Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Postsecondary teachers, all other
- Median annual wage: $63,690
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 170 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Grand Rapids that require a graduate degree
Earning top dollar typically requires more education than an undergraduate degree can provide. Doctors, lawyers, and professors need extra years of focused study for their chosen fields, but they're not alone. Graduate degrees in fields like business, teaching, and public health build specialized knowledge that can fast-track a career—and one's salary.
Many hiring managers view a master's degree as the equivalent of two years of work experience, giving graduate degree holders a leg up. In 2024, master's degree holders earned a weekly median of $1,840, a 19% premium over undergraduate degree holders. Doctorates earned $2,278, and professional degree holders earned $2,363.
Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Grand Rapids that require a graduate degree in Grand Rapids. This includes doctorates, master's degrees, and professional degrees. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
Job security is another benefit. The unemployment rate for a master's degree holder is 2.2%, compared to 2.5% for undergraduate degree holders. Doctorates and professional degree holders' unemployment rate is close to 1%.
Employers believe a graduate degree showcases an employee's drive and commitment, but that comes at a price. Between 2000 and 2020, median annual tuition and fees for graduate degree programs increased by 233%. Unsurprisingly, median student debt has also increased, rising 47% to $50,000.
Depending on the career field, some prospective students may find it difficult to justify the expense. Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce found that full-time workers in STEM fields earned $128,000 annually, almost twice as much as their degreed counterparts in humanities and the arts. A graduate degree in humanities also only brought a 10% earnings premium over someone with a bachelor's degree.
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2 / 50#49. Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $64,160
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $64,370
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 350 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Healthcare social workers
- Median annual wage: $64,540
- Median hourly wage: $31.03
- Total employment: 670 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Psychology teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $65,390
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 160 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Business teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $74,190
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 250 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Biochemists and biophysicists
- Median annual wage: $74,800
- Median hourly wage: $35.96
- Total employment: 80 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $74,990
- Median hourly wage: $36.05
- Total employment: 180 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
voronaman // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $75,590
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. School psychologists
- Median annual wage: $75,880
- Median hourly wage: $36.48
- Total employment: 180 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $77,700
- Median hourly wage: $37.36
- Total employment: 400 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chad McDermott // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Urban and regional planners
- Median annual wage: $77,920
- Median hourly wage: $37.46
- Total employment: 100 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Recreation and fitness studies teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $78,630
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 70 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Sociology teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $79,000
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Instructional coordinators
- Median annual wage: $79,420
- Median hourly wage: $38.18
- Total employment: 510 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $80,450
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 170 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. History teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $81,530
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Daniel Besic // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. English language and literature teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $82,060
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 280 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Biological science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $82,460
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 200 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Chemistry teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $83,370
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $84,810
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 220 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $85,050
- Median hourly wage: $40.89
- Total employment: 550 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $86,360
- Median hourly wage: $41.52
- Total employment: 660 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $87,150
- Median hourly wage: $41.90
- Total employment: 800 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pheelings media // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Statisticians
- Median annual wage: $88,640
- Median hourly wage: $42.62
- Total employment: 40 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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KSai23 // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Chiropractors
- Median annual wage: $92,480
- Median hourly wage: $44.46
- Total employment: 210 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $99,160
- Median hourly wage: $47.67
- Total employment: 1,050 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Audiologists
- Median annual wage: $99,240
- Median hourly wage: $47.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $101,070
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,210 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,800
- Median hourly wage: $48.94
- Total employment: 40 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other
- Median annual wage: $104,350
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Computer science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $106,310
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 80 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Engineering teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $107,050
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 80 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Nurse midwives
- Median annual wage: $119,000
- Median hourly wage: $57.21
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $124,480
- Median hourly wage: $59.85
- Total employment: 1,010 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $128,760
- Median hourly wage: $61.91
- Total employment: 290 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $129,740
- Median hourly wage: $62.38
- Total employment: 150 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $130,810
- Median hourly wage: $62.89
- Total employment: 1,380 people (2.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $131,460
- Median hourly wage: $63.20
- Total employment: 960 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $134,860
- Median hourly wage: $64.84
- Total employment: 1,040 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlurryMe // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $161,010
- Median hourly wage: $77.41
- Total employment: 80 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $172,000
- Median hourly wage: $82.69
- Total employment: 430 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $210,460
- Median hourly wage: $101.18
- Total employment: 400 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Psychiatrists
- Median annual wage: $217,050
- Median hourly wage: $104.35
- Total employment: 110 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $223,820
- Median hourly wage: $107.61
- Total employment: 240 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $224,260
- Median hourly wage: $107.82
- Total employment: 2,550 people (4.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Djols // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Emergency medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Pediatricians, general (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Komsan Loonprom // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Cardiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 363 metros.
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