In the academic year of 2022, it is expected that 551,460 female and 331,530 male students will earn a Master’s degree in the United States. These figures are a significant increase from the academic year of 1950, when 16,980 female students and 41,220 male students earned a Master’s degree.

What is a Master’s degree?

A Master’s degree is an academic degree granted by universities after finishing a Bachelor’s degree. Master’s degrees focus in on a specific field and are more specialized than a Bachelor’s. A typical Master’s program is about two years long, with the final semester focusing on the thesis. Master’s degree programs are usually harder to get into than Bachelor’s degree programs, due to the rigor of the program. Because these programs are so competitive, those with a Master’s degree are typically paid more than those with a Bachelor’s degree.

Master’s degrees in the United States

The number of master’s degrees granted in the United States has steadily increased since the 1970s and is expected to continue to increase. In 2021, the Master’s degree program with the worst job prospects in the United States by mid-career median pay was counseling, while the program with the best job prospects was a physician's assistant.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 25 years and over, Men (CGAD25OM) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, males, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Level - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 55 to 64 years, Women (CGMDUW5564) from Jan 2000 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 55 to 64 years, females, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

With the enactment of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, five Predominantly Black Institutions are eligible to receive funding to improve graduate education opportunities at the master’s level in mathematics, engineering, physical or natural sciences, computer science, information technology, nursing, allied health or other scientific disciplines where African American students are underrepresented. Types of Projects Institutions may use federal funds for activities that include: Purchase, rental or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purposes; Construction, maintenance, renovation and improvement in classroom, library, laboratory and other instructional facilities, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services; Purchase of library books, periodicals, technical and other scientific journals, microfilm, microfiche, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program materials; Scholarships, fellowships, and other financial assistance for needy graduate students to permit the enrollment of students in, and completion of a master’s degree in mathematics, engineering, physical or natural sciences, computer science, information technology, nursing, allied health, or other scientific disciplines in which African Americans are underrepresented; Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen and increase contributions from alumni and the private sector; Assisting in the establishment or maintenance of an institutional endowment to facilitate financial independence pursuant to Section 331; Funds and administrative management, and the acquisition of equipment, including software, for use in strengthening funds management and management information systems; Acquisition of real property that is adjacent to the campus in connection with the construction, renovation, or improvement of, or an addition to, campus facilities; Education or financial information designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students or the students’ families, especially with regards to student indebtedness and student assistance programs under title IV; Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success; Faculty professional development, faculty exchanges, and faculty participation in professional conferences and meetings; and Other activities proposed in the application that are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 16 years and over (CGMDL16O) from Jan 2000 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, tertiary schooling, civilian, 16 years +, education, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 25 to 34 years (CGAD2534) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 25 to 34 years, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

China Number of Graduate: Postgraduate: Master Degree data was reported at 927.629 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 779.845 Person th for 2022. China Number of Graduate: Postgraduate: Master Degree data is updated yearly, averaging 334.613 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 927.629 Person th in 2023 and a record low of 38.051 Person th in 1998. China Number of Graduate: Postgraduate: Master Degree data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Education. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GD: No of Graduate: Higher Education: By Region.

In 2024, about ****** master's degrees were awarded in South Korea, showing a slight increase from the previous year. The overall number of graduates receiving master's degrees has increased over the past few years.

In 2022, approximately 3.3 million people in Bangladesh had a Master's or equivalent level degree. In the same year, Indonesia recorded around 1.1 million Master's degree holders.

The best master's degree for getting a job was considered to be Physicians Assistant with a mid-career median salary of ****** U.S. dollars in 2021. Salaries for nurse practitioner and computer science master's were also high.

Graduation rates, average time to graduation and number of students in an entry cohort for master's degree students, within Canada, by demographic characteristics.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 35 to 44 years (CGAD3544) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about 35 to 44 years, master's degree, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 to 34 years, Women was 1.80% in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 to 34 years, Women reached a record high of 7.70 in July of 2010 and a record low of 0.60 in December of 2006. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 to 34 years, Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

United States - Unemployment Level - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 years and over, Women was 213.00000 Thous. of Persons in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Level - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 years and over, Women reached a record high of 642.00000 in April of 2020 and a record low of 38.00000 in May of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Level - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 years and over, Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

This statistic provides a ranking of universities in the United States in 2015, by their number of Hispanic Master's degree graduates. In 2015, Florida International University conferred ***** Master's degrees to Hispanic students.

In 2022, approximately 1.1 million women in Bangladesh had a Master's or equivalent level degree. That year, around 440 thousand women in Indonesia held a Master's degree.

United States - Unemployment Level: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 45 to 54 years, Women was 63.00000 Thous. of Persons in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Level: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 45 to 54 years, Women reached a record high of 183.00000 in April of 2020 and a record low of 18.00000 in April of 2022. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Level: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 45 to 54 years, Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

This page provides information about award recipients, project abstracts, and summaries of competitions under the Master's Degree Programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program.

Proportion of students who started in a master's degree program and graduated with a different educational qualification, within Canada, by demographic characteristics.

This dataset presents the information for the portal Find My Master (TMM) for the academic years 2019-2020, 2020-2021 and 2020-2021. This information is provided by accredited institutions for the award of National Master’s Degrees (DNMs). The TMM portal is intended to identify all existing DNMs. It does not identify other degrees conferring a master’s degree or other graduate degrees. _For more information, see the documentation dedicated to the three datasets relating to information for the Find My Master (TMM) portal. 1 variable was added to this dataset for the academic year 2021-2022: * Usage name of the accredited institution (etab_name_use)