The 10 Most Useful Graduate Degrees

It can take years and thousand of dollars to get a graduate degree, but the benefits are often worth the investment.

Last week we showed you the 10 most useless graduate degrees. Now, here are the ones that are most worth it and will really make a difference in your career.

As with our list of the most useless graduate degrees, we used examined salary and unemployment data for experienced college graduates and graduate degree holders from this summer's "Hard Times" report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce.

We calculated the percent difference in how much more money a graduate degree will bring, as well as how much of a better chance you will have of finding a job. The higher the combined figure was for a field of study, the more useful the graduate degree.

The list for the most useful degrees spans several distinct fields - from humanities to sciences to education. However, all of these degrees will help you make more money and face a lower unemployment rate.