As the number of bachelor degree graduates continues to rise, more and more students are looking for a way to differentiate themselves in the job market. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, greater numbers of students at the high school level are not only aspiring to a college education that encompasses a postgraduate degree or beyond, but following through as well. It’s estimated that over 600,000 students will complete master’s degree programs in 2007 alone. The numbers reflect a change that has taken place within the last twenty years, a change that’s highly indicative of society’s overall view of education and success.

Where once having a bachelor degree was the prime building block for fulfilling the "American dream", society has begun to realize that an undergraduate education is the modern equivalent of a high school diploma. Not all, but most of the jobs that can offer a suitable living wage require at least a bachelor degree. A master’s degree is now the step above, helping to single out those who wish to distinguish themselves from the rank and file.

Of course, higher education comes at a price, but it’s a price that more and more Americans show increasing willingness to meet. Not only are postgraduate degree programs expensive, they normally add two or more years of education onto the four years it takes (on average) to achieve a bachelor degree. For students who are segueing from undergraduate directly into postgraduate, the toll in student loan costs and other forms of financing can seem like an insurmountable obstacle.

Still, postgraduate degree holders will average well over a million dollars in earnings more than bachelor degree holders during the course of their working lives. Thr difference will more than pay for the cost of the education, and the advancement opportunities created by some postgraduate degree program are simply not possible through a bachelor degree.

Of course, some choose to enroll in postgraduate studies simply because it’s necessary for the field they chose in the course of earning their undergraduate degree. To these students, postgraduate education is less of a means to an end than a natural academic progression. For others, however, postgraduate degrees are badges of distinction in an already crowded job market.

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