The Surprising Ways that MA Degrees Improve Quality of Life

Tue 1 Dec 2020

MA Degrees Facilitate Career Changes, Which Make People Happier
You Can Increase Your Earning Potential With an Online Master’s Degree
Pursuing Your Postgraduate Dreams Can Contribute to Growth and Fulfilment

When discussing returning to education to pursue master’s study, the benefits are often framed in terms of specific, narrow career goals, such as qualifying for a particular promotion, accessing a new professional network, or updating your skills for the modern workplace.

While these benefits certainly hold true, there are also many other ways that pursuing postgraduate qualifications can improve an individual’s quality of life. In this blog post, we outline just a few of the more surprising benefits that you might experience when you earn an MA degree.

MA Degrees Facilitate Career Changes, Which Make People Happier

Completing an MA degree is often an important step to breaking into a new industry or field. For some, this change can mean more than just earning a higher salary or making better progress professionally. In fact, earning the qualifications you need in order to transition into a new career can be a major contributor to happiness and overall life satisfaction.

In the UK, 47% of workers describe themselves as unhappy in their current jobs, according to research from the London School of Business & Finance. Of course, workplace dissatisfaction can stem from many issues, but a lack of meaning and recognition in work is a common cause.

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Let a Falmouth flexible MA help you make a leap into the career you really want

This doesn’t just apply to younger professionals. For more experienced individuals, changing careers is a great opportunity to take the workplace insights they have gathered over the years and apply them in a new field that they find more engaging and compelling. According to the American Institute for Economic Research, 82% of individuals who changed careers after age 45 were successful in doing so, and are happier in their new positions than before they changed. 

You Can Increase Your Earning Potential With an Online Master’s Degree

There are many practical reasons to want to earn more in your job. The cost of living can be quite steep in many locations, providing for children is often expensive, and working toward major purchases like a house or car can be financially burdensome. However, increased earning potential also can be very beneficial to overall happiness and quality of life, especially for those starting from a low or mid-level income.

According to a Princeton University study, emotional wellbeing increases with income up to a salary of $75,000 USD (or roughly £56,000). Professionals with MA degrees usually tend to earn more in a lifetime than bachelor’s degree graduates, meaning pursuing an MA could help boost your earnings enough to also boost your overall happiness.

Pursuing Your Postgraduate Dreams Can Contribute to Growth and Fulfilment

Finally, for many individuals, pursuing postgraduate study can be fulfilling and beneficial in itself. If you are particularly passionate about a subject, want to continue to learn later in life, or want to experience a feeling of mastery in your current field, an online master’s degree could be the perfect opportunity to add intellectual engagement and stimulation to your life on flexible terms. For many, postgraduate study offers the opportunity for personal growth by helping them develop new perspectives, engage with like-minded classmates, and take on a new challenge.

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Postgraduate study can be intellectually and personally fulfilling in its own right

Falmouth Flexible’s courses can also lead you to meet new and interesting people. With a large international cohort of classmates online, you can connect with inspiring individuals that can help you push toward your goals, whether they are specific career milestones or more holistic objectives. What’s more, with biannual face-to-face residential workshops, your MA course can give you access to a vibrant real-life community that will benefit your life and career for years to come.

Could a Master’s Degree improve your life?

Contact us at Falmouth to find out if our flexible learning courses could be just what you are looking for.

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