Highest-Paying Jobs With a Master's Degree
Answer
Nurse Anesthetists ($236,590), Political Scientists ($142,080), Computer and Information Research Scientists ($140,300) top this list. Advanced practice nursing and physician assistant jobs lead this list. Each needs a graduate degree plus a national certification exam and a state license, and CRNA programs now award doctorates, so entry requirements are rising for some of these jobs.
How this ranking works
Includes: BLS typical entry education is a master's degree; at least 5,000 US jobs. Ranked by: Median annual wage. Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025; typical entry education from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Occupations without a published median and the residual “all other” categories are left out. Methodology
| 1 | Nurse Anesthetists | $236,590 | $113.75 | 51,840 | Master's degree | +9.7% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Political Scientists | $142,080 | $68.31 | 5,540 | Master's degree | −2.0% |
| 3 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $140,300 | $67.45 | 37,200 | Master's degree | +21.8% |
| 4 | Physician Assistants | $135,880 | $65.33 | 162,150 | Master's degree | +21.1% |
| 5 | Nurse Midwives | $134,040 | $64.44 | 7,920 | Master's degree | +11.5% |
| 6 | Nurse Practitioners | $132,300 | $63.61 | 323,040 | Master's degree | +41.0% |
| 7 | Economists | $124,720 | $59.96 | 17,790 | Master's degree | +4.7% |
| 8 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $105,870 | — | 328,330 | Master's degree | −0.3% |
| 9 | Statisticians | $105,650 | $50.79 | 29,030 | Master's degree | +11.0% |
| 10 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $104,590 | $50.29 | 180,470 | Master's degree | +1.8% |
| 11 | Occupational Therapists | $100,330 | $48.24 | 162,450 | Master's degree | +14.8% |
| 12 | Speech-Language Pathologists | $97,870 | $47.05 | 183,390 | Master's degree | +16.6% |
| 13 | School Psychologists | $95,990 | $46.15 | 63,940 | Master's degree | +0.8% |
| 14 | Urban and Regional Planners | $89,320 | $42.94 | 44,230 | Master's degree | +3.9% |
| 15 | Epidemiologists | $87,220 | $41.93 | 12,090 | Master's degree | +18.7% |
| 16 | Orthotists and Prosthetists | $81,110 | $38.99 | 9,390 | Master's degree | +12.9% |
| 17 | Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $78,620 | — | 93,560 | Master's degree | +2.2% |
| 18 | Instructional Coordinators | $77,440 | $37.23 | 227,760 | Master's degree | +1.6% |
| 19 | Acupuncturists | $76,040 | $36.56 | 7,830 | Master's degree | +8.6% |
| 20 | Anthropologists and Archeologists | $70,770 | $34.02 | 8,990 | Master's degree | +6.0% |
| 21 | Survey Researchers | $69,460 | $33.40 | 8,290 | Master's degree | −4.8% |
| 22 | Librarians and Media Collections Specialists | $68,270 | $32.82 | 133,790 | Master's degree | +2.6% |
| 23 | Healthcare Social Workers | $67,880 | $32.63 | 187,630 | Master's degree | +8.5% |
| 24 | Marriage and Family Therapists | $66,940 | $32.18 | 66,740 | Master's degree | +13.5% |
| 25 | Archivists | $64,550 | $31.03 | 7,970 | Master's degree | +3.4% |
| 26 | Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | $64,330 | $30.93 | 353,310 | Master's degree | +2.9% |
| 27 | Curators | $63,420 | $30.49 | 12,150 | Master's degree | +4.9% |
| 28 | Athletic Trainers | $62,520 | — | 30,500 | Master's degree | +12.7% |
| 29 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $60,280 | $28.98 | 132,810 | Master's degree | +10.3% |
| 30 | Farm and Home Management Educators | $60,220 | $28.95 | 8,220 | Master's degree | −3.2% |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, national cross-industry estimates; projections and typical entry education from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Occupation names are the official BLS titles; linked names have a full pay and how-to-become page on this site.