The job market is a very harsh and unforgiving place nowadays. Getting a well-paying job wasn’t a walk in the park even before the COVID-19 pandemic has irreversibly changed how we perceive work. Heading into a career related to your field of study straight out of college is nearly impossible, especially if you want to be paid a competitive salary.

One way to significantly boost your chances of getting employed with a respectable salary is to continue your academic education after obtaining your master’s degree. This is important for those who have chosen some of the most popular paths, such as degrees in management or economics, but also some of the more demanding, scientific subjects.  Regardless of whether you want to get a PhD in Physics or become a doctor of audiology, turning into a true specialist in your field will attract high profile employers to your person.

Education experts from Online-PhD-Degrees are adamant about the fact that it isn’t always easy to find a program that suits your particular needs and interests right off the bat. More often than not, students end up picking a degree and school that’s most convenient for them in terms of money and location, rather than the actual curriculum contents and what they stand to get out of the experience. If that’s the case with you, then you might seriously consider participating in a digital PhD course instead, which can give you more freedom to pursue a career at the same time.

Doctoral degrees are not for everyone, though. You need to be truly passionate about your field of expertise to be willing to devote another year or two of your life to the pursuit of graduate degrees. If you’re about to make this important decision and don’t quite know how to select a degree that will bring you the most benefits, look no further – these highest paying PhD programs might just be what you’re looking for.

1. Computer Science

Even a Bachelor’s degree in this field can land you a pretty comfortable job with great benefits. There is no shortage of prospective programmers and computer wizards graduating from universities across the entirety of the United States, but the exponential growth of the industries related to information technologies all but guarantees the continuation of demand for young and skillful computer scientists.

If you pursue a PhD in computer science, you’ll be in a favorable position to secure a job that is a few rungs of the corporate ladder above the entry-level “IT guy” positions. It is a more-than-solid foundation on which you could build your future career.

2. Statistics

A lot of students majoring in mathematics laugh off statistics as the least “serious” one of all math-related subjects you could choose to study at university. While it’s certainly true that stats majors don’t concern themselves with intricate and complex theoretical mathematics, it doesn’t necessarily mean that statistics is a bad career choice for a math aficionado.

Quite the contrary — statisticians are increasingly needed in modern enterprises to carry out data analysis and processing and have skills that are more useful in practice when compared to the brainy work of mathematicians operating solely in the realm of theory. Statistics and data science are crucial fields when it comes to the development of artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies, so expertise in this area will certainly pay off for many years to come!

3. Pharmacology

Pharmacology might be one of the most difficult avenues of higher education to go into. The study of pharmaceutical drugs and how they work is one of the most important areas in the 21st century. Modern medicine’s capabilities are getting broader and broader with each passing year, which makes pharmacology all the more exciting of a career option to pursue.

Getting a PhD in this chemistry-heavy field increases your chances of getting a lab-based position where you’d be able to directly contribute to the development of potentially life-saving drugs.

4. Engineering

Although many may consider chasing after a PhD in engineering unnecessary, acquiring the highest degree in this field can ensure an extremely satisfactory salary, not to mention the fact that you’ll be able to take on jobs that will put you in charge of various projects, instead of simply carrying them out.

It’s not a secret that engineering is one of the best paying academic fields overall, and if you really want to break the bank, acquiring a PhD in this area may put you at the forefront of innovation for your entire career!

5. Immunology

This might not have made the list just a few years ago, but with everything that has happened in 2020 and the year before, immunology has become quite a hot topic, not only in the scientific community but in the wider public opinion, as well. The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and there are already talks of new, potentially deadly diseases on the horizon. It does not paint the prettiest picture for the future of humankind, but it certainly solidifies the need for qualified immunologists in 2021 and beyond.

The Bottom Line

You can spend all day looking at lists and articles about the highest paying PhD degrees and the most viable career options, but the truth is that you need to base your decision primarily on your own interests and experiences. You can enroll in the highest paying doctoral courses, but no amount of money will be worth the misery of spending a lifetime working in a field you have absolutely no passion for. You can make a career in just about any area of human activity, but you need to have a clear-cut plan for your development and stay proactive, even if it means combining studying with part-time work or unpaid internships.

Maciej Grzymkowski – an avid traveler with a particular affinity for Southeast Asia. I love to explore the differences between corporate cultures and ways of doing business in different parts of the world, and I’m always keen on adopting alternative and exotic solutions in my own work.