In the academic year of 2020/21, about 202,334 Master's degrees were earned in business across the United States, making it the most common master's degree earned. In that same year, another 47,257 Master's degrees were earned in engineering.

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.

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.

In the academic year of 2021/22, about 880,250 students were awarded a Master's degree in the United States. This figure is projected to increase by the academic year of 2031/32, when it is forecasted that 1,000,460 students will be awarded a Master's degree.

The dataset contains Academic-year-, Programme- and Course-wise historically compiled data on the Number of International Students who have enrolled in the United States of America (U.S.A) for pursuing various types of Graduate, Under-graduate and OPT courses, along with percentage number of students pursing on each specific type of education

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 35 to 44 years, Women (CGMD3544W) from Jan 2000 to Jun 2025 about 35 to 44 years, master's degree, females, tertiary schooling, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Historical Dataset of The Masters Program is provided by PublicSchoolReview and contain statistics on metrics:Total Students Trends Over Years (2013-2023),Total Classroom Teachers Trends Over Years (2013-2023),Distribution of Students By Grade Trends,Student-Teacher Ratio Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),American Indian Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Asian Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Hispanic Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Black Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),White Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Two or More Races Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2012-2023),Diversity Score Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Free Lunch Eligibility Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Reading and Language Arts Proficiency Comparison Over Years (2011-2022),Math Proficiency Comparison Over Years (2011-2022),Overall School Rank Trends Over Years (2011-2022),Graduation Rate Comparison Over Years (2011-2021)

Historical Dataset of The Masters Program School District is provided by PublicSchoolReview and contain statistics on metrics:Comparison of Diversity Score Trends,Total Revenues Trends,Total Expenditure Trends,Average Revenue Per Student Trends,Average Expenditure Per Student Trends,Reading and Language Arts Proficiency Trends,Math Proficiency Trends,Graduation Rate Trends,Overall School District Rank Trends,American Indian Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Asian Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Hispanic Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Black Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),White Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2013-2023),Two or More Races Student Percentage Comparison Over Years (2012-2023),Comparison of Students By Grade Trends

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 20 to 24 years (CGAD2024) from Dec 2014 to Jun 2025 about master's degree, 20 to 24 years, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

About 3,785 master's degrees were earned in the United States by American Indian or Alaskan Native students in the academic year of 2020/2021. Additionally, 460,320 master's degrees were earned by white students, and 98,246 were earned by Black students.

The dataset contains Academic-year-wise historically compiled data on the total number of Indian students who enrolled for Undergraduate, Graduate, Non-Degree and Optional Practical Training (OPT) courses in the United States of America (USA).

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.

Education and further studies: refers to various learning, education, and related information collections

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.

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

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

United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 years and over was 2.40% in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 25 years and over reached a record high of 6.70 in April of 2020 and a record low of 1.00 in May of 2000. 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 years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 16 years and over was 2.40% in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 16 years and over reached a record high of 6.70 in April of 2020 and a record low of 1.00 in May of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Master's Degree, 16 years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force: College Graduates: Advanced Degree: Master's Degree and Higher, 18 to 19 years, Women (CGADLW1819) from Mar 2015 to Jun 2025 about 18 to 19 years, master's degree, females, tertiary schooling, civilian, education, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.