It's not much of a surprise that some graduate degrees are better investments than others: an M.B.A is better than a master's in geography, a J.D. is better than a doctorate in aerospace engineering, and Ph.D.s in history are worst of all.
And for any given degree, there are other variables at play too: The Economist found higher returns for cheaper, shorter M.B.A. programs. Forbes has a list ranked by how much an alum is making 5 years after their M.B.A. vs. staying in their pre-M.B.A. careers (Stanford tops that list).
As it turns out, for M.B.A. candidates what you major in (yes, M.B.A. programs have majors) has a huge impact on earning potential too.
A new report from Payscale shows that an M.B.A. in strategy is the most lucrative path with a median mid-career salary of $145,000. The report surveyed 180,000 M.B.A. graduates. An M.B.A. in entrepreneurship, marketing management, finance and economics all placed high on the earnings list as well. While most M.B.A. degrees report mid-career earnings over $100,000, there were a handful of majors that didn't make the cut: An M.B.A. in human resources management is at the bottom of the list, reporting earnings at $80,700 after 10 years on the job. Also low on the list are M.B.A.s in communication, accounting, and healthcare management.
