- Edited By Jeevan D'Souza
- Expert Reviewed By Soumen Chatterjee
A master’s degree can support different career paths depending on what you study, the occupations you pursue, and the education or credentials required for those roles. Career opportunities, salary potential, and employment outlook can also vary considerably across fields.
OMC’s career resources help you explore careers connected to different master’s degrees, understand salary and employment outcomes, and learn about the education and professional requirements for specific occupations.
Start Here: What Do You Want to Explore?
- Exploring career paths by interest — Discover career directions based on the type of work that interests you.
Explore → Career Paths by Interest Below
- Comparing two career paths — See how related careers differ in responsibilities, education requirements, salary potential, and career outlook.
Compare→ Career Comparisons Below
- Exploring careers related to your degree — See career paths associated with specific master’s fields and areas of study.
Explore → Careers by Master’s Degree Below
- Researching a specific occupation — Learn about education requirements, career paths, professional credentials, and other considerations for individual occupations.
Explore → Career and Occupation Guides Below
- Comparing salary and career outcomes — Explore salary information and career outcomes associated with different master’s fields.
Explore → Salary and Career Outcomes Below
Explore Career Paths by Interest
If you’re not sure which career direction to explore, start with the type of work that interests you. The pathways below can help you identify career areas to investigate before narrowing your options by occupation or graduate field.
Helping People and Supporting Well-Being
Interested in work centered on individuals, families, or communities? Explore career paths related to counseling, mental health, psychology, and social services.
Explore Careers → Counseling, Psychology & Social Services
Healthcare and Improving Health Outcomes
Interested in patient care, population health, or how healthcare organizations operate? Explore careers across nursing, public health, and healthcare administration.
Explore Careers → Healthcare & Public Health
Data, Technology, and Analytical Work
Interested in solving quantitative or technical problems? Explore careers involving computing, data, mathematics, analysis, and technology.
Explore Careers → Software Engineering vs. Data Science
Business, Finance, and Leadership
Interested in how organizations operate, make decisions, manage resources, or grow? Explore careers across business, accounting, finance, management, and leadership.
Explore Careers → Business, Finance & Management
Education and Learning
Interested in teaching, supporting learners, or improving educational organizations? Explore careers in education, instruction, and educational leadership.
Explore Careers → Education
Public Service, Policy, and Justice
Interested in government, public institutions, policy, justice, or community service? Explore careers related to public administration, criminal justice, policy, and public service.
Explore Careers → Public Service, Policy & Justice
Master’s Degrees and Career Outcomes
Graduate education can support specialization, career advancement, or entry into occupations where advanced education is required or commonly expected, although outcomes vary considerably by field and occupation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and older with a master’s degree had median weekly earnings of $1,876 in 2025, compared with $1,578 for workers whose highest degree was a bachelor’s degree.
Earnings alone do not determine whether graduate education is worthwhile. Consider the education requirements, career outlook, and potential outcomes of the occupations you are considering.
Explore Careers by Master’s Degree
Different master’s degrees can lead to different occupations and professional paths. Explore career resources by field to understand the types of roles associated with specific areas of graduate study and how career options can vary within each field.
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Accounting
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Counseling
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Criminal Justice
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Economics
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Education
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Mathematics
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Psychology
Explore → Careers With a Master’s in Public Health
If you are still deciding what to study, consider how the career paths associated with different master’s fields align with your professional goals, interests, and the type of work you want to pursue. You can also explore online master’s programs by subject as you narrow the fields that interest you.
Explore Career and Occupation Guides
Career requirements can differ considerably by occupation. Explore individual career guides to learn about education pathways, professional requirements, career considerations, and the steps associated with different roles.
Explore → Art Therapist
Explore → Counseling Psychologist
Explore →Financial Accountant
Explore → Psychotherapist
Explore → Social Media Influencer
Compare Career Paths
Some careers overlap in the skills they use, the fields they serve, or the graduate education that can lead to them. Comparing related career paths can help you understand differences in job responsibilities, education requirements, salary potential, and career outlook.
Compare → Accountant vs. Financial Analyst
Compare →Business Analyst vs. Data Analyst
Compare → Cybersecurity vs. Data Science
Compare → Data Scientist vs. Data Analyst
Compare → MBA vs. MHA Careers
Compare → Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant
Compare → Project Manager vs. Product Manager
Compare →Public Health vs. Healthcare Administration Careers
Compare → Social Worker vs. Counselor
Compare → Software Engineer vs. Data Scientist
Explore Salary and Career Outcomes
Salary potential and career opportunities can vary by field, occupation, experience, location, and other factors. Explore field-specific resources to understand salary considerations and career outcomes associated with different areas of graduate study.
Explore → Computer Science Master’s Salary and Career Outlook
Explore → Healthcare Administration Master’s Salary and Career Outlook
Explore → Nursing Master’s Salary and Career Outlook
Where to Go Next
Career goals are one factor to consider when deciding whether to pursue graduate education and which degree may fit your plans. If you’re ready to explore further, OMC has resources to help you evaluate the value of a master’s degree, explore academic fields, and compare your options.
Evaluate → Is a Master’s Degree Worth It?
Understand factors that can affect the value of graduate education, including cost, career goals, earnings, and potential return on investment.
Explore →Online Master’s Programs by Subject
Browse graduate fields and degree options related to your academic and career interests.
Compare → Compare Degrees, Universities & Programs
Explore OMC’s comparison resources when you’re ready to evaluate different degree, university, or program options.
Find Your Direction → Program Fit Quiz
Answer a few questions to explore master’s degree options that may align with your interests and priorities.