15 Colleges With Best Paying Graduate Degrees: 2014

Having a bachelor’s degree isn’t enough for many graduates. Many decide to head to graduate school. The decision to continue matriculating — seeking that MBA, law degree or other something else — comes at a high cost, and that means students would do well to know their earning potential.

How costly is an advanced degree? Depending on the choice of a public or private school and type of degree, the bill for tuition at each of the top 15 schools comes in at no less than $45,000 per year. Add in living expenses and the cost of books, and schools advise adding about $30,000 to that annual total.

That’s a big bill to contemplate, and it’s been well documented that student loans can leave graduates in a hole that can take decades to escape. Prospective students would do well to choose wisely before continuing their studies.

If knowledge is truly power, then data about which schools offer degrees that lead to the best paying jobs can help students make an informed decision. For the first time, PayScale.com is offering a look at graduate schools.

Previously, the site had ranked undergraduate schools, as well as looked at which degrees netted graduates the highest — and lowest — salaries.

(To see more on colleges, check out 30 Best Paying College Majors: 2014 and 30 Worst Paying College Majors: 2014, as well as 15 Cheapest Colleges With Best Job Value.)

For the 15 Colleges With Best Paying Graduate Degrees, we’ve included PayScale’s early career and mid-career salaries and ranked them by the highest pay in the latter category. We’ve also included the site’s High Job Meaning quotient, which is the percentage of graduates that say their job makes the world a better place. Finally, you’ll see the annual tuition for each school, not including living expenses.

15. MIT Sloan School of Management

Early-Career Salary: $122,400

Mid-Career Salary: $163,900

% High Meaning: 58%

Tuition: $63,750 (MBA)

14. Fordham University School of Law

Early Career Salary:  $77,800

Mid-Career Salary: $167,200

% High Meaning: 49%

Tuition: $51,880

13. Columbia Business School

Early Career Salary:  $101,000

Mid-Career Salary: $168,100

% High Meaning: 57%

Tuition: $66,679

12. University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Early Career Salary:  $127,300

Mid-Career Salary: $172.000

% High Meaning: 52%

Tuition: $54,673

11. University of Southern California Gould School of Law

Early Career Salary:  $80,300

Mid-Career Salary: $173,700

% High Meaning: 55%

Tuition: $55,084

10. Columbia University Law School

Early Career Salary:  $153,700

Mid-Career Salary: $177,100

% High Meaning: 57%

Tuition: $60,274

9. University of Pennsylvania ­Wharton School

Early Career Salary:  $124,000

Mid-Career Salary: $180,300

% High Meaning: 53%

Tuition: $68,210