Masters Degree Worth It?

Hey everyone. I’m currently a 2nd year investment sales analyst on a top shop with a really good team. I recently got accepted into John Hopkins MSREI program with a little scholarship award.

My shop has a tuition reimbursement program that requires me to work for them 3-5 years after the program is over.

The question I have is - would the masters degree be worth it for me with the time/effort/costa remaining I have to pay?

It is a part-time and remote Masters program and I am located on the West Coast. However, my team does deals nationwide. I’ve talked to a lot of mentors and friends about this. Seems to be a 50/50 split.

I personally don’t think it will teach me a lot that I already don’t know, and don’t know how networking will be since it’s remote and I’m all the way on the West Coast. However, I feel like having a Masters Degree at JHU will give me more credibility later on in my career as I move up the ladder or try to start my own shop.

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Waste of time and money. You also don’t need an advanced degree to move up the corporate ladder nor do you need it to gain credibility for your own deals. Once people find out it was a remote program you will likely lose all the “credibility” you were searching for anyway being that all of those online programs are extremely easy to get into

 

Have heard that the best way to get value from the DC programs (Gtown and Hop) is by doing them in-person for the networking, and attending while you’re already working in CRE in the DC market.

 

If you do it, do it in person. Online is a waste of time. Depends what you want to do, a lot of people are going back to get it to either end up at a better shop or switch into real estate. 

Some people think it's a waste of time, but it depends where you are at. A big name can really help, but you need to get real estate experience (internship, FT) while in the program. Currently in a masters program right now and a lot of people don't have work experience while in the program and the program itself really means nothing.

 

Just graduated from my program, highly recommend being in person if at all possible. I had a great experience in being able to meet people from all backgrounds of RE and networking (and drinking) with some of the most influential people in the industry always was a great learning experience. Class wise, I’m speaking for myself, remote learning isn’t beneficial for absorbing anything and you can’t connect with lecturers/professors remotely. Your teachers can be very useful in mentorship/connecting you with alumni or other professionals that you can leverage for better opportunities.

 

Corrupti numquam expedita impedit perspiciatis. Vitae at et exercitationem incidunt. Consectetur rerum consequuntur iure ipsam quasi vitae debitis.

Dolorem facere aperiam occaecati. Assumenda sint nesciunt sed placeat corrupti tempore.

Aut modi deleniti repellat quo impedit vel quia. Perferendis eos atque cupiditate qui sequi ducimus molestias. Ducimus voluptatem ut labore cupiditate. Iure quas debitis mollitia corrupti nihil rerum quae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”