The 10 most useless graduate degrees

Civil Engineer Engineering US Army Students
Via Flickr

In many fields, graduate degrees offer distinct benefits for your extra years in school.

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Employees armed with a graduate education are often a more attractive hire and can make a higher salary than colleagues who have only a bachelor's degree.

However, for some industries the benefits of going to graduate school are comparatively low and don't justify the extra investment.

Using the recent "Hard Times" report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, we examined salary and unemployment data of experienced college graduates and experienced holders of graduate degrees. These are workers whose ages range from 35 to 54.

For roughly 50 fields, we calculated how much more money a graduate degree would bring and the difference in unemployment rates for those with a post-college degree. These figures were then combined to determine which graduate degrees were the most "useless" — basically, which give you the smallest boost in salary and employment.

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10. Criminal Justice and Fire Protection

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Wikimedia Commons

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 19% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 18% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $63,000 a year, while experienced graduate degree holders earn $75,000 a year, on average.

4% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 3.3% of experienced graduate degree holders are unemployed.

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9. Computer Science

Computer Science Coding Student
Miguel Chateloin uses a computer to write code that would allow people living in Cuba to use email to post to blogs during the Hackathon for Cuba event on February 1, 2014 in Miami, Florida. The hackathon brought together experts and programmers to devise innovative technology solutions aimed at strengthening communications and information access in Cuba. The event is organized by Roots of Hope with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 15% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 20% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $93,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $107,000 a year, on average.

4% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 3.2% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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8. Communications and Mass Media

china foreign journalist raise hands
A foreign journalist raises her hand to ask a question during a news conference with Jiang Weixin, minister and secretary of the CPC Leadership Group of the Ministry of Housing And Urban-Rural Development, during the 18th National Party Congress (NPC) in Beijing November 12, 2012. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 19% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 16% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $63,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $75,000 a year, on average.

5.7% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 4.8% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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7. Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineers
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 13% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 21% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $104,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $118,000 a year, on average.

2.8% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 2.2% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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6. Civil Engineering

Civil Engineer Engineering US Army Students
Via Flickr

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 14% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 18% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $91,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $104,000 a year, on average.

4% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 3.2% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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5. Social Work

Social Worker
Social worker Guiomar Montejo (3rd R) helps elderly women during an activity at the Centre de dia Leal elderly home on August 1, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. David Ramos/Getty Images

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 9% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 22% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $44,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $58,000 a year, on average.

5% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 3.9% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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4. Commercial Art and Graphic Design

Graphic Design Student
AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 16% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 10% lower.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $56,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $65,000 a year, on average.

7.1% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 6.4% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

*Numbers from 2010-2011

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3. Computer and Information Systems

Japan Information Systems Computers
AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 21% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is actually 6% higher.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $76,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $92,000 a year, on average.

4.7% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 5% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

*Numbers from 2010-2011

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2. Marketing and Market Research

Ad Week Panel Marketers
Jason DeCrow/AP Images

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 31% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 19% higher.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $72,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $94,000 a year, on average.

4.3% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 5.1% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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1. Human Resources and Personnel Development

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flickr/usacehq

An experienced graduate-degree holder earns 23% more than a college graduate, and the unemployment rate is 19% higher.

Experienced college grads earn an average of $62,000 a year, while experienced graduate-degree holders earn $74,000 a year, on average.

5.7% of experienced college grads are unemployed. 6.8% of experienced graduate-degree holders are unemployed.

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