Advanced educational degrees have proven over time to further careers and promote salaries. The graph below demonstrates a substantial differentiation between median wages of those with advanced degrees when compared with four-year degrees, and an even larger difference between those with advanced degrees and no college degree.  It is abundantly clear, advanced degrees advance careers.

But what about now, in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic?  The year 2020 has already been labelled as chaotic and a year that will ever change U.S. society. Of course, no one can predict the future, but early data demonstrates that workers with higher levels of educational attainment were more likely to have teleworked because of the pandemic. Among employed people age 25 and over, 4% of those with less than a high school diploma teleworked in July, much lower than the 47% of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9/4/2020, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey on 9/8/2020.)

The data is consistent — graduate education does matter and continues to matter. At Otterbein, we continue to be proud to provide a quality graduate education to you and to our current students. Yes, our day-to-day routine as faculty, staff and students has indeed changed, but not our commitment to student success.

Wishing all a productive and beautiful Midwestern fall season.

– Dr. Barbara Schaffner, Associate Provost of Graduate Studies