According to the annual Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools, the number of applications to grad school has increased by an average of 4.8 percent per year between 1999 and 2009, and shot up 8.3 percent between 2008 and 2009 alone.
The study found a combined 51 percent of the total number of master’s degrees awarded in 2009 were in either business or education. By contrast, 7.2 percent of master’s degrees were granted in engineering, 8.6 percent were in health sciences and 4.1 percent were in either mathematics or computer science.
While the large number of master’s degree earners in business and education is definitely a testament to the popularity of those professions - it doesn’t necessarily attest to the growth of these particular industries and vice versa.
Despite the fact that only 4 percent of master’s degrees were awarded in math or computer science in 2009, for example, many of today’s fastest growing professions are in these disciplines.
The same goes for health science and engineering - though these graduate programs may not be as popular as those in business and education, job opportunities are expected to abound.
To illustrate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the following jobs will experience the fastest growth from 2008-2018 (based on percentage change in number of jobs). Most are in health care, computer science and engineering:
1. Biomedical engineers
2. Network systems and data communications analysts
3. Home health aides
4. Personal and home care aides
5. Financial examiners
6. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
7. Physician assistants
8. Skin care specialists
9. Biochemists and biophysicists
10. Athletic trainers
11. Physical therapist aides
12. Dental hygienists
13. Veterinary technologists and technicians
14. Dental assistants
15. Computer software engineers
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