Grace Nichols // U.S. Air Force

Highest paying jobs in Mobile that require a graduate degree

Those with graduate degrees earn more on average than those without them—but not all jobs are equal. And while rising tuition costs are enough to turn people away from the prospect of a master’s or doctoral degree, many high-paying professions still require such degrees to get in the door. Stacker compiled a list of the highest- paying jobs that require a graduate degree in Mobile, AL using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2020 annual mean wage.

The best way to guarantee a high return on investment in a graduate degree is to be aware of professions that pay top-dollar for that added educational investment. Keep reading to see where a graduate degree is required—and can earn you the most.

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DGLimages // Shutterstock

#31. Mental health and substance abuse social workers

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $28,090 (#265 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $54,540 (116,780 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Madera, CA ($92,870)
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($91,480)
— Santa Rosa, CA ($89,730)

Job description: Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.

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#30. Healthcare social workers

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $48,520 (#320 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 150

National
– Annual mean salary: $60,470 (176,110 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($100,410)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($98,980)
— Salinas, CA ($95,690)

Job description: Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.

VH-studio // Shutterstock

#29. Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $51,520 (#292 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 300

National
– Annual mean salary: $62,320 (292,230 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($91,420)
— El Centro, CA ($91,110)
— Fresno, CA ($90,860)

Job description: Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.

Photographee.eu // Shutterstock

#28. Rehabilitation counselors

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $52,830 (#22 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $42,080 (100,260 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— California-Lexington Park, MD ($74,170)
— Trenton, NJ ($66,330)
— Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA ($64,940)

Job description: Counsel individuals to maximize the independence and employability of persons coping with personal, social, and vocational difficulties that result from birth defects, illness, disease, accidents, aging, or the stress of daily life. Coordinate activities for residents of care and treatment facilities. Assess client needs and design and implement rehabilitation programs that may include personal and vocational counseling, training, and job placement.

Knight Foundation // Wikimedia Commons

#27. Urban and regional planners

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $53,220 (#166 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $79,410 (38,190 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($109,910)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($108,860)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($107,810)

Job description: Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.

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COD Newsroom // Flickr

#26. English language and literature teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $54,030 (#109 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $81,340 (64,800 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($141,420)
— Fresno, CA ($130,580)
— San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($121,510)

Job description: Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#25. Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $57,490 (#106 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $86,760 (49,550 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($147,770)
— Fresno, CA ($129,330)
— Ann Arbor, MI ($126,580)

Job description: Teach courses pertaining to mathematical concepts, statistics, and actuarial science and to the application of original and standardized mathematical techniques in solving specific problems and situations. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

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#24. Speech-language pathologists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $61,310 (#333 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 140

National
– Annual mean salary: $83,240 (148,450 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Modesto, CA ($128,540)
— Santa Rosa, CA ($120,920)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($115,480)

Job description: Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.

Fabrice Florin // flickr

#23. Education teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $61,340 (#83 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $75,010 (57,560 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salt Lake City, UT ($104,950)
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($103,700)
— Stockton-Lodi, CA ($100,980)

Job description: Teach courses pertaining to education, such as counseling, curriculum, guidance, instruction, teacher education, and teaching English as a second language. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Wikimedia Commons

#22. Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $62,170 (#259 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $89,290 (111,320 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Santa Rosa, CA ($138,550)
— Jefferson City, MO ($133,640)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($125,020)

Job description: Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.

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Pressmaster // Shutterstock

#21. Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $64,900 (#79 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $84,780 (91,170 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($122,920)
— Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($115,740)
— Rochester, NY ($115,080)

Job description: Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Fae // Wikimedia Commons

#20. Psychology teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $74,580 (#77 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $89,960 (36,520 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Santa Rosa, CA ($199,070)
— Bakersfield, CA ($131,290)
— Fresno, CA ($129,550)

Job description: Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#18 (tie). Biological science teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $74,710 (#83 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $101,320 (51,500 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR ($195,730)
— San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($161,980)
— Salt Lake City, UT ($147,290)

Job description: Teach courses in biological sciences. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Simon Fraser Universtiy // flickr

#18 (tie). Instructional coordinators

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $74,710 (#72 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $70,160 (174,900 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New Haven, CT ($111,440)
— Warner Robins, GA ($110,800)
— Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($104,000)

Job description: Develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.

Lucky Business // Shutterstock

#17. Chemistry teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $77,390 (#61 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $94,630 (21,530 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($140,380)
— Salt Lake City, UT ($136,630)
— College Station-Bryan, TX ($136,080)

Job description: Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

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David Bibo // Wikimedia Commons

#16. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $85,970 (#249 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 160

National
– Annual mean salary: $103,010 (262,480 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Modesto, CA ($154,970)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($146,070)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($145,590)

Job description: Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.

Ohiodominican // Wikimedia Commons

#15. Physician assistants

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $86,340 (#299 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $116,080 (125,280 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salinas, CA ($168,220)
— Waterbury, CT ($165,230)
— Portsmouth, NH-ME ($158,020)

Job description: Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#14. Computer science teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $87,000 (#52 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $98,680 (32,230 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($153,430)
— College Station-Bryan, TX ($150,480)
— San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($143,650)

Job description: Teach courses in computer science. May specialize in a field of computer science, such as the design and function of computers or operations and research analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Austin Community College // Flickr

#13. Veterinarians

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $88,810 (#217 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $108,350 (73,710 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($169,220)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($150,370)
— Akron, OH ($150,330)

Job description: Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.

Suzannekweiss // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $89,080 (#24 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 150

National
– Annual mean salary: $84,060 (61,100 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL ($145,990)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($120,040)
— Savannah, GA ($117,610)

Job description: Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#11. Nurse practitioners

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $90,380 (#358 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 300

National
– Annual mean salary: $114,510 (211,280 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($188,070)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($177,800)
— Salinas, CA ($155,310)

Job description: Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock

#10. Occupational therapists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $91,800 (#73 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $87,480 (126,610 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— The Villages, FL ($115,920)
— Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($115,060)
— Modesto, CA ($112,870)

Job description: Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual’s environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.

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#9. Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $92,550 (#57 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $124,890 (200,040 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($211,500)
— Jackson, MS ($195,830)
— Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($176,930)

Job description: Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.

Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock

#8. Physical therapists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $94,070 (#92 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 160

National
– Annual mean salary: $91,680 (220,870 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— El Centro, CA ($143,500)
— Modesto, CA ($123,370)
— Visalia-Porterville, CA ($119,510)

Job description: Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.

Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock

#7. Business teachers, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $107,750 (#41 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $107,270 (79,810 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Ann Arbor, MI ($174,050)
— College Station-Bryan, TX ($172,650)
— Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($149,740)

Job description: Teach courses in business administration and management, such as accounting, finance, human resources, labor and industrial relations, marketing, and operations research. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#6. Education administrators, postsecondary

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $125,280 (#48 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 260

National
– Annual mean salary: $115,200 (140,880 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Ithaca, NY ($205,810)
— Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC ($178,210)
— Charlottesville, VA ($176,040)

Job description: Plan, direct, or coordinate student instruction, administration, and services, as well as other research and educational activities, at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and junior and community colleges.

Grace Nichols // U.S. Air Force

#5. Pharmacists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $138,110 (#45 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: data not available

National
– Annual mean salary: $125,460 (315,470 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Madera, CA ($165,350)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($162,540)
— Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($161,120)

Job description: Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.

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#4. Dentists, general

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $153,390 (#205 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $180,830 (95,920 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Dover-Durham, NH-ME ($286,540)
— North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL ($278,790)
— Portland-South Portland, ME ($278,390)

Job description: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care.

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#3. Nurse anesthetists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $154,230 (#90 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 140

National
– Annual mean salary: $189,190 (41,960 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Master’s degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Duluth, MN-WI ($271,940)
— Ann Arbor, MI ($262,890)
— Green Bay, WI ($239,140)

Job description: Administer anesthesia, monitor patient’s vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

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#2. Family medicine physicians

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $256,160 (#34 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $214,370 (98,590 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA ($309,800)
— Napa, CA ($302,040)
— Gadsden, AL ($292,110)

Job description: Diagnose, treat, and provide preventive care to individuals and families across the lifespan. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment.

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#1. Anesthesiologists

Mobile, AL
– Annual mean salary: $258,680 (#17 highest pay among all metros)
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $271,440 (28,590 employed)
– Entry level education requirements: Doctoral or professional degree
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Pittsburgh, PA ($307,390)
— Duluth, MN-WI ($306,350)
— Tallahassee, FL ($303,600)

Job description: Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.