Laura Pappano’s “The Master’s as the New Bachelor’s” is one of many recent articles to note that graduate degrees are increasingly required to enter many fields. The number of masters degrees awarded annually has more than doubled since the 1980s, and is the “fastest-growing degree.” The current percentage of the adult population over age twenty-five with at least a master’s degree is roughly the same as the percentage of the population holding at least a bachelor’s degree in 1960.
So What?
My parents enjoyed successful careers in management and education, but neither attained a master’s degree. My wife and I initially entered the professional workforce in positions that required graduate degrees: librarian and parish ministry. And, as working adults, we both returned to school to complete doctoral degrees.
- Do you believe the master’s degree functions in the 2010s in a manner similar to that of the bachelor’s of the 1960s?
- Have you or close friends or family members returned to school or remained in school to acquire graduate degrees in order to enter a specific field? If so, was the investment of time and money worthwhile?
- How does the increased educational level of a growing number of American adults impact ministry and mission in local Christian congregations?