Professional Degrees

A professional degree is usually obtained after a bachelor's degree in fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or law. These degrees are among the highest paying fields, as well as some of the most prestigious. Professional degrees are highly competitive, since there are very few schools in the US that offer these programs. Many schools only want students with the highest academic scores.

Popular Professional Programs Online :

Median Income for Professional Degrees in 2002*

• Law (JD) $90,290
• Physicians and Surgeons (MD) $145,600+
• Pharmacists $77,050
• Postsecondary Teachers $49,090

Once you have a degree in your respective field, you will be required to get a license to practice your chosen profession. For lawyers, they will have to pass a very rigorous Bar Exam. Each state individually writes and administers these exams, some competitive states base the exam on a curve, so unfortunately someone has to fail. 

Physicians, and pharmacists also have to pass a board test in order to practice. Depending on the field, exams will have to be taken every few years to renew the license. 

Cost and Outlook

Professional schools are very expensive, topping over 100k, and many students choose to take out loans for the entire duration. My personal advice is to work for a few years, and gain experience. Save money during that period, and try to graduate with a debt smaller then $100k, which is no small feat. Please do the rest of the population a favor and make sure that you are getting a professional degree for more then money. Make sure you have a passion for your field, because it will be difficult to turn back. 

People with professional degrees make up the majority of the self-employed. The program is a good route to go if you want to be your own boss one day. Professional degrees in healthcare will only grow in demand as our population ages.

The most popular professional degrees are law, health, and religious studies.

Requirements

Depending on the degree, you will have to take an entrance exam, i.e. LSAT for law, and MCAT for medicine. Superior grads, references, high test scores, and interviews are all required for entrance to the top schools. 

*All stats are according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004.