Most Expensive Master's Program?

I blame you guys I was looking today at requirements for Physician Assistant programs. I actually found one close enough to me but the tuition is scary Totals for entire Master of Science Program = $ 66,397*

And there is no part-time and no working during this program.

Yes, I know they make great money and I will likely make about half of what they make should I go for my original plan Masters in Mental Health, but I was thinking those degrees were pricey at around 30k.

Prereqs mean I would have to go to a local community college to knock out Bio I and II w/lab, Chem I and II w/lab and A&P I and II w/ lab (I did do Bio but they require it to within 10 years of application), but with an Excelsior bachelors doable"ish"

So what what are the most expensive Master programs you guys have ran across? As I said to my blood the 30k is still giving me palpitations.

 

Duke University MBA= Over $100K

 

"The MBA Program for Executives is a residential program with a comprehensive cost that includes your tuition, books, program-related housing, and meals. Only transportation and parking costs are not included.

The comprehensive tuition fee for the two-year program for the class that entered in May 2008 is:

Philadelphia: $150,870
San Francisco: $159,810 "

Wharton MBA.

 

It does not seem like a good ROI. How much can PA's make on average - 70K?

 

This is from their association, http://www.aapa.org/glance.html

Honestly it's a lot more than I would probably earn as a LPC; however, I can work on the educational requirements of an LPC part-time, then eventually one day if I worked for the VA or something I could make close to the PA salary. But my entry level will be no where near that of a PA.

The ROI is an interesting point - what are the the cheapest Masters to get that still result in a well paying career. So far it seems, on average, the cost of a program is about equal to a the cost of a year's salary (at least for the two career options I've looked at so far )

There are lots of education type Masters, maybe those result in a better ROI.

 

I am not sure which masters will give you the best option for a well paying career. I know I got my MS-Information Technology Mgt and it was not required for my corporate position although I did get several promotions. I used the graduate degree to land online adjunct positions. My MS-ITM cost under 7K and I make more then that each semester from teaching.

 

>>

Once upon a time, I spent dayssssss over on the department of labor's website www.dol.gov studying this question. They have data on everything you could imagine- I found tables that compared median salary and others that showed degree level necessary. I *think it was Dental Assistant that looked to have the highest pay with only an associate degree required- but that's not an online option, and there are few approved/licensed (?) programs around if I remember. That may not be the case any more though.

 

Regarding ROI compared with degree type. For a Master's degree, the best ROI would probably be an MBA. SOME IT degrees can also have excellent ROI (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, etc.). However, the best ROI to degree type overall, would be an Associates in just about any Computer field. Think about it - you could go to a local community college (and there are also some cheap options online) and get an A.S. in IT for about $5-7k.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer Support Specialists average $41k per year (and this figure is from 2006). If you land a Help Desk job, your salary would probably start around $30k or so (depending upon where you live, the company and other factors). Actually, you don't even need a degree to land a help desk job - just some experience with computers and perhaps a computer certification or two. Now that is ROI!

With that said, my advice to people contemplating a degree (on the way to a new career) is to pursue something that you really enjoy. This will make school (and life) that much more enjoyable. Perhaps I just have my head in the clouds, but it's worked for me so far.

Good Luck!

 

Oh, I wanted to add that I think it makes a huge difference if you are starting at entry level or coming in from an adjunct position. For example, if you come in on the ground floor, you may not have 30 years to work your way up the food chain. BUT, if you can slide in sideways- maybe using skills from other areas/staying in the same industry with a different job/adding skills to your existing career, then the return will be much faster.
You can google "career changers" and you'll find a lot of people analyze this topic (to death) but give good strategy tips.

 

What do you do?

I agree one should like what they do but I'm not in a position to life to pay for a degree that I won't be able to land a decent job in. My background is legal and investigative. I am interested in forensic psychology - but am being realistic that I won't land a job in that field with only a masters. (Forensic psych applies psychology to the legal field).

I am interested in medical as I've spent a good deal of my life reviewing medical records and histories. I also have spent a good deal working with people from all walks of life, interviewing, etc and I believe counseling would be a good fit; however, I have major FEAR of committing to it and not finding work.

But I know regardless I need to knock out a BA - as in another thread it's being mentioned the entry requirements of many fields are going up and up and I already have 2 Associates.

 

I currently work in Knowledge Management (essentially KM is a link between IT and the business - Biopharma, in my case). I am a jack of all trades (and as yet) a master of none! I wear many hats - km, usability, information architecture, business analysis, etc. I actually do not currently have a degree, however, I am on track to completing my A.S. in Liberal Studies with Excelsior in a couple of months.

Now, what I currently do and what I would like to do are not necessarily the same thing! Perhaps I should take my own advice, eh? I've been with my company for almost 10 years now, and while I do like my job, I'm not sure that I can spend the next 30+ years sitting in a cubicle farm!

I am very interested in Psychology as well, and I will likely continue on with Excelsior to complete a B.S. in Psychology. From there I'm not sure. I am also very interested in Linguistics, so it's a toss up between studying this or Psychology at the graduate level.

From reading your posts, it appears that you really would like to become a counselor but you are really trying to talk yourself out of it! LOL If that is the path you wish to pursue, then I say go for it! You only live once. As I advised in another thread, if you like being a Counselor, then that is certainly a career in its own right. If you don't enjoy being a Counselor (but you still enjoy Psychology as a subject), then perhaps you could go on to pursue a PhD in Psychology. For example, Industrial/Organizational Psych is interesting, pays very well and does not require a license to practice. In fact one doesn't even need a PhD to gain employment in I/O Psych - a Masters will usually work.

Just some food for thought. Good luck with whatever path you choose.

 

$500,000

These are probably the most expensive Masters in the USA:
Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering
Master of Science in Flight Test and Evaluation
http://www.ntps.edu/Files/NTPS_Masters_Catalog_08.pdf
(I recall the cost is negotiable but can exceed $500,000).

 

<cough>
oh man.
I just read the course catalog- those guys are hard-core. I especially love their grading scale.

 

Oh, good find. Yikes, I can't imagine there being a more expensive Masters than that.

 

All right Tom, now get out of my head

Love the psychology field, always have and have many interests that could be academic/research based or counseling - I just think counseling would lead to a more direct career path. But as you said there are other MA level programs like O/I and even Forensics.

I think you're right though SOMEWHERE in this field is where I want to be. (So good insights )

I wish you good luck as well in your career decisions. It sounds like you're on the right track though and maybe we'll be virtual classmates as I'm leaning towards an Excelsior Psych right now too.

 

It is all good, if you have or find someone that can pay for it.

 

Yeah, forget diamonds, diplomas are a girl's best friend.

 

My last employer paid for some test pilots to attend this school. I also met a Saudi pilot who had attended this school. Flying jets ain't cheap.

 

As Bill Dayson has pointed out, while one of their Master's programs has recognized professional accreditation, the school itself does not have any accreditation. It operates as a California Approved school, which clearly is all they need.

I guess there was a theoretically even more expensive Master's program. Many years ago, an experimental college was set up as a part of the University of California at Santa Barbara. As I recall, they did not charge any tuition, but required their graduates to tithe 10% of their income to the school forever. So if Bill Gates, etc., had gone there . . .

(They also had a most unusual grading system. At the start of each course, you told the professor what grade you realistically expected to get. At the end of the course, your actual grade was a ratio of expected to actual. In other words (as I think I understood it) if you said you expected a C and did B work you might get an A. Similarly, if you said you expected to get an A and did C work, you might fail.)

 

Hmmm, expensive education, but if you have to move somewhere, the cost of living over and above your present location needs to be added it as well. That might negate and degree-only evaluation of expense.


j.