In the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2025-35 projections, occupations typically requiring a master's degree grow fastest, at 11.0 percent, versus 3.5 percent for all occupations.[6] For MBA and graduate applicants, compare the specific jobs behind those totals with their entry education and work-experience requirements.[1][7]
Which BLS projection decade is current?
As of November 15, 2026, the current projection decade is 2025-35.[5] The BLS release is dated Thursday, August 27, 2026, and numbered USDL-26-1422.[2] It projects total employment to rise from 170.3 million to 176.2 million, which is 3.5 percent growth, slower than the 10.9 percent recorded over 2015-25.[2]
How fast do jobs grow by education level?
BLS groups occupations by typical entry-level education; this table shows selected groups and the overall total.[6]
| Typical entry-level education | Employment, 2025 (thousands) | Projected growth, 2025-35 (percent) | Median annual wage, 2025 (dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctoral or professional degree | 4,543.2[6] | 6.4[6] | 128,870[6] |
| Master's degree | 3,941.3[6] | 11.0[6] | 83,210[6] |
| Bachelor's degree | 42,870.1[6] | 5.6[6] | 96,480[6] |
| Associate's degree | 3,554.1[6] | 4.9[6] | 64,990[6] |
| Postsecondary nondegree award | 10,679.1[6] | 5.7[6] | 49,910[6] |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 60,319.0[6] | 2.0[6] | 48,050[6] |
| Total, all occupations | 170,280.8[6] | 3.5[6] | 50,980[6] |
These are occupation-group wages, not earnings grouped by workers' own degrees.[6] The master's-category median is $83,210 versus $96,480 for the bachelor's category.[6] Wages cover non-farm wage and salary workers, excluding the self-employed, unincorporated-firm owners and partners, and household workers.[6] BLS uses 2025 entry-education classifications and does not forecast changes in educational requirements.[6]
Which fast-growing jobs typically need a graduate degree?
Score Architect counts eight master's-level rows plus two doctoral/professional rows: ten of the 30 occupations in Table 1.3, matched to Table 5.4.[1][7]
| Occupation | Typical entry-level education | Projected growth, 2025-35 (percent) | Median annual wage, 2025 (dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners | Master's degree[7] | 41.0[1] | 132,300[1] |
| Computer and information research scientists | Master's degree[7] | 21.8[1] | 140,300[1] |
| Physician assistants | Master's degree[7] | 21.1[1] | 135,880[1] |
| Epidemiologists | Master's degree[7] | 18.7[1] | 87,220[1] |
| Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors | Master's degree[7] | 18.4[1] | 59,350[1] |
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | Doctoral or professional degree[7] | 17.9[1] | 107,310[1] |
| Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary | Doctoral or professional degree[7] | 17.1[1] | 80,250[1] |
| Speech-language pathologists | Master's degree[7] | 16.6[1] | 97,870[1] |
| Occupational therapists | Master's degree[7] | 14.8[1] | 100,330[1] |
| Marriage and family therapists | Master's degree[7] | 13.5[1] | 66,940[1] |
As of November 15, 2026, the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) says nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners must hold state licenses and pass a national certification exam.[4] Check current state requirements before choosing a program. For data scientists, whose typical entry-level education is a bachelor's degree, some employers require or prefer a master's or doctoral degree.[3][7]
What do the projections say about management and business jobs?
Management occupations held 13,683.4 thousand jobs in 2025 and are projected to grow 6.2 percent over 2025-35, with a 2025 median annual wage of $126,520.[8] Business and financial operations occupations are projected to grow 5.5 percent, with a 2025 median annual wage of $82,660.[8]
Two management occupations appear in Table 1.3: medical and health services managers (24.2 percent growth, $123,860) and computer and information systems managers (15.8 percent growth, $175,140), using 2025-35 projections and 2025 median annual wages.[1] BLS assigns bachelor's-level entry education to both, plus chief executives, financial managers and management analysts.[7] Related work experience is typically 5 years or more for computer and information systems managers, chief executives and financial managers, and less than 5 years for medical and health services managers and management analysts.[7]
How do earnings and unemployment differ by attainment?
Table 5.1 groups people by their highest educational attainment.[9] For full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over, 2025 median usual weekly earnings were $2,307 for doctoral degree holders, $2,294 for professional degree holders, $1,876 for master's degree holders and $1,578 for bachelor's degree holders, against $1,268 overall.[9] Unemployment rates for people age 25 and over were 1.8, 1.9, 2.6 and 2.8 percent for those groups, against 3.4 percent overall.[9] The 2025 estimates are 11-month averages excluding October because of the federal government shutdown, so BLS says they are not strictly comparable with other annual averages.[9]
What does this mean for MBA and graduate applicants?
- Projected growth is highest for occupations that typically need a master's degree, but BLS notes that the table covers all jobs from 2025 to 2035, not just entry-level jobs.[6]
- The graduate-level jobs in the fast-growing list are in healthcare, counseling, postsecondary teaching, epidemiology and computer research, so check the licensing and education route for a specific field.[1][4][7]
- The five named management and business occupations have bachelor's-level entry education and related work-experience assignments.[7] Check your target role rather than treating these data as an MBA requirement.
- BLS cautions that its precise values do not remove the uncertainty of long-term labor-market predictions.[2] Its earnings table compares groups and notes that training programs may also influence earnings and unemployment rates, so it does not show that a degree causes higher pay.[9]
Explore Score Architect's resources and graduate-test preparation. Check the live BLS pages for revisions.
Frequently asked questions
Which education level has the fastest projected job growth?
In BLS Table 5.2, occupations whose typical entry-level education is a master's degree are projected to grow 11.0 percent from 2025 to 2035.[6] Doctoral or professional degree occupations are projected to grow 6.4 percent and bachelor's degree occupations 5.6 percent, against 3.5 percent for all occupations.[6]
Do the fastest-growing jobs need a graduate degree?
Some do.[7] Of the 30 occupations in BLS Table 1.3, eight list a master's degree and two list a doctoral or professional degree as typical entry-level education.[1][7] They include nurse practitioners at 41.0 percent growth.[1] Others, such as solar photovoltaic installers, list a high school diploma or equivalent.[7]
How fast are management and business jobs projected to grow?
BLS projects management occupations to grow 6.2 percent from 2025 to 2035, with a median annual wage of $126,520 in 2025.[8] Business and financial operations occupations are projected to grow 5.5 percent, with a median of $82,660.[8] All occupations are projected to grow 3.5 percent.[8]
Do BLS data show that a master's degree raises pay?
No. Table 5.1 compares groups, not the effect of earning a degree.[9] For full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over, 2025 median usual weekly earnings were $1,876 with a master's degree and $1,578 with a bachelor's degree.[9] BLS notes that training may also influence earnings and unemployment.[9]
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fastest growing occupations (Table 1.3). Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections: 2025-2035 Summary. Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data Scientists, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook home. Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, wages, and projected change in employment by typical entry-level education (Table 5.2). Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Table 5.4). Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment by major occupational group (Table 1.1). Accessed 15 November 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Education pays: unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment (Table 5.1). Accessed 15 November 2026.