Education & Careers
Types of College Degrees
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Updated:3/21/2026
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Degree↕ | Duration↕ | Average Cost (US)↕ | Median Starting Salary↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bachelor of Science (BS) | 4 years | $100,000-$200,000 | $60,000-$80,000 | The foundation degree for STEM — engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, the degree that opens doors to technical careers, increasingly seen as the minimum requirement for professional jobs, the rising cost has sparked a 'is college worth it?' debate, STEM BS degrees have the highest ROI of any bachelor's |
Bachelor of Arts (BA) | 4 years | $100,000-$200,000 | $45,000-$65,000 | The liberal arts foundation — English, history, political science, philosophy, teaches critical thinking and communication over technical skills, the 'what are you going to do with that?' degree, many successful CEOs and leaders have BAs, the skills are transferable but the career path is less direct, the degree parents worry about |
Master of Business Administration (MBA) | 2 years | $60,000-$200,000 | $115,000-$175,000 | The boardroom ticket — Harvard, Wharton, Stanford MBAs are networking goldmines, the degree that turns engineers and analysts into managers and executives, average salary jump of 50-100%, consulting and investment banking recruit almost exclusively from top MBA programs, the most commercially valuable graduate degree, two years of case studies and networking |
Doctor of Medicine (MD) | 4 years + 3-7 years residency | $200,000-$350,000 | $220,000-$400,000+ | The ultimate delayed gratification — MD students graduate $200K+ in debt, then work 80-hour weeks as residents earning $60K for 3-7 years, but attending physician salaries are among the highest of any profession, the prestige is unmatched, surgeons and specialists earn $400K+, the decade-long commitment that Asian parents dream about |
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | 5-7 years | Usually funded (tuition waiver + stipend) | $80,000-$120,000 (varies wildly by field) | The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake — free tuition and a stipend (in STEM) but 5-7 years of poverty wages, you become the world's foremost expert on an incredibly narrow topic, academia is brutally competitive (30% of PhDs get tenure-track jobs), industry PhDs in CS/AI/biotech earn $150K+, the degree where you question everything including why you got the degree |
Juris Doctor (JD) | 3 years | $150,000-$250,000 | $80,000-$200,000 (bimodal) | The bimodal salary distribution — top 14 law school grads start at $215K at BigLaw firms, everyone else starts at $60-80K, the market is brutally saturated with 40,000 new JDs per year, lawyer jokes exist because everyone knows one, the bar exam is a hazing ritual, T14 vs rest is the starkest prestige hierarchy in any profession |
Associate Degree (AS/AA) | 2 years | $10,000-$30,000 | $35,000-$50,000 | The affordable on-ramp — community colleges offer these at a fraction of university cost, nursing (ASN) and IT associates lead to solid careers, can transfer to a 4-year university, trades-focused associates (HVAC, welding) lead to surprisingly high earnings, the degree that delivers the best value per dollar spent on education |
Master of Science (MS) | 1-2 years | $30,000-$100,000 | $75,000-$120,000 | The specialist upgrade — MS in Computer Science is the golden ticket in tech (Georgia Tech's $7K online MSCS changed the game), engineering MS opens doors to senior roles, data science MS is the hottest degree of the 2020s, can be done while working, less commitment than a PhD with most of the salary bump, the practical graduate degree |
Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS/DMD) | 4 years + possible specialty | $250,000-$400,000 | $170,000-$250,000 | The most underrated medical degree — dentists have among the highest job satisfaction of any profession, work-life balance is genuinely good (no emergency calls), own your own practice, everyone needs dental work, student debt is massive but income is consistent, the profession where patients apologize to you for not flossing |
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) | 2-3 years | $40,000-$120,000 | $40,000-$65,000 | The terminal degree for artists — considered the PhD equivalent in creative fields, Iowa Writers' Workshop is the most prestigious (acceptance rate: 3%), MFA in Film from USC/NYU/AFI launches Hollywood careers, the degree where the network matters more than the credential, most MFA grads teach, the degree you get for passion not money |
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) | 4 years | $150,000-$250,000 | $128,000-$150,000 | The saturated healthcare degree — pharmacists earn well but the job market has shifted dramatically, CVS and Walgreens overwork their pharmacists, $200K in debt for a job that's increasingly stressful, clinical pharmacy is more rewarding but competitive, AI and automation threaten routine dispensing, was a dream career in the 2000s but the economics have changed |
Master of Public Health (MPH) | 1-2 years | $30,000-$80,000 | $55,000-$75,000 | The COVID-era hero degree — applications surged 30% during the pandemic, focuses on population health rather than individual patients, epidemiology track is the most famous, WHO and CDC careers, global health work in developing countries, lower salary ceiling than clinical medicine but higher purpose, the degree that Fauci made cool |
Professional Certificate | 3-12 months | $2,000-$15,000 | Varies ($50,000-$130,000 depending on field) | The degree disruptor — Google Career Certificates, AWS certifications, and coding bootcamps challenge the need for traditional degrees, 3-12 months instead of 4 years, cost a fraction of college, tech companies increasingly hire based on skills not degrees, the question 'do you need a degree?' now has a legitimate answer of 'maybe not' |
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