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Is Master Degree important in US?

Hey buddies...
I've asked several friends in US if master degree is that important in US...and surprisingly for me..they all said OF COURSE!!!!
I dont wanna do grad...and I thought US ppl dont like master stuff~~~~~~Is what my friend said true??Cuz they are actually Chinese-American..not sure if they are somehow influenced by Chinese values..

How many of u actually want to/plan to do grad??

Some ideas plz..Thank u~!! <3<3<3<3<3!!

Reply 1

lol_nl

Well, of course it is a higher and more valued degree I'd say. However, there's no 'must'. If you don't want to do grad, there's no problem with that. But doing grad will probably help a lot when finding jobs, etc.

The average person with a Master's degree in the US earns $9,147 more per year.

Reply 2

shady lane

16

It depends what field.

Reply 3

tangsiuje

2

uhm. that people with a master's degree on average earn $9k more per year does not imply that you will earn $9k more per year if you do a master's degree.

presumably, those who go into graduate studies are - on average - more talented than those who don't. that is, if you would take the group of people that would opt for a master's degree and physically prevent them from pursuing it, they would probably earn more with a bachelor's degree than the average with a bachelor's degree. this is known as the ability bias - a quite fundamental problem when estimating returns to education.

you may want to check out the webpage where graduate students are listed at some major American/British universities (at most departmental websites). i would say that non-English sounding names are quite over-represented.

on the other hand, i get the feeling that Americans on the whole are more likely to pursue graduate education than British. this could be because the percentage of brits pursuing a bachelor's degree is significantly smaller than the percentage of americans (i.e., there are better job opportunities for Bachelor's degree only in the UK than in the US).

Reply 4

Lareina岚

OP

Thank u guys~~~esp. the pic...haha..
Seems i am a bit 2 naive..cuz i thought master degree will not make u stand out too much...i thought US ppl will rather take it as "not practical"...i mean spending too much time in school...and kinda like "nerdy"???
after reading ur replies...i think i better get more info. on grad. school....

Reply 5

sarbruis

8

Bachelor's degrees are really abundant in the US (it's way too easy to get one), so it's nice to have something further to distinguish yourself, especially something from a renowned uni. The field matters as well, of course.

Reply 6

Aimless2007

Wow, where did you get that graphic from? I'm surprised that Asians earn so freaking much.

Reply 7

Chengora

That graphic is about right, although incomes and educational levels tend to smooth out within a couple generations, at least according to my friends at USCIS (formerly Immigration/Naturalization Services). Yup, eventually everyone becomes as dumb as everyone else in the U.S.

Anyway, for the original poster, I definitely agree with everything everyone else has said. I would also say, however, that you may want to consider a master's degree simply because many degrees from Asia are not accredited in the same way or at all in the U.S. A masters from National Taiwan University, which is the best university in Taiwan and one of the top in Asia, is not considered to be equivalent to a masters from the U.S. Likewise for most of the universities in China.

Reply 8

Lareina岚

OP

wooo..r u taiwanese??
right,..i'm going 2 US for univ...
i think i'll see if i should get a master degree...in some fields..it's really not necessary...but if everyone goes 4 it 'blindly'..i guess i'll definitely have 2 do it.

Reply 9

London Prophet

17

lol_nl

The average person with a Master's degree in the US earns $9,147 more per year.

Now minus the cost of the extra year in education, and the opportunity cost of a year in word with an undergraduate degree and you'll see that average drop dramatically.

Reply 10

shady lane

16

Yes, but that's including people who have masters degrees in teaching and journalism--careers that don't tend to pay well. I'm sure people with masters in engineering or MBAs make a sight more than $9,000 more per year on average.

Reply 11

Chengora

Lareina&#23706

wooo..r u taiwanese??
right,..i'm going 2 US for univ...
i think i'll see if i should get a master degree...in some fields..it's really not necessary...but if everyone goes 4 it 'blindly'..i guess i'll definitely have 2 do it.

Not exactly. My parents are from there, but I don't have citizenship, although I did work there for a couple years.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll work out. The U.S. - compared to Asia at least - puts a lot less emphasis on degrees and much more on work experience. You'll have many avenues to advance, etc. open to you. Well, that is if the visa isn't an issue.

Reply 12

Lareina岚

OP

Chengora

Not exactly. My parents are from there, but I don't have citizenship, although I did work there for a couple years.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll work out. The U.S. - compared to Asia at least - puts a lot less emphasis on degrees and much more on work experience. You'll have many avenues to advance, etc. open to you. Well, that is if the visa isn't an issue.

aha..i see...

ya..i think work experience is much more important..!!but if u dont have a decent degree here,u'll not get any work experience... :s-smilie:

pathetic..

Reply 13

lol_nl

Aimless2007

Wow, where did you get that graphic from? I'm surprised that Asians earn so freaking much.

I got it from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States), and some unknown guy made it and posted it on Wikipedia, using this data.

Reply 14

Aglyaya

The thing about a MA or PhD is that our parents' generation was largely employable without it. The rate of college attendance in the US, however, has increased so dramatically since then that the BA has ceased to be so meaningful.

It's more than just an issue of the size of your paycheck. It is an issue of employability! Get an MA; you'll thank yourself.

That's my rationale.

Guys is chemical engineering a respected degree in USA?

Reply 17

ryan2288

Its not surprising that Asian people are the top earners. Mind you, they are also the most educated in the United States on a percentage basis. Most Asian people can't find a way to the states if they are not very well educated unless they have some sort of connection.