May 18, 2020
A recent study shows that a person with a graduate degree has the best chance of finding a new job during the COVID-19 crisis. An individual with a graduate or professional degree is 21% more likely to have found a new job during the crisis than a person at any other education level.
“In challenging times, we see the value of graduate education for people’s job prospects,” said Elijah Friedeman, director of admissions at Wesley Biblical Seminary. “Historically, more people begin to seek graduate degrees that equip them for the jobs they want during times of economic disruption.”
According to Strada Education, 35% of Americans who have lost jobs, hours, or income in the past month have already started a new job. Americans with college degrees were about as likely as people with high school degrees to have started a new job (30% and 29%, respectively). However, 51% of people with graduate or professional degrees had started new jobs.
A graduate degree creates significant accessibility to the job market, which is a valuable asset in times of crisis.
“A decade or two ago, a college degree was the key to increasing a person’s chances of getting a job,” Friedeman said. “But in recent years, employers have more frequently sought to hire employees with master’s degrees.”
The master of divinity in chaplaincy at Wesley Biblical Seminary is an increasingly popular degree, because it opens numerous professional opportunities. The master of divinity in chaplaincy is the necessary credential for people who want to pursue any form of chaplaincy. Chaplaincy opportunities include jobs in healthcare, the military, and the federal prison systems. The master of divinity in chaplaincy provides the necessary academic credentialing for a person to become a chaplain in these diverse contexts.
“With the growing demand for healthcare and the military’s ongoing recruiting challenges, there is a significant need for chaplains who have been well prepared to serve others,” Friedeman said. “Chaplaincy is an amazing way to minister to people, and it is a role that is in high demand.”
The master of divinity in chaplaincy is just one of nine master’s degree programs available at Wesley Biblical Seminary. In addition to the master’s degree programs, the seminary also offers a doctor of ministry program.
Graduates of Wesley Biblical Seminary are not only well equipped with biblical and theological knowledge, but they also have a valuable professional asset that provides increased accessibility to the job market.
“We train men and women to be faithful and effective ministers of the gospel,” Friedeman said. “It’s an added bonus that their degree also helps them be successful in the job market.”