2027 Best Degrees for Career Changers
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Changing careers raises a costly question: which degree will actually help you enter the work you want? The answer depends on your previous education, the job's entry requirements, and how much time you can spend out of the workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 29% employment growth for information security analysts from 2024 to 2034, but reaching that occupation can still require relevant experience. This guide compares degree fields, explains licensing and training barriers, and helps you choose a path that fits your starting point rather than an appealing job title alone.
Key Things You Should Know
- The best degree depends on the target job: a Master of Social Work can support a defined licensing path, while an MBA is generally better suited to building on existing work experience.
- BLS projects 29% growth for information security analysts from 2024 to 2034; strong demand does not mean a technology master's degree alone qualifies applicants for those roles.
- Before enrolling, compare the credits and prerequisites you have left, the full program cost, required in-person training, and any state licensing rules.
Top 10 Best Degrees for Career Changers
Business Programs
An MBA can help career changers move into business functions such as operations, marketing, or finance, particularly when they can build on earlier work experience. A specialized master's in accounting, business analytics, or supply chain management may be a better fit for a specific role. Compare prerequisite courses, employer recruiting, internships, and total cost. An MBA does not automatically lead to management; applicants with little business experience should check whether a program provides practical projects and access to entry-level opportunities.
Healthcare Programs
A Master of Public Health prepares students for population-health work, while a Master of Health Administration focuses more on healthcare operations. These are distinct from clinical degrees: neither independently qualifies graduates to practice medicine, nursing, or therapy. Career changers should compare quantitative prerequisites, fieldwork, and the roles employers actually recruit from each program. Public health may suit someone interested in policy or epidemiology; administration may fit someone bringing operations or business experience into healthcare.
Information Technology Programs
A master's in information technology, cybersecurity, or information systems can help someone with related technical or business experience specialize. Programs differ in their emphasis on networks, security, cloud systems, and management. Applicants without a computing background should look for documented foundation courses and hands-on labs. For many support or systems roles, a bachelor's degree, industry certification, and relevant experience may be a more direct route. A cybersecurity master's alone is rarely a substitute for practical security experience.
Computer Science Programs
A master's in computer science can provide deeper preparation in algorithms, software engineering, or artificial intelligence. It is most useful for career changers ready to meet substantial programming and mathematics prerequisites; some programs offer a formal bridge for non-CS graduates. Compare required foundation courses and project or research options before assuming the advertised timeline applies to you. Someone seeking an initial software role may find a bachelor's, postbaccalaureate coursework, or a strong portfolio more appropriate than a research-oriented master's.
Nursing Programs
Some direct-entry master's nursing programs admit people with a non-nursing bachelor's degree and prepare them for initial registered nurse licensure. Admission commonly involves science prerequisites and selective clinical placement. Do not confuse these programs with MSN options for already licensed nurses or with nurse practitioner programs, which have additional preparation and licensing requirements. Compare state board eligibility, clinical schedules, and the full cost of prerequisites. An accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing may offer a better initial RN route.
Psychology Programs
A general master's in psychology can support research, human-services, or further doctoral study, but it typically does not by itself qualify someone to practice as a licensed psychologist. Career changers seeking to provide therapy should instead examine licensure-oriented counseling or marriage and family therapy programs and their state-specific requirements. Check required practica, supervised hours, and whether the curriculum matches the intended license. This distinction can prevent an expensive mismatch between an interesting subject and a regulated career goal.
Education Programs
A Master of Arts in Teaching can offer a route into teaching for someone who already has a bachelor's degree, provided the program is approved for the intended state and subject. Other education master's degrees are designed for licensed teachers seeking advancement, not initial certification. Ask about content prerequisites, student teaching, background checks, and whether you can work while completing placements. If teaching is the goal, verify the exact certification pathway before choosing a broadly titled education degree.
Criminal Justice Programs
A master's in criminal justice may suit experienced professionals moving toward policy, research, administration, or specialized public-safety work. It is usually not required for entry-level policing or corrections jobs, which have separate hiring and academy requirements. Compare internships, analytical coursework, and the qualifications in actual local job postings. Career changers interested in forensic science should check laboratory science prerequisites rather than assume a general criminal justice curriculum provides the required technical training.
Engineering Programs
An engineering master's can deepen expertise in a discipline, but many programs expect substantial undergraduate engineering or mathematics preparation. A bridge pathway may be possible; its additional coursework can change both cost and completion time. Career changers aiming for professional engineer licensure should investigate their state board's education and experience rules, including how it treats an engineering master's earned without an accredited engineering bachelor's degree. For someone starting from another field, a second bachelor's may provide a clearer foundation.
Social Work Programs
A Master of Social Work (MSW) can prepare career changers with a bachelor's degree in another field for social-work practice. Field placements are substantial commitments and may conflict with full-time employment. Advanced-standing MSW tracks generally require a qualifying social-work bachelor's degree; unrelated professional experience does not automatically confer that status. Check Council on Social Work Education accreditation and state licensing rules. Clinical social work typically requires supervised experience and an examination after the degree.
What are the best degrees for changing careers?
The best career-change degree is the one that meets the entry requirements of a specific occupation while making sensible use of your existing education and experience. For a defined professional pathway, consider an MSW for social work, a state-approved teaching program, or an initial-licensure nursing program. For a less regulated move, consider business, IT, computer science, public health, or healthcare administration according to the work you want to do and the skills you already have.
A master's is not automatically the best choice. If you lack the undergraduate foundations a field requires, compare the cost of prerequisites with a second bachelor's or another entry route. An affordable cheapest bachelor degree online search can be a starting point, but compare remaining degree requirements and fees - not tuition alone. Choose a specialized degree when a specific occupation calls for it; choose a broader degree when you need room to explore related roles.
Technology and nursing offer examples of strong U.S. occupational pay, but wages belong to occupations, not to graduates of a particular degree. The BLS figures below are national median annual wages for workers in those jobs in 2024; they do not predict an individual career changer's starting pay.
| Occupation | 2024 median annual wage | Important entry consideration |
| Software developer | $133,080 | Demonstrable programming ability matters; a computer science master's is not universally required. |
| Information security analyst | $124,910 | Relevant IT experience is commonly important alongside education. |
| Registered nurse | $93,600 | Completion of an approved nursing pathway and state licensure are required. |
Compare outlook and salary against the cost of becoming eligible for the job. A role with higher median pay may be a weaker choice if it requires years of additional prerequisites or experience you do not want to pursue. Local hiring conditions, entry-level pay, and your ability to complete required training matter more than a national median alone.
Choose a degree when the occupation requires one, when you need substantial academic foundations, or when the credential clearly strengthens your intended application. A certificate can be more targeted for an experienced worker filling a skill gap. A bootcamp can provide intensive practice, but its coverage, career support, and employer recognition vary; it does not replace a license or a required accredited degree.
Test the shorter route against job postings before paying for it. If postings consistently request a license, a particular degree, or experience, a certificate or bootcamp alone may leave that barrier intact. Conversely, someone who already holds a relevant degree may gain more from a focused credential and work samples than from another broad graduate program.
Verify that the institution holds recognized institutional accreditation, then check any accreditation or state approval tied to the intended profession. For example, examine Council on Social Work Education accreditation for an MSW, state approval for an initial teacher-preparation program, and applicable nursing program approval and accreditation requirements. Engineering licensure rules warrant particular attention if your earlier degree is outside engineering.
Accreditation is not the same as license eligibility. Confirm requirements with the licensing board in the state where you plan to work, and ask the school to identify the exact program and location covered by its approval. A common mistake is relying on an institution's general accreditation while overlooking a profession-specific requirement.
Many business, IT, computer science, and some public health courses can be taken online; programs involving clinical care, fieldwork, laboratories, or student teaching may require scheduled in-person work. "Online" also does not mean self-paced: live classes, fixed deadlines, proctored assessments, and required placements can limit scheduling flexibility.
If you need to keep working, compare actual weekly schedules and placement arrangements, not just delivery labels. Resources on online degrees for working adults can help frame that comparison, but verify each program's requirements directly. Campus or hybrid study may be preferable when you need laboratory access, structured practice, or local employer connections.
Requirements differ sharply by field. Graduate programs generally require a bachelor's degree, but a computer science or engineering master's may require mathematics and technical coursework; direct-entry nursing may require specified sciences; and teaching programs may assess preparation in the subject you intend to teach. Schools may also review GPA, references, experience, essays, interviews, or tests. A university's general graduate admission policy does not necessarily govern a selective professional program.
Request a written review of your transcript before committing. Ask which prerequisites remain, whether older courses still count, and whether a bridge or conditional pathway is available. For an advanced-standing MSW, verify that your prior social-work degree meets the program's eligibility rules; an unrelated bachelor's usually places you on the standard track.
Career-change timelines vary because the credential is only part of the work. Prerequisites, course sequencing, enrollment intensity, and clinical or field placements can add time. Some one year masters degree options may suit applicants who already meet the entry requirements, but a short advertised schedule may not include bridge coursework or licensure steps.
For cost, compare a written estimate of tuition, mandatory fees, prerequisite courses, books and equipment, placement travel, and any earnings you may forgo. Ask how previously completed coursework would apply to specific remaining requirements; accepted transfer credit does not always replace a course in the major. Compare aid and employer tuition assistance, where available, against the total amount you would need to pay or borrow. The least expensive tuition rate is not necessarily the lowest-cost route to eligibility.
Nursing, classroom teaching, and many social-work and counseling roles require state licenses or credentials beyond earning a degree. Clinical social work generally adds supervised practice and an examination after the MSW. Professional engineer licensure also has education, experience, and examination requirements that vary by state. Industry certifications in IT can demonstrate specific skills, but they are different from a government-issued professional license.
Identify the exact job title and state before enrolling. Then check whether the program prepares students for that state's requirements and which steps remain after graduation. Do not assume that an online program's availability in your state establishes eligibility for professional licensure there.
How should career changers choose a reputable degree program?
Start with several real job postings and identify their recurring requirements. Narrow your program choices to credentials that address those requirements, then ask each school for a program-specific assessment of your prerequisites, remaining coursework, delivery schedule, accreditation, and complete cost. Request evidence for any claimed employment outcomes and ask what population those outcomes describe.
Watch for red flags: unclear licensure language, a completion estimate that excludes prerequisites, or a low tuition figure that omits required placements and fees. If military education or service may affect your options, a guide to the best online college for military can help you identify questions about benefits and credit evaluation; the school must still determine what, if anything, applies to your intended degree. Choose the path whose verified requirements fit both your target job and your life.
Other Things You Should Know About
Often, yes. Some programs accept applicants from varied majors, while others require prerequisites or a bridge. Check the specific program before assuming your earlier degree qualifies you.
It can be if you need foundational coursework or an initial professional credential. Compare both routes by remaining requirements, cost, and eligibility for the job you want.
Possibly, but scheduled classes, labs, clinical shifts, and field placements may make it difficult. Ask for a typical term-by-term schedule before enrolling.
No. A degree can establish qualifications, but hiring may also depend on experience, licensure, demonstrated skills, and the local market.
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