Master's degree
Typical entry-level education · BLS
Master's degree is one of the eight typical entry-level education levels BLS assigns to occupations — the credential most workers have when they enter the job. This level covers 40 occupations employing about 3,434,640 workers, with a median wage of $83,850. It describes the typical path, not a requirement — many people enter by other routes.
What occupations at this level pay
Median annual wage across occupations at this entry-level education, from BLS OEWS (national, cross-industry, May 2024). The middle range shows the 25th–75th percentile of occupation medians — it describes the level, not a guarantee for any one person or job.
| Median occupation wage | $83,850 |
| Middle range (p25–p75) | $64,185 – $110,813 |
| Occupations with wage data | 40 of 40 |
AI exposure at this education level
Two published studies estimate how exposed each occupation is to today's AI. The OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" study rates the share of an occupation's tasks a large language model (with tools) could speed up by half or more; averaged across occupations that typically need this credential it is 47% — 81st percentile of the eight education levels. The independent Felten/Raj/Seamans AI Occupational Exposure index averages 0.93 here.
Computed across the 38 of 40 occupations at this level that carry a published exposure score.
Across the eight levels, AI exposure rises with education — degree-requiring knowledge work is most exposed, manual and credential-light work least. Exposure measures where AI could assist tasks, not a prediction that these jobs will be automated; high exposure most often means augmentation.
Highest-paying occupations at this level
Occupations whose typical entry-level education is master's degree, with the highest median wage. Wage describes the occupation, not an individual.
| Occupation | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $223,210 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $140,910 |
| Political Scientists | $139,380 |
| Physician Assistants | $133,260 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $129,210 |
| Nurse Midwives | $128,790 |
| Mathematicians | $121,680 |
| Psychologists, All Other | $117,580 |
| Economists | $115,440 |
| Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other | $113,730 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $109,840 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $104,070 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $103,960 |
| Statisticians | $103,300 |
| Sociologists | $101,690 |
| Genetic Counselors | $98,910 |
| Occupational Therapists | $98,340 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | $95,410 |
| School Psychologists | $86,930 |
| Epidemiologists | $83,980 |
| Urban and Regional Planners | $83,720 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $80,190 |
| Orthotists and Prosthetists | $78,310 |
| Acupuncturists | $78,140 |
| Instructional Coordinators | $74,720 |
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
Data compiled June 3, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Master's degree." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/education/master-s-degree
Singulariki. (2026). Master's degree. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/education/master-s-degree
@misc{singulariki-master-s-degree,
title = {Master's degree},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/education/master-s-degree}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.