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Is Graduate School Worth the Cost?

At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a master’s in economics costs $38,917 a year in tuition and fees. This isn’t chump change, but the skills it provides are versatile and valued in the marketplace. According to PayScale, the median salary of economics M.A. graduates in the U.S. is $114,000 across a range of careers. Given the expected payoff, an economics graduate degree is worth the cost.—Sarah Eckhardt, University of Wisconsin, Madison, economics