Top 10 Useless Masters Degrees (Most Disappointing)
The top 10 most useless masters degrees are the Master of Public Health (and related health services degrees), followed by masters in communications, and then environmental studies.
These are the kinds of degrees that produce the most disappointed graduates in Australia. Not only are course satisfaction ratings relatively low 4–6 months after students have graduated, but they have also deteriorated compared with students still in the middle of the courses. The real world exposes the limitations of what they studied, bringing regret.
Let’s dive in and see which types of masters degrees are not worth it for many of the students who complete them.
What Makes a Masters Degree Useless?
“Useless” in relation to a master’s degree essentially means that graduates find the qualification provides them with little benefit. It does not mean the degree is totally worthless, but that it has little worth compared with the time and expense involved in obtaining it.
Ideally, a master’s degree helps you launch a new and interesting career, secure a meaningful promotion with higher pay, expand the range of jobs you can realistically obtain, or otherwise improve your position in the workforce. A useless degree fails to accomplish these things, leaving graduates disappointed.
It is in this context that we evaluate how useless (and, by corollary, how useful) different master’s degrees are. The value of a given type of degree can be inferred from how satisfied graduates are with their course experience after completion, including using the qualification in the labour market.
Related: Best Masters Degrees for Career Change
10 Most Useless Masters Degrees
Measured by graduate disappointment, here are 10 of the most useless master’s degrees. Each degree represents a field of study that performs badly in terms of (a) how satisfied graduates are with their course 4–6 months after completion and (b) how that rating compares with satisfaction among students still doing this type of course.
The rankings are based on statistics for broad study fields such as Health Services, Communications, Business, Humanities, and so forth. We have chosen representative degrees within these fields to ground the discussion.
1. Master of Public Health
A Master of Public Health is often considered a low-value masters degree because graduates report some of the lowest satisfaction of any postgraduate field after entering the job market. Public Health belongs to the Health Services & Support field, which ranks last nationally.
Graduate satisfaction in this field is about 73%, roughly 6 percentage points below the national postgraduate average of 79%. Current student satisfaction is higher, creating a job-market gap of about -7 points, one of the largest drops in any field.
The degree often promises entry into health policy, prevention programs, and advisory work. In practice, many roles rely heavily on prior workplace experience within hospitals or government agencies. Graduates frequently obtain project or administrative positions similar to those available to bachelor graduates, with starting pay often comparably low as well.
2. Master of Health Administration / Health Management
Health systems do have management positions, but employers typically promote experienced clinicians or internal staff rather than appoint new graduates directly into management. Graduates therefore finish training for leadership roles yet often begin in entry-level administrative jobs, and the immediate salary difference compared with their prior position can be small or nonexistent.
3. Master of Communication
A Master of Communication is often viewed as a weak postgraduate qualification because employers in media and marketing prioritise experience and portfolios over the degree itself. Communications is the second lowest-ranked field overall, with a total disappointment score of -7.2. Graduate satisfaction falls several points below the national average and is also lower than satisfaction reported by current students.
The occupations associated with the degree — marketing, content creation, media relations — are strongly portfolio-based. Employers prioritise practical experience over postgraduate credentials. Graduates commonly discover the qualification does not meaningfully increase hiring probability or starting salary.
4. Master of Journalism
A Master of Journalism is commonly disappointing because it teaches journalism skills but does not significantly improve employment chances in a small and competitive industry. Journalism is part of the same Communications field, which performs poorly in the rankings. The pattern again shows graduates less satisfied than students still enrolled.
The labour market is small and competitive. Newsrooms hire few entry-level journalists and rely heavily on published work and contacts. The degree provides training, but entry salaries in journalism are modest and the credential itself does not significantly improve pay prospects.
5. Master of Environmental Management
A Master of Environmental Management often disappoints because many graduates end up in general graduate or compliance roles that do not require a masters qualification.
Environmental Management falls within Agriculture & Environmental Studies, the third lowest-ranked field nationally with a total disappointment score of -6.9. Graduate satisfaction is several points below the national average and drops after completion.
Students often expect advisory or planning careers. Many available jobs instead involve compliance work, field monitoring, or junior project roles also open to bachelor graduates. Pay in these roles is frequently similar to general graduate positions, limiting the financial return from additional years of study.
6. Master of Sustainability
A Master of Sustainability can feel useless to some graduates because it rarely leads to a clearly defined job category or higher starting salary. Also in Agriculture & Environmental Studies (ranked third from the bottom), this degree is linked to policy and organisational sustainability initiatives. The category shows a post-graduation satisfaction drop of about -4 points.
Sustainability work is usually embedded within other professions such as engineering, planning, or corporate operations. The qualification does not create a distinct job tier, and graduates often compete for generalist roles where starting salaries resemble those of ordinary graduate programs.
7. Master of Physics
A Master of Physics is often unsatisfying as a standalone qualification because it usually serves as preparation for a PhD rather than a direct pathway to higher-level employment.
Physics is a representative degree within Science & Mathematics, a below-average field with a total disappointment score of -2.0. Graduate satisfaction is slightly under the national average and declines modestly after completion.
Science masters often function as preparation for a PhD. Industry research positions are limited, and many employers hire bachelor graduates for technical roles at similar starting salaries. Graduates seeking higher-level research positions usually require further study.
8. Master of Nursing (coursework)
Postgraduate nursing qualifications can provide allowances or incremental pay benefits, but the core role and pay scale often remain similar to standard nursing classifications. The additional study deepens expertise yet may not substantially change hours, duties, or earnings, reducing the perceived benefit.
9. Master of International Relations
A Master of International Relations often disappoints because the number of specialised diplomacy and policy jobs is far smaller than the number of graduates. International Relations is included in Humanities, Culture & Social Sciences, a field with a negative job-market gap (about -2.4). Students report reasonable satisfaction during study, while graduates report less satisfaction afterwards.
Many students aim for diplomatic, NGO, or policy careers. These positions are scarce and competitive. Graduates often move into general public-sector or administrative roles, typically starting at standard graduate pay levels rather than specialised policy salaries, which contributes to disappointment.
10. Master of Political Science
A Master of Political Science can feel low-value because it provides knowledge but does not correspond to a specific profession with dedicated hiring pathways. Political Science also belongs to Humanities, Culture & Social Sciences, where graduate satisfaction drops after completion despite acceptable student ratings.
The qualification provides analytical and policy knowledge but does not correspond to a specific occupation. Employers in government and consulting typically prioritise experience, internships, and general graduate programs. As a result, starting pay often resembles that of broad graduate recruitment streams rather than a specialised professional salary.
A Waste of Money?
Masters like the top 10 worst we identified, including Public Health, Journalism, and Sustainability, are often described as useless masters degrees because they frequently do not produce a large jump in earnings or career prospects.
However, the results discussed here are statistical averages. Graduates in every field still report positive satisfaction overall, and only a minority say they regret their course. A low ranking does not mean every student had a bad outcome.
There is a place for almost every degree. The main message from the analysis is to think through what you will actually do with your master’s degree before enrolling. Students often like the sound of a qualification such as a “Master of Public Health,” but the real test comes when you start applying for jobs with it.
Unless you already have relevant experience, the degree by itself may not change your employment options very much. In that situation the qualification can feel like a waste of money. If you do your homework and understand how employers value the degree, you are far less likely to be disappointed and the master’s you choose is much more likely to be worth it.
Related: How Long Is a Masters Degree in Australia?
What Masters Degrees Are Worth It?
On the flipside of graduates being disappointed with certain types of masters, in some fields graduates are very pleased.
Business & Management shows the strongest result in the national data with a total satisfaction gain of +15.8. Students are already reasonably satisfied while studying, and satisfaction then rises again after graduation (program gap +7.7 and job-market gap +8.1). Law (+14.3), Engineering (+13.0), and Architecture & Building (+12.4) show the same pattern. In these areas graduates feel better about the degree once they have finished and started working.
The clearest example is the MBA. Most postgraduate business students are enrolled in MBA programs. People take it to move into management, change career direction, or qualify for higher-level roles, and employers tend to reward it with promotions, responsibility, and higher pay. Similar outcomes appear in law, engineering, and construction management, where postgraduate qualifications help graduates step into recognised professional or supervisory positions.
The difference from the low-ranked fields is simple: the qualification changes what jobs graduates can realistically obtain. When people can see a promotion, a new role, or a pay rise following the degree, satisfaction increases after graduation.
Related: Online MBA Programs in Australia: Advice for Future Students
Australian Postgraduate Fields Ranked by Student Ratings
Survey data for Australian universities allows for major fields of study to be ranked by student satisfaction. Our interest in this case is measuring how disappointed recent graduates were with their course overall. This is how we obtained the figures used to identify and explain the 10 masters that are not worth it for many students.
National surveys of graduates and current students
Australia operates a national higher-education survey program called Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT). Each year it collects responses from students and recent graduates across the university sector. Results are reported as national averages by broad fields of education rather than individual degree programs.
Two surveys are used here. The Student Experience Survey collects responses from students currently enrolled in their course, covering teaching quality, organisation, engagement and overall satisfaction. The Graduate Outcomes and Course Experience surveys collect responses from graduates after they have completed their qualification and entered employment, further study, or job search.
The surveys use a common questionnaire across all Australian universities. Graduates are surveyed about four to six months after completion, while the student survey runs annually during study. In the most recent cycle, the Graduate Outcomes Survey received responses from more than 117,000 graduates, and the Student Experience Survey received about 99,000 postgraduate coursework responses in addition to over 150,000 undergraduates.
Because results are aggregated nationally, they show sector-wide patterns rather than the performance of a single university. The large response volume allows meaningful comparisons between major study areas and limits the effect of individual courses on the averages.
Overall satisfaction with a course after graduating
Graduate satisfaction measures the percentage of recent graduates who report being satisfied overall with their higher-education experience. The question is asked after completion of the qualification.
This timing is important. Graduates answer after finishing the course and experiencing its consequences, including employment outcomes, further study opportunities, and the usefulness of what they learned. The measure therefore captures a retrospective judgement about whether the education was worthwhile.
Across all postgraduate fields combined, the national graduate satisfaction rate is approximately 79 percent. This value is used as the reference point for comparisons between study areas.
Satisfaction among current students
Current student satisfaction measures the percentage of students reporting a positive overall experience while still enrolled in their course.
Unlike the graduate measure, this rating reflects the classroom experience itself: teaching quality, assessment, organisation, and enjoyment of study. Students have not yet experienced the longer-term outcomes of the qualification.
Comparing current student satisfaction with graduate satisfaction allows the effect of post-study outcomes to be isolated. If graduates are less satisfied than students currently studying the same field, dissatisfaction likely emerged after leaving university rather than during the course.
Disappointment measures
For each broad field of study, two quantities are calculated.
Program gap
Program gap = graduate satisfaction − 79%
This shows whether graduates from a field rate their education above or below the typical postgraduate experience.
Job-market gap
Job-market gap = graduate satisfaction − current student satisfaction
A negative value indicates graduates felt better about the course while studying than after finishing. This pattern suggests disappointment appeared after entering the workforce or attempting to do so.
Total disappointment
Total disappointment = program gap + job-market gap
More negative totals indicate a stronger pattern of post-study dissatisfaction relative to other postgraduate fields.
The disappointment ranking table
| Field of Study | Program Gap | Job-Market Gap | Total Disappointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Services & Support | -6.2 | -7.2 | -13.4 |
| Communications | -3.7 | -3.5 | -7.2 |
| Agriculture & Environmental Studies | -2.6 | -4.3 | -6.9 |
| Science & Mathematics | -0.9 | -1.1 | -2.0 |
| Nursing | +0.1 | -1.0 | -0.9 |
| Humanities, Culture & Social Sciences | +3.6 | -2.4 | +1.2 |
| Computing & Information Systems | -3.1 | +4.5 | +1.4 |
| Social Work | +2.2 | +3.7 | +5.9 |
| Teacher Education | +1.3 | +4.6 | +5.9 |
| Psychology | +2.3 | +3.8 | +6.1 |
| Creative Arts | +2.9 | +6.1 | +9.0 |
| Architecture & Building | +3.5 | +8.9 | +12.4 |
| Engineering | +4.5 | +8.5 | +13.0 |
| Law & Paralegal Studies | +4.7 | +9.6 | +14.3 |
| Business & Management | +7.7 | +8.1 | +15.8 |
Source: Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) Student Experience Survey and Graduate Outcomes Survey national study area results, accessed via Compared.edu.au study area comparison. Data retrieved 17 February 2026.
Notes: Medicine, Rehabilitation, Tourism/Hospitality/Sport, and Pharmacy were excluded. These fields either represent tightly controlled professional training pathways or very small postgraduate cohorts, which makes comparisons with other broad study areas unreliable.
Science & mathematics: This category includes a substantial share of research higher-degree graduates (MPhil and PhD) in addition to coursework masters students. Their responses partly reflect academic research pathways rather than only coursework masters programs. Conclusions about specific science masters degrees should therefore be interpreted cautiously.
I’m glad someone wrote this without pretending every masters is automatically “worth it”. I’ve seen a few friends do comms / enviro type study and the jobs they ended up in didn’t really need the extra degree.