One degree is no longer enough to secure the best-paid jobs, according to research. Growing numbers of university students are staying on after their bachelors’ degrees to complete postgraduate masters and doctorate courses, said the study by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. Employers are increasingly seeking more highly qualified staff and typically pay workers with postgraduate courses 13 per cent more than those with first degrees only. Workers with degrees have traditionally been paid better than those without, but the research from Prof Stephen Machin of University College London and Joanne Lindley from the University of Surrey found a significant gap opening between employees with one degree and those with higher qualifications.

‘The Boom in Postgraduate Education and its impact on Wage Inequality’, Joanne Lindley and Stephen Machin. Article in CentrePiece Volume 16, Issue 2, Autumn 2011

Related links

Stephen Machin webpage
Centre for the Economics of Education website
Education and Skills Programme webpage

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