A postgraduate degree is any academic degree you pursue after completing a bachelor’s degree. This includes master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional degrees like law or medical degrees. In the United States, the terms “postgraduate” and “graduate” are interchangeable, and you’ll see universities use either one. Both refer to the same advanced programs that build on your undergraduate education.
Types of Postgraduate Degrees
Postgraduate programs fall into three broad categories, each with a different purpose and time commitment.
Master’s degrees are the most common postgraduate credential. They typically take about two years of full-time study and deepen your knowledge in a specific field. The most widely awarded types are the Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MS), but you’ll also find specialized options like the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and Master of Public Health (MPH). Think of a master’s as a focused extension of your bachelor’s degree, narrowing your area of expertise rather than broadening it.
Doctoral degrees are research-oriented programs focused on scholarly development. The most common is the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which prepares you to conduct original research and often leads to careers in academia, research institutions, or specialized industry roles. PhD programs typically take four to seven years, depending on the field, and culminate in a dissertation, which is a substantial piece of original research you design and carry out yourself.
Professional degrees prepare you for a specific licensed profession. Examples include the Doctor of Medicine (MD), Juris Doctor (JD) for law, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), and Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD). These are application-oriented rather than research-oriented. Medical school, for instance, takes four years of classroom and clinical training before residency, while law school takes three years. Despite carrying the title “doctor,” a professional degree serves a fundamentally different purpose than a PhD.
You don’t always need a master’s degree before starting a doctoral or professional program. Many students move straight from a bachelor’s into a PhD, MD, or JD program, though some doctoral programs do require a master’s for admission.
What You Need to Get In
The baseline requirement for nearly every postgraduate program is a completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Beyond that, each type of program has its own admissions expectations.
For a master’s degree, schools commonly ask for your undergraduate transcripts, a personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Many programs also require the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), a standardized test covering verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing. Business schools often require the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) instead. Some programs have been moving away from standardized test requirements in recent years, so check individual schools before you start studying for an exam you may not need.
Professional degree programs have their own admissions tests. Law schools require the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), medical schools require the MCAT, and pharmacy programs typically require the PCAT. You’ll also submit transcripts, personal statements, and letters of recommendation.
Doctoral programs often expect both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, though this varies. You’ll need to meet minimum GPA requirements (often 3.0 or higher), submit academic references, and write a personal essay explaining your research interests. Many PhD programs also want a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to conduct and communicate scholarly work.
How Much It Costs
The price tag on a postgraduate degree varies widely depending on the school, the field, and the program length. For master’s degrees, total costs typically range between $44,640 and $71,140. At public universities, the average runs around $51,740, while private for-profit schools average about $62,550.
Costs also differ by discipline. A Master of Education averages about $44,640 total, while an MBA comes in around $60,410. A Master of Arts averages $71,140, and specialized master’s programs in fields like public administration or social work can run close to $79,530.
Doctoral programs cost more in total simply because they take longer, but many PhD students receive tuition waivers and stipends in exchange for teaching or research work. This is especially common in the sciences and humanities. Professional degrees like medical and law school rarely offer the same arrangement, and graduates frequently carry six-figure student loan balances.
The Salary Difference
Postgraduate degrees generally translate into higher earnings over the course of a career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers with a master’s degree earn median weekly pay of $1,840, which works out to roughly $95,680 per year. That compares to $1,543 per week, or about $80,236 annually, for workers with only a bachelor’s degree. That’s a gap of roughly $15,400 per year.
Workers with doctoral and professional degrees earn more still. The premium varies significantly by field, though. A master’s in computer science or engineering may boost your salary substantially, while a master’s in fine arts or education may offer a more modest bump. Before committing to a program, it’s worth looking at salary data specific to your field to see whether the earnings increase justifies the tuition and the years spent out of (or partially out of) the workforce.
Who Should Consider One
A postgraduate degree makes the most sense when your career path genuinely requires or rewards one. Some professions have no alternative route: you cannot practice medicine without an MD, argue cases in court without a JD, or become a licensed pharmacist without a PharmD. In these fields, the degree is a prerequisite, not a choice.
In other careers, a master’s degree can accelerate your advancement or qualify you for specialized roles. Many school districts tie teacher pay directly to education level, making a Master of Education a straightforward financial decision. In business, an MBA can open doors to senior management positions, though work experience often matters just as much.
For fields where a postgraduate degree is optional, the calculation becomes more personal. Consider the total cost of the program, the time you’ll spend completing it, the realistic salary increase in your specific industry, and whether employer tuition assistance could offset some of the expense. Some employers will pay part or all of your tuition if the degree relates to your role, which can change the math significantly.
Graduate vs. Postgraduate Terminology
If you’ve seen both “graduate degree” and “postgraduate degree” used in different places and wondered whether they mean different things, the short answer in the U.S. is no. American universities use the terms interchangeably. You’ll hear “graduate school,” “grad student,” and “postgraduate program” all referring to the same thing: study beyond a bachelor’s degree.
Outside the U.S., the distinction can be slightly different. In the UK and Australia, “postgraduate” is the standard term, and “graduate” more commonly refers to someone who has finished any degree, including a bachelor’s. If you’re researching programs internationally, pay attention to how each country’s universities use the terms, but within the American system, they mean the same thing.