To jenter sitter ved et bord. Hun ene forklarer noe tydelig med hendene sine. Hun har kort brunt hår og har på seg en gul hårbøyle. Bak henne sitter det en jente med knallrød genser og rødbrunt hår.

Competition in the job market is becoming increasingly tough. A master's degree can be the key to your dream job, increased salary, or more exciting work assignments.

Do you really need a master's degree in today's job market?

Associate Professor Tone Danielsen explains that many employers prioritize job applicants with a master's degree.

"More and more employers are seeking candidates with a master's degree, especially in larger companies with sought-after trainee programs. With a master's degree, you can apply for more interesting jobs and start your career a little higher up the ladder than with a bachelor's degree," she says.

In addition to strengthening career opportunities, a master's degree is not just about academics.

"This is a journey of self-discovery, you also develop on a personal level. When you educate yourself, you choose a subject that becomes your field of expertise, and that you will work with afterwards. Immersing yourself and becoming an expert does something for both your competence, identity, and self-confidence."

Expert knowledge

A bachelor's degree provides basic knowledge of the field, frameworks, and models. With a master's degree, you get deeper knowledge and learn to use the theories to a greater extent.

"Through a master's program, you learn to challenge the theories and models of the field. We ask questions about how knowledge has been obtained, what we can question, and what we actually don't know that much about," says Danielsen.

And even though a master's program requires more effort than a bachelor's degree, it's about more than just theory.

"We expect you to read, practice, and participate much more actively in a master's program, so it is important to be motivated. A master's program provides a solid theoretical foundation but is closely tied to today's working life. The students need to understand why and how we apply the theory, so we spend a lot of time on real world cases."

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Sought-after interdisciplinary expertise

After a bachelor's degree, you don't necessarily need to take a master's degree in the same subjects. On the contrary, combining different directions within the same field can be very rewarding.

— Many seek interdisciplinary expertise, so it can be very smart to combine areas of expertise. We have made the Master's in Strategic HR relatively interdisciplinary, with both teachers and students with different academic backgrounds. It gives students different academic perspectives and is very refreshing for the classroom environment, Danielsen concludes.