The best way to guarantee a high return on investment in a graduate degree is to be aware of professions that pay top-dollar for that added educational investment. Keep reading to see where a graduate degree is required—and can earn you the most.
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Fabrice Florin // flickr
#22. Education teachers, postsecondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $42,140 (#105 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 60
National
– Annual mean salary: $75,010 (57,560 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salt Lake City, UT ($104,950)
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($103,700)
— Stockton-Lodi, CA ($100,980)
Job description: Teach courses pertaining to education, such as counseling, curriculum, guidance, instruction, teacher education, and teaching English as a second language. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
DGLimages // Shutterstock
#21. Mental health and substance abuse social workers
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $42,590 (#194 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50
National
– Annual mean salary: $54,540 (116,780 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Madera, CA ($92,870)
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($91,480)
— Santa Rosa, CA ($89,730)
Job description: Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.
COD Newsroom // Flickr
#20. English language and literature teachers, postsecondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $43,810 (#115 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 60
National
– Annual mean salary: $81,340 (64,800 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($141,420)
— Fresno, CA ($130,580)
— San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($121,510)
Job description: Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
#19. Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $45,430 (#114 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50
National
– Annual mean salary: $86,760 (49,550 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($147,770)
— Fresno, CA ($129,330)
— Ann Arbor, MI ($126,580)
Job description: Teach courses pertaining to mathematical concepts, statistics, and actuarial science and to the application of original and standardized mathematical techniques in solving specific problems and situations. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
#18. Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $49,180 (#108 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40
National
– Annual mean salary: $84,780 (91,170 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($122,920)
— Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($115,740)
— Rochester, NY ($115,080)
Job description: Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
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Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock
#17. Business teachers, postsecondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $56,870 (#115 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40
National
– Annual mean salary: $107,270 (79,810 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Ann Arbor, MI ($174,050)
— College Station-Bryan, TX ($172,650)
— Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($149,740)
Job description: Teach courses in business administration and management, such as accounting, finance, human resources, labor and industrial relations, marketing, and operations research. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Canva
#16. Healthcare social workers
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $57,080 (#160 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80
National
– Annual mean salary: $60,470 (176,110 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($100,410)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($98,980)
— Salinas, CA ($95,690)
Job description: Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
Knight Foundation // Wikimedia Commons
#15. Urban and regional planners
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $57,300 (#157 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 30
National
– Annual mean salary: $79,410 (38,190 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($109,910)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($108,860)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($107,810)
Job description: Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
VH-studio // Shutterstock
#14. Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $59,590 (#146 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 450
National
– Annual mean salary: $62,320 (292,230 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($91,420)
— El Centro, CA ($91,110)
— Fresno, CA ($90,860)
Job description: Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.
Simon Fraser Universtiy // flickr
#13. Instructional coordinators
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $61,790 (#219 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 170
National
– Annual mean salary: $70,160 (174,900 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New Haven, CT ($111,440)
— Warner Robins, GA ($110,800)
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($104,000)
Job description: Develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.
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Wikimedia Commons
#12. Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $66,570 (#239 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 120
National
– Annual mean salary: $89,290 (111,320 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Santa Rosa, CA ($138,550)
— Jefferson City, MO ($133,640)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($125,020)
Job description: Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.
Canva
#11. Speech-language pathologists
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $71,100 (#272 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 130
National
– Annual mean salary: $83,240 (148,450 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Modesto, CA ($128,540)
— Santa Rosa, CA ($120,920)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($115,480)
Job description: Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
#10. Occupational therapists
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $80,980 (#217 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80
National
– Annual mean salary: $87,480 (126,610 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— The Villages, FL ($115,920)
— Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($115,060)
— Modesto, CA ($112,870)
Job description: Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual’s environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.
David Bibo // Wikimedia Commons
#9. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $82,150 (#289 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 490
National
– Annual mean salary: $103,010 (262,480 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Modesto, CA ($154,970)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($146,070)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($145,590)
Job description: Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
Rappaport Center // Wikimedia Commons
#8. Lawyers
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $86,760 (#313 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 300
National
– Annual mean salary: $148,910 (658,120 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($231,610)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($201,920)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($186,070)
Job description: Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.
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#7. General internal medicine physicians
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $97,560 (#102 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50
National
– Annual mean salary: $210,960 (50,600 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Rochester, MN ($315,830)
— Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC ($314,080)
— Wichita Falls, TX ($311,260)
Job description: Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
#6. Physical therapists
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $97,740 (#61 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 90
National
– Annual mean salary: $91,680 (220,870 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— El Centro, CA ($143,500)
— Modesto, CA ($123,370)
— Visalia-Porterville, CA ($119,510)
Job description: Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
#5. Education administrators, postsecondary
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $98,060 (#143 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 60
National
– Annual mean salary: $115,200 (140,880 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Ithaca, NY ($205,810)
— Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC ($178,210)
— Charlottesville, VA ($176,040)
Job description: Plan, direct, or coordinate student instruction, administration, and services, as well as other research and educational activities, at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and junior and community colleges.
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
#4. Nurse practitioners
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $121,050 (#64 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 120
National
– Annual mean salary: $114,510 (211,280 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($188,070)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($177,800)
— Salinas, CA ($155,310)
Job description: Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
Ohiodominican // Wikimedia Commons
#3. Physician assistants
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $125,510 (#62 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 120
National
– Annual mean salary: $116,080 (125,280 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salinas, CA ($168,220)
— Waterbury, CT ($165,230)
— Portsmouth, NH-ME ($158,020)
Job description: Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.
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Grace Nichols // U.S. Air Force
#2. Pharmacists
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $139,040 (#37 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 210
National
– Annual mean salary: $125,460 (315,470 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Madera, CA ($165,350)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($162,540)
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($161,120)
Job description: Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.
Canva
#1. Dentists, general
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
– Annual mean salary: $222,400 (#44 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80
National
– Annual mean salary: $180,830 (95,920 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Dover-Durham, NH-ME ($286,540)
— North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL ($278,790)
— Portland-South Portland, ME ($278,390)
Job description: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care.
