Master’s Degree in Russia: A Springboard into the Labour Market
https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2025-34-5-9-28
Abstract
This article is the second part of the research examining the trajectories of recent Master’s degree holders in Russia, with a focus on their labour market outcomes. It addresses the topic of study and work, and examines the professional and sectoral structure of employment one and four years after graduation. Using regression analysis and a Heckman model, the paper estimates the wage premium associated with a Master’s degree one and four years after graduation. The results indicate that, in general, a Master’s degree implies a positive wage premium for both full- and part-time graduates, which increases significantly with career progression and work experience. In the first year after graduation, the salary premium is 5–8% for full-time graduates and 8–13% for part-time graduates. By the fourth year, this premium rises to 6–10% for full-time graduates and 4–6% for part-time graduates. On average, the premium for a Master’s degree is higher for women than for men. The key fields of study that offer a stable premium in both full-time and part-time education are economics and management, whereas humanities and arts do not offer any significant returns. The results suggest that the Russian labour market can distinguish between a Master’s and a Bachelor’s qualification and highly values the former, especially when combined with other characteristics of human capital.
About the Authors
K. V. Rozhkova
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ksenia V. Rozhkova – Cand. Sci. (Economics), Researcher, Laboratory for Labour Market Studies
11 Pokrovsky blvd., Moscow, 109028
S. Yu. Roshchin
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Sergey Yu. Roshchin – Cand. Sci. (Economics), Head of the Laboratory for Labour Market Studies
11 Pokrovsky blvd., Moscow, 109028
P. V. Travkin
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pavel V. Travkin – Cand. Sci. (Economics), Senior Researcher, Laboratory for Labour Market Studies
11 Pokrovsky blvd., Moscow, 109028
References
1. Dolgikh, S., Potanin, B. (2024). Returns to Different Levels of Education in Russia. Journal of Economic Studies. Vol. 51, no 8, pp. 1647-1663, doi: 10.1108/JES-09-2023-0501
2. Rozhkova, K.V., Roshchin, S.Yu., Solntsev, S.A., Travkin, P.V. (2021). The Returns to a Master’s Degree in the Russian Labour Market. Voprosy ekonomiki [Issues in Economics]. No. 8, pp. 69- 92, doi: 10.32609/0042-8736-2021-8-69-92 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.)
3. Zhu, Y., Xu, L. (2022). Returns to Higher Education: Graduate and Discipline Premiums. Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics. Pp. 1-20, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-57365-6_348-1
4. Caparrós Ruiz, A. (2023). Wage Premium and Master’s Degrees: Some Empirical Evidence from Spain. International Journal of Manpower. Vol. 44, no. 8, pp. 1453-1471, doi: 10.1108/IJM-07-2022-0307
5. Suleman, F., Figueiredo, M.D.C. (2020). Entering the Labour Market in the Context of Higher Education Reform and Economic Recession: Young Bachelor and Master Graduates in Portugal. Journal of Youth Studies. Vol. 23, no. 10, pp. 1396-1417, doi: 10.1080/13676261.2019.1679744
6. Quadlin, N., VanHeuvelen, T., Ahearn, C.E. (2023). Higher Education and High-Wage Gender Inequality. Social Science Research. Vol. 112, article no. 102873, doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102873
7. Minaya, V., Scott-Clayton, J. Zhou, R.Y. (2024). Heterogeneity in Labor Market Returns to Master’s Degrees: Evidence from Ohio. Research in Higher Education. Vol. 65, pp. 775-793, doi: 10.1007/s11162-024-09777-8
8. Stokke, H.E. (2021). The Gender Wage Gap and the Early-Career Effect: the Role of Actual Experience and Education Level. Labour. Vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 135-162, doi: 10.1111/labr.12191
9. Altonji, J.G., Humphries, J.E., Zhong, L. (2023). The Effects of Advanced Degrees on the Wage Rates, Hours, Earnings, and Job Satisfaction of Women and Men. Research in Labor Economics. Vol. 50, pp. 25-81, doi: 10.1108/S0147-912120230000050002
10. Autor, D.H., Katz, L.F., Kearney, M.S. (2008). Trends in US Wage Inequality: Revising the Revisionists. The Review of Economics and Statistics. Vol. 90, no. 2, pp. 300-323, doi: 10.1162/rest.90.2.300
11. Lindley, J., Machin, S. (2016). The Rising Postgraduate Wage Premium. Economica. Vol. 83, no. 330, pp. 281-306, doi: 10.1111/ecca.12184
12. Engbom, N., Moser, C. (2017). Returns to Education through Access to Higher-Paying Firms: Evidence from US Matched Employer-Employee Data. American Economic Review. Vol. 107, no. 5, pp. 374-378, doi: 10.1257/aer.p20171013
13. Figueiredo, H., Teixeira, P., Portela, M., Cerejeira, J., Sá, C. (2021). Returns to Postgraduate Education: Holding on to a Higher Ground? Working paper. Doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3977639
14. Cunha, F., Heckman, J.J., Lochner, L., Masterov, D.V. (2006). Interpreting the Evidence on Life Cycle Skill Formation. Handbook of the Economics of Education. No. 1, pp. 697-812, doi: 10.1016/S1574-0692(06)01012-9
15. Altonji, J.G., Zhong, L. (2021). The Labor Market Returns to Advanced Degrees. Journal of Labor Economics. Vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 303-360. doi: 10.1086/710959
16. Rosenfeld, N.Ya., Maltseva, V.A. (2024). Social Mobility of University Graduates: Which Pathways Lead Upwards? Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 33, no. 12, pp. 80-102, doi: 10.31992/0869-3617-2024-33-12-80-102 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).
17. Raudenská, P., Mysíková, M. (2023). Returns to Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Tertiary education: the Case of the Czech Republic after the Bologna Process. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research. Vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 498-514, doi: 10.1080/13511610.2020.1732198
18. Argan, D., Gary-Bobo, R., Goussé, M. (2023). Is There a Devaluation of Degrees? Unobserved Heterogeneity in Returns to Education and Early Experience. CEPREMAP Working Paper. No. 2304. Available at: https://www.cepremap.fr/depot/docweb/docweb2304.pdf (accessed 20.02.2025).
19. Brandimarti, E. (2024). Self-Selection, University Courses and Returns to Advanced Degrees. Unpublished working paper. Available at: https://www.aiel.it/Files/Administrator/Submissions/Documents/submission638499907958248787.pdf (accessed 20.02.2025).
20. Baert, S., Verhaest, D. (2021). Work Hard or Play Hard? Degree Class, Student Leadership and Employment Opportunities. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. Vol. 83, no. 4, pp. 1024-1047, doi: 10.1111/obes.12424
21. Britton, J., van der Erve, L., Belfield, C., Vignoles, A., Dickson, M., et al. (2022). How Much does Degree Choice Matter? Labour Economics. Vol. 79, article no. 102268, doi: 10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102268
22. Rozhkova, K.V., Roshchin, S.Yu., Solntsev, S.A., Travkin, P.V. (2024). From Combining Study and Work to Combining Work and Study? The Changing Model of Russian Higher Education. Voprosy obrazovaniya = Educational Studies Moscow. No. 2, pp. 286-322, doi: 10.17323/vo2024-17242 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).
23. Rozhkova, K.V., Roshchin, S.Yu., Travkin, P.V. (2025). The Fate of a Part-Time Learner: Russian Graduates of Part-Time Higher Education Programmes in the Labour Market. Educational Studies Moscow. (In press). (In Russ.).
Review
Views:
193
Email this article 