What is the value of a master’s degree? The field of economics and the business sector tell us that the value of any commodity or service is what people are willing to pay for it.
Companies clearly place a premium on employees with a master’s degree. Why do companies invest in the education of their workers? Professional advancement is important to every working sector. Employees who continuously update their skills are more satisfied with their work and contribute more to our collective success. And that is pretty much it in a nutshell. Successful companies want good employees. Employees that are better prepared contribute to the bottom line. And companies are willing to invest capital to make more capital.
Graduate study calls on a student to move beyond being a consumer of information to become a producer of information. Through advanced study in a discipline, and under the tutelage of qualified faculty, a graduate student learns to apply knowledge to create new knowledge. The goal for graduate students is to contribute to the body of knowledge in their field. That contribution may be global in reach, such as a traditional report of original research, or it may be local, such as helping your organization improve on practice or product. That is not to say that only people with graduate degrees can improve practice or product. But it is to say that graduate study in your field exists for that very purpose.
