Master's degree bump?

[Anonymous]

In your workplace, is there a salary and/or title increase for people completing master's degrees while employed? Or is there a set difference in salary/grade for those with master's and those without?

[Anonymous]

No (financial services, niche area).

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your reply! I'm asking because I have a team member who will be finishing his MA degree this spring. He asked me in a casual chat if his salary would go up. I deferred the conversation because I wanted to check if we had an official policy (turns out we don't).

My inclination is that if his work doesn't change substantially or if I don't see major value added, salary shouldn't automatically go up. I want to ask him to present a better case (though don't want to ask him to do that and then still say no). Curious what other employers do.

[Anonymous]

Work in academia. Yes, 100% degree based (good and bad).

[Anonymous]

No, unfortunately we don't- International development org. I could see it if it enhances technical capacity, and if it would translate into a higher level of work.

[Anonymous]

Ha! I was laid off four days before I received my Masters. No salary bump for me (still job hunting).

[Anonymous]

They didn't bump me, but they did pay my tuition which I appreciated. I stayed another couple of years before moving on.

[Anonymous]

No. Consulting firm.

[Anonymous]

Nope.

I think someone on my team should come to me and say "heres what i learned in my masters program and applied to my job, with x results. Can we talk about a pay raise due to those accomplishments?"

Of course, they could say the same thing without the whole "masters degree' thing...

so basically, the masters is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes its not the salary bump but whether it makes you more employable.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing magical that happens with you finish the Masters. Well, sometimes on a T & M contract, you will qualify for a higher labor category....

[Anonymous]

Yes, we get a $7k bump.

[Anonymous]

We have different job categories/titles with specs based on degree/years of experience/duties.

If a person outgrows their current classification, the supervisor may propose a promotion at annual review. Supervisor also must demonstrate that job duties have increased and are in line with the new classification.

[Anonymous]

Certain ladder positions and labor category upgrades aside: I respect higher education, but this question always irks me to no end. So you went and got a masters degree, but are still doing the job you were capable of doing without it. Why does that net a salary bump? If you're better at your job now or qualified for a new position, then, yes, your pay should go up (though potentially not immediately). I've had employees blankly repeat "but I got a masters" and not understand that the accomplishment was theirs, and it may have made them better even as they studied for it along the way, but the granting of the price of paper itself is not a turning point that gets the a raise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certain ladder positions and labor category upgrades aside: I respect higher education, but this question always irks me to no end. So you went and got a masters degree, but are still doing the job you were capable of doing without it. Why does that net a salary bump? If you're better at your job now or qualified for a new position, then, yes, your pay should go up (though potentially not immediately). I've had employees blankly repeat "but I got a masters" and not understand that the accomplishment was theirs, and it may have made them better even as they studied for it along the way, but the granting of the price of paper itself is not a turning point that gets the a raise.

There's a reason why so many employers will actually pay for someone to get a master's degree. People get continuing education and training -- even when their actual job doesn't change. Why? Because the assumption is they can do it better and they can offer the company more down the road.

Teachers get a pay bump when they earn a master's. Their job doesn't change, but it suggests they bring something additional to the table, have a greater arsenal of tools and skills and knowledge to apply to the job.

A lot depends on a person's individual field, but if you are irked that people seek a pay upgrade for earning an advanced degree, then you really don't respect higher education and, frankly, you are shortsighted. Wise employers invest in employees not because it makes an immediate difference but because they know the employee will grow and possibly be able to contribute in other ways.

But sure, if someone is a plumber and gets a master's in French Literature, then maybe they aren't going to get a pay bump. But if someone is in an office environment and gets an advanced degree in communications or an MBA, then even if that person's job doesn't change overnight, it makes them a bigger asset to the company because they can be called upon for other projects when needed.