee manager, rather than having to work your way up from sales assistant. Many well‑known companies, for example Asda or John Lewis, have graduate management schemes. And as for marketing, you’ll have your chance to go from being an assistant to potentially running the marketing for major projects.
Graduate job schemes are now offered across sectors including retail, technology, finance, the public sector and professional services, and many are open to applicants with either a bachelors or a masters degree.
Subject-specific graduate roles
Now let’s take a look at some subject-specific graduate roles. If your degree is in one of the sciences, many jobs offer lab assistant or research technician places to those with a masters degree. Getting a role like this can mean that, instead of potentially having to do a PhD to end up in a senior role, you can work your way up within the company.
What about English? Well, you can look into masters degree jobs in journalism – again, something with the potential to progress upwards. Or maybe you studied something like finance? In that case, many major financial companies offer graduate schemes. What’s a graduate scheme, I hear you ask? Well, it’s a program that offers both training and work, which will usually lead into a permanent position.
Other common masters degree jobs include roles in data and analytics, teaching and education, health and social care, engineering, IT, consulting and the creative industries, depending on your subject and experience.
A good general tip is: if it describes itself as ‘graduate job’ or ‘entry level job’ then it’s suited for you – these are both alternative descriptions of masters degree jobs.
Best masters degrees for jobs
But what exactly are the best masters degrees for finding good employment?
Unfortunately, there’s not one specific degree we can point to and tell you it’s the best degree for masters jobs. Every degree has its benefits – from the skills you learn, such as communicating efficiently and knowing how to research, to the opportunity to network. That said, some degrees are better than others for certain jobs, so let’s have a look at some possible ideas.
1. Pick a degree with a low unemployment rate – if a degree has a low unemployment rate, then we can assume employers find it highly desirable. Now, whilst we wouldn’t recommend choosing your degree solely on its unemployment rates (after all, you’ll want to enjoy what you’re doing), it’s a useful way to see what your future prospects might be. You can use national statistics on graduate labour markets and subject‑specific outcomes to see how different areas perform.
2. Pick a degree that leads to well-paid jobs – if you’re mostly looking at how much you can earn afterwards, you’ll want to check out this list. Some subjects lead to better paying jobs than others, so if that’s your major priority, make sure you’re choosing something relevant. Independent analyses of earnings returns also show substantial variation by subject, with fields such as medicine, law, economics, business and some STEM areas tending to have higher average salaries.
3. Consider doing an MBA – why an MBA, you ask? Well, MBAs are well-known for turning out some of the best business-minded people. If you want to move into any area of business – from accounting to technology management – you’ll want an MBA. Many MBAs now offer specialist tracks in areas like finance, entrepreneurship, digital transformation or healthcare, and often expect at least a few years of work experience before entry.
4. Do a masters in education – whilst not the best overall for getting a job, if you want to move into teaching, this is the degree you need to do. And, don’t forget – it's not just useful for teaching. Any position that involves education, from directing the curriculum to working with children in museums, will appreciate this. Popular options include PGCE‑level routes into school teaching and masters degrees in education for roles in leadership, policy, education technology or specialist support.
5. Think about the future – here, we talk about going into renewable energy. This is just one example of what we mean by ‘think about the future’. Think about what kind of companies will last, which ones will be around in years to come. These degrees won’t necessarily land you a masters degree job straight away, but once you do get a job, you’ll be sorted for life.
Other future‑focused areas include data science and AI, cybersecurity, climate change and sustainability, health technology and advanced manufacturing, all of which are expected to see continued demand for highly skilled postgraduates.
For more advice, check out the rest of our careers section.
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