Numbers don’t lie: The weekly average earnings of professionals with a master’s degree was $1,272 in 2010, a cool $234 more than those with just a bachelor’s degree, and a whopping $646 more than high school graduates earned.*
Food for thought? Call for action? Call it anything�”it seems evident that education can pay off. So before you pay heed to the cynics who ridicule the value of advanced degrees, consider these graduate degree programs, which have the potential to turnaround your professional life.
Master of Science in Healthcare Administration
Healthcare administration refers to the management of healthcare facilities like hospitals, clinics, residential care centers, nursing homes, etc. Like any other business, healthcare requires qualified and trained professionals to manage facilities and ensure their smooth operation, and that’s precisely what a Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration program trains graduates to do.
Roles for graduates of a Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration program include generalist health services managers, who could be responsible for managing an entire healthcare facility.
Another branch of healthcare administration that graduates of this program can explore is health information management. Health information managers are responsible for maintaining patient records and ensuring their security. Theirs is among the most important duties within a healthcare environment.
Master of Business Administration
There was a time when an MBA was preserved for the crme de la crme. Only a few elite institutions offered MBA programs, and even fewer hopefuls were allowed entry into them�”only after meeting stringent eligibility criteria.
Over the years, the MBA degree has become democratized. There is a skilled and talented manager hidden inside a lot of people, and all they need is a chance to develop those skills. The growth in the number of flexible and online MBA programs has made it possible for such people to realize their dream of someday leading a team.
An MBA program can help qualify graduates for executive positions in a variety of business fields, depending on their specialization and interest. From banking to hospitality and retail to education�”business graduates have an important role to play in almost all industries.
Master of Science in Nursing Administration
The growth path for a registered nurse is pretty standard. It’s simply a transition from being a bedside patient care provider to a nurse manager�”or so one would think. The path may be straightforward, but the transition may be rocky.
Since the duties of a nurse manager include supervision of the clinical and administrative operations of a healthcare unit, they need superior clinical skills and a strong theoretical foundation that only a Master’s of Science degree in Nursing Administration or a related nursing program can provide.
Their knowledge of business and management principles, laws related to healthcare, and familiarity with advanced nursing concepts can help make graduates of this program ideal candidates for leadership roles within a clinical facility.
Master of Science in Nursing Education
Registered nurses interested in branching off from direct patient care to research and academics often choose a Master’s of Science in Nursing Education program.
As nurse educators, they have the huge responsibility of guiding and mentoring the new entrants into the field. Not only do they have to train them in the clinical aspects of nursing, but also instil in them the mental toughness and physical perseverance needed to perform this noblest of roles.
Nurse researchers, on the other hand, have the important task of making sure that continuous improvements take place in their profession through their efforts.
Source:
* bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm
