In recent years, statistics show that an increasing number of students are pursuing master’s degrees.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the total number of master’s degrees conferred by universities in the United States increased by 16 percent and is expected to continue growing.
BYU reports that it granted 1,036 master’s degrees in 2023-2024.
Amy Royer is the Assistant Dean of BYU Graduate Studies and oversees graduate admissions and recruiting. She said that one of the biggest appeals of master’s programs is the opportunity that comes with it.
“They provide more training, opening doors to industry or academia,” Royer said.
Hannah Broadbent graduated in April 2025 from BYU’s Master of Science program in Food Science. She says that the training she has received through the program will be valuable to her as she pursues a career in research and development as a food scientist.
“I’ve gained valuable technical knowledge, especially in analytical methods and method development,” Hannah Broadbent said.
Katy Hall is an undergraduate student at BYU studying linguistics. She plans to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science degree after graduation.
“My end goal is to become a librarian, and so I needed a path to get there,” she said. “It’s something I’ve been aiming for the whole time.”
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the more advanced knowledge offered by a master’s program can increase earnings and decrease the risk of unemployment.
Additionally, a data project conducted by Emerson Law, a student at BYU, concluded that the average time it takes to receive a return on investment of a master's degree is 8.92 years.
The data set was taken from 20 million random survey responses from master's graduates across the U.S. population.
“I’ve always been interested in higher education, and I saw the potential for increased earning, power and career advancement,” Hannah Broadbent said.
While a master’s degree is valuable, students say that pursuing one is a big decision that requires serious personal consideration.
“Don’t do a master’s program just because you don’t know what to do with your life and you are trying to buy time before going into the workforce,” Mary Broadbent, a BYU master’s student in the social work program, said. “It is okay to pause and take time to contemplate your next step.”
Both the application to the program and beginning the program present unique challenges to be considered.
“The deadlines are earlier than expected, and the application takes more than a day to complete,” Royer said.
After being accepted, Royer said that it can be difficult to understand the program's expectations and rigor. However, there are many resources to help students navigate the transition from undergraduate education to graduate school.
Mary Broadbent said that after starting her program, one of the hardest parts for her was balancing school, a research job and another job on top of that.
“You need to be comfortable with trial and error, failure and navigating uncertainty,” Hannah Broadbent said.
Hall agrees that the most nerve-wracking part of applying for her master’s program is not knowing exactly what it will be like.
“I’m a little nervous about that going in,” Hall said.
While the process can be intimidating, the students say that it is a rewarding learning experience in more ways than one.
“I am a very passionate, curious and empathetic person, which are skills that are particularly useful in clinical and advocacy work,” Mary Broadbent said. She says that she plans to practice clinical and advocacy work in the future.
Hannah Broadbent said that her program has taught her resilience and patience.
Hall currently works at the Harold B. Lee Library and said that her passion for library science and her goal of becoming a librarian make her excited and ready to take the next step.
“It's kind of exciting to actually be in the program that I've been aiming for my whole college career,” she said. “I'm finally here, I finished the bachelor's and now I can get onto the master's and then work towards being an actual professional librarian.”