Forbes Worst Master's Degrees: MLIS ranks 25th out of 30

Forbes took a look at master's degree programs offering the best and worst salaries and employment prospects over the next decade. Click on the article's slideshow links for the findings. Forbes' method to determine the worst master's degrees: "we looked at 30 popular degrees and mid-career salaries, as provided by Payscale.com, which lets users compare their pay with that of other people in similar jobs. Next we looked at Bureau of Labor Statistics data, to see how fast employment was expected to increase over the next decade for popular jobs held by people with these degrees. Finally we considered the number of job openings based on expected replacement needs during the next 10 years."

In the worst master's degree rankings, MLIS ranks 25 out of 30.

No. 25: Library and Information Science
Mid-career median pay: $57,200
Projected employment increase: 16%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 41%
Common jobs: Reference librarian, library director, law librarian

In the best master's degree ranking, Physician Assistant takes first place honors.

No. 1: Physician Assistant Studies
Mid-career median pay: $98,900
Projected employment increase: 39%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 57%
Common jobs: Nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, director of nursing

I distinctly remember one of my library school profs comparing the nursing profession to librarianship; the former helping to healing and preserve the health the body while we helping to do the same for the information needs of the mind. Well, we don't all do this just for the money and I, for one, prefer to visit my physician assistant instead of my doctor because she spends more time with her patients.

Hat tip to LISNews. [JH]