Earning college credit in high school tends to keep our discussions centered around associate and bachelor’s degrees, but sometimes a teen is shocked to learn that their degree won’t prepare them for the job they want. Did you know a bachelor’s degree in psychology doesn’t qualify you to be a psychologist? In this post, we’ll look at jobs that require an additional degree higher than a bachelor’s degree as the minimum educational credential needed to get work.
DEFINED: Educational Degrees
Associate Degree = aka “2-year degree”
- Associate Degree for transfer = meets the first 2 years required of a bachelor’s degree.
- Associate of Applied Science AAS= a “terminal” degree in the field. Does not transfer.
- Not required to earn or complete a bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor’s Degree = aka “4-year degree”
- Usually required for admissions into a master’s or doctorate degree program.
- Must be Regionally Accredited to qualify for a state license in nearly all professions.
- Must be Regionally Accredited to qualify for admissions into nearly all graduate programs.
- Does not “transfer” up; it is a point of exit.
- Often called an “undergraduate” degree.
- Students planning a doctorate degree often say they are “pre-…” at this phase, but colleges don’t offer degrees in “pre-doctorate” areas like “pre-law” or “pre-med” or similar. Saying you are “pre” is simply stating your intention to meet prerequisites that will be required for admissions.
dividing line between undergraduate & graduate degrees
Master’s Degree = aka Graduate Degree
- A master’s degree does not usually count toward a doctorate degree.
- Usually takes 2-3 years.
- May qualify for state license depending on the profession.
- Transfer credit between Master’s degrees is not typical.
- Not usually required for admissions into a doctorate degree program.
Doctorate Degree = aka Graduate Degree
- Minimum requirement for admissions is a Bachelor’s degree.
- PhD is awarded for programs that focus on research and creation of knowledge.
- Professional doctorates vary by profession. Here are a few common ones:
- MD = Doctor of Medicine (medical doctor)
- DO = Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (medical doctor)
- JD = Doctor of Jurisprudence (lawyer)
- AuD= Doctor of Audiology (audiologist)
- PharmD = Doctor of Pharmacy (pharmacist)
- DDS = Doctor of Dental Surgery
- DMD = Doctor of Dental Medicine
- OD = Doctor of Optometry (optometrist)
- DVM = Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (vet)
- DC = Doctor of Chiropractic
- DBA = Doctor of Business Administration
- EdD= Doctor of Education
- DNP = Doctor of Nursing Practice
Jobs that require a DOCTORATE DEGREE
This data pulled from the United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook. This is to say that in order to be the profession listed below, the minimum degree your teen must obtain is the doctorate degree. Before you can begin a doctorate degree, you must complete a bachelor’s degree. In some programs, a master’s degree may give you some credit toward a doctorate, but that is generally not the case. In most cases a student enters a doctoral program directly after they earn a bachelor’s degree. Look up educational requirements here.
Associate/Bachelors –> Doctorate
| Occupation | Entry-Level Education | Projected Growth Rate | 2020 Average Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audiologists | Doctoral or professional degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | Doctoral or professional degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary | Doctoral or professional degree | Much faster than average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Physical therapists | Doctoral or professional degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Veterinarians | Doctoral or professional degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| OCCUPATION | ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION | PROJECTED GROWTH RATE | 2020 MEDIAN PAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiropractors | Doctoral or professional degree | Faster than average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Psychiatrists | Doctoral or professional degree | Faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Dentists, general | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Lawyers | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Optometrists | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Orthodontists | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Physicists | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Prosthodontists | Doctoral or professional degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
Jobs that require a MASTERS DEGREE
This data pulled from the United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook. This is to say that in order to be the profession listed below, the minimum degree your teen must obtain is the master’s degree. Before you can begin a master’s degree, you must complete a bachelor’s degree. Look up educational requirements here.
Associate/Bachelors –> Masters
| OCCUPATION | ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION | PROJECTED GROWTH RATE | 2020 MEDIAN PAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and information research scientists | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Curators | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Epidemiologists | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Genetic counselors | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Marriage and family therapists | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Nurse practitioners | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Occupational therapists | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Orthotists and prosthetists | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Physician assistants | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Speech-language pathologists | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Statisticians | Master’s degree | Much faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Archivists | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Economists | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Healthcare social workers | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Nurse anesthetists | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Nurse midwives | Master’s degree | Faster than average | $80,000 or more |
| Anthropologists and archeologists | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Counselors, all other | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
| Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Education administrators, postsecondary | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Instructional coordinators | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Librarians and media collections specialists | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Political scientists | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $80,000 or more |
| Rehabilitation counselors | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $30,000 to $39,999 |
| Urban and regional planners | Master’s degree | As fast as average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Acupuncturists and healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $80,000 or more |
| Historians | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $60,000 to $79,999 |
| Industrial-organizational psychologists | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $80,000 or more |
| Mathematicians | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $80,000 or more |
| Psychologists, all other | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $80,000 or more |
| Sociologists | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $80,000 or more |
| Survey researchers | Master’s degree | Slower than average | $40,000 to $59,999 |
