graduate degrees

Have you considered going back to school for your master’s? Certainly, it can be a daunting prospect, but the truth is that most of the things that hold us back from the adventure of a graduate degree aren’t quite the deal-breakers we imagine…

In case you’re wondering whether or not to take the next step, here are the top six reasons we don’t pursue the higher education that could change our lives and careers.

We think…

1. It’s too expensive. By now we’re used to hearing about prohibitively expensive education and overwhelming burdens of student debt. However, not every program comes with this kind of cost. Belmont Abbey’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies conscientiously maintains affordable rates and meaningful financial aid options in order to ensure that its master’s programs remain accessible to young professionals.
2. I don’t have time. We all lead busy lives, so it can be difficult to see where a degree program might fit on a daily basis. Certainly, graduate studies require a time commitment, but Belmont Abbey master’s students find that the program’s flexible online structure not only presents manageable requirements but also strengthens the skills and strategies that bring new levels of fruitfulness to your time outside of coursework.
3. I won’t be able to balance my full-time job. While career and classes both require time and attention, Belmont Abbey’s flexible online graduate programs are designed for the full-time professional. The nature of a master’s degree, moreover, recognizes professional goals and networks as essential elements of the program. In fact, remaining actively engaged in a career throughout your graduate studies can actually help enrich and contextualize coursework by uniting it with consistent, hands-on experience. Ultimately, the Abbey’s graduate degrees aim to enhance career success and take you to the next level without demanding that you put your job or life on hold.
4. I won’t be able to balance my home life. Because we love our families and honor our responsibilities to them, we should evaluate the demands that our prospective studies might make on life at home. We know that creating personal and family balance during our graduate studies will present challenges like any meaningful commitment. And yet, graduates of Belmont Abbey’s master’s programs demonstrate time and again that the flexible nature of the online coursework and the responsive accessibility of professors help encourage and sustain successful balance. It’s also important to remember that your loved ones want to see you succeed and that your family, as they accompany you on this educational journey, can be a true source of strength.
5. It’s too late at this point. Whether you’re fresh out of college or bringing years of career experience to the decision, it’s never too late to pursue the personal excellence and increased expertise of a graduate degree. The benefits to your personal and professional development remain profoundly relevant at any stage of your career.
6. It’s just not worth it. There are many reasons why this last is a tempting but ultimately unsatisfactory conclusion. A graduate degree is not everyone’s calling, but if it’s yours, the benefits to your earning power, advancement, career satisfaction, personal development, and community relationships remain profound and substantial. In fact, to explore 10 reasons to complete your graduate degree, click here.

Although none of the above should prevent you from pursuing the transformative education to which you are called, going back to school will always present challenges and require the discipline of sacrifice. Just remember that education is an investment in the future – your own and your community’s – and when we respond to a genuine calling with generosity and love, the blessings are always greater than we can anticipate.

When you’re ready to take the next step, Belmont Abbey College is here to help. Explore our flexible, affordable online graduate degree programs and discover how a master’s could change your life and your career! Click here to check out our MBA, MSN, MS in Data Analytics, or MA programs in Classical and Liberal Education, Communication, or Leadership.

Wondering why you should get a master’s degree? Explore these 10 reasons to take your education to the next level.

Getting your master’s can be a daunting prospect, especially for busy professionals seeking to maintain balance amid work, family, and personal commitments. It’s worth pausing to consider, however, what a graduate degree could mean for you – especially since assessing the benefits can help shed light on what you want from your career and your life as a whole.

So… if you are a working professional, what ARE the benefits of earning a master’s?

Ultimately, a master of arts or sciences empowers you to:

1. Further discern your calling by engaging meaningfully with an area of personal or professional interest. A degree program can clarify unexplored possibilities for growth within your chosen field, highlighting the industry needs and opportunities that invite your unique contribution . Graduate programs offer more opportunities to engage your field at the cutting edge as professors provide context and guide you in making original contributions to the academic and professional conversation. Even more than an undergraduate degree, graduate studies position you to recognize and embrace the possibilities of your field or discipline.
2. Increase your earning power. Full-time, 25-34 year old professionals with a master’s degree earn a 20% higher median salary than those whose highest level of education remains at the undergraduate level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Completing your master’s qualifies you to climb the salary scale with greater confidence.
3. Learn from – and join – experts in your chosen field. Graduate professors combine education, training, and experience in a way that uniquely qualifies them to provide the formative guidance you need to excel both personally and professionally. They have dedicated their exceptional knowledge and skills to helping you achieve success, ultimately facilitating your growth toward new levels of collaboration in your discipline or field.
4. Alongside a verified standard of knowledge, skill, and critical thought, a master’s degree demonstrates your disciplined commitment to a field. A master’s signals not only that you are prepared for enhanced responsibilities and greater opportunities, but also that you are willing to embrace challenges, learn new skills, and develop your potential. Colleagues and supervisors recognize this, and the recognition transforms your professional landscape.
5. Expand your professional network through the connections and opportunities available within a college community. Even beyond hands-on learning, research, thesis development, and conferences, the institutional life of a college includes a community of alumni, professors, and peers who can provide support and invaluable connection. In terms of resources for higher education and advancement, graduate degree programs remain particularly attuned to the active professional life since by its nature it seeks to prepare serious and aspiring participants for meaningful work in their chosen fields.
6. Raise your promotion potential. Don’t let your education level keep you from career advancement, especially in an industry where education thresholds might otherwise curb your upward mobility or hold you back from the leadership only you can offer. A master’s degree demonstrates expertise that qualifies you to rise more quickly and confidently than you otherwise might have.
7. Learn together with other motivated seekers. Aside from the professional advantages of earning your master’s – which includes a network of peers aspiring to more profound collaboration in their fields – the personal benefits of a learning community shouldn’t be underestimated. Engaging in the shared pursuit of excellence and exploring the depths and challenges of a chosen field offer a basis for lasting friendships and community, especially at the graduate level, where conversations seek and support original contributions at the very forefront of a discipline or industry.
8. Open up new career opportunities. As you grow and develop both personally and professionally within a master’s program, the career opportunities open to you grow commensurately, providing new challenges and satisfactions that can increase your sense of accomplishment and overall well-being. A master’s degree embraces a wide new range of careers and levels of advancement that might otherwise remain out of reach.
9. Embrace your God-given potential. When you develop your capacities and gifts to their full potential, you participate in God’s creative work and embrace His will. Of course, formal education isn’t the only way to do this, but it can be a powerful means of responding to the vision of our Creator and taking on the vocation that is our particular calling in life. With the expertise of a master’s degree, you invite new possibilities of creative and active participation in God’s plan for your life.
10. Transform your community. Remember that embracing your calling benefits not just you but also your entire community. Your gifts transform the world and change the lives of those around you, so developing them through a graduate degree program has truly unimaginable effects. Find out what it can mean for you!

Consider investing in yourself, your career, and your community. Take the next step today by exploring Belmont Abbey’s flexible, affordable online graduate degree programs, whether our MBA, MSN, MS in Data Analytics, or MA programs in Classical and Liberal Education, Communication, or Leadership. Click here to learn more.