So says a Fortune magazine study on just what graduate degrees are worth getting. According to the mag, the best grad degree to snag is a Ph.D. in statistics: Grads earn a median salary of $131,700 a year for a relatively low-stress job, and 71 percent of them are highly satisfied with their work. Next on Fortune‘s list is a master’s degree in biostatistics. While the pay is a bit less ($113,400 on average), its satisfaction rate is higher (86 %). Rounding out the top five list of top graduate degrees: Ph.D.s in computer science, master’s degrees in human-computer interaction and Ph.D.s in physics.
Other grad degrees are less optimal. Those who get a master’s in interior design typically make $69,400 a year, which makes it harder to recoup quickly the cost associated with earning an advanced degree ($36,000 to $63,000 a year in tuition). That’s followed by a master’s in educational administration and a master’s in early childhood education. (Fortune)