We are in 2017 now. New year, new hope and new career ambitions. It is the best time to set goals for the new year. So, it’s better to get a head start on your skills and career development. If you are planning to go abroad for postgraduate studies in 2017 (or 2018), make sure you have got your interests, skills-set, career goals and job market synced and all aligned. There is no point of pursuing a hot and trending career if you haven’t got interest and/or the right skill-set. Similarly, you also need to keep an eye what’s trending in the job market. You need to identify the hottest skills in the current job market and attempt to master them.

Hottest In-Demand Skills for 2017 and Top 10 MS Specializations to Study Abroad

Higher studies, and especially Master specialization is always an excellent career move. Moreover, if you attend a top university in abroad, the Masters degree will benefit you a lot. Study abroad is more than just earning an academic qualification. This is something I am telling you from My Own Study Abroad Experience. But, study abroad is a serious and expensive deal. You need proper research, planning, and strategy to make it to a top foreign university. First and foremost, it is very critical to choose the right subject and specialization. Secondly, the destination country and right university also matter for the career development and career progression. Now, let’s have a look at the hottest and most in-demand skills of the current job market.

Below you can see the top 10 most-demanding and hottest skills of 2016 all over the world and in India. This is a report published by LinkedIn in October 2016 and says a lot about the global job market trends. As per the job market all over the world and India, the most demanding skills (by LinekdIn) are given below.

Top 10 MS Specializations to Study Abroad According to the Job Market in 2017

It would be great to pursue a relevant Masters program from abroad in the relevant fields in order to make yourself highly employable. So, let’s have a look at the best Master Specializations for Study Abroad.

1. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and UX/UI Design

According to some of the most notable job and career sites like LinkedIn, Economic Times, World Economic Forum, and Business Insider India, user interface design is the hottest and most sought-after skill in the market. According to various reports, UI/UX roles are the hardest to fill in the current job market. The US alone added 211, 000 jobs in November, and the largest job category was technology. India is also experiencing a huge demand for UX/UI professionals.

One of the major reasons is the e-commerce and digital boom in India. Even if the functionalities, backend, and content of a website are very good, the user will not prefer a website if the user interface and web presentation are not good. Companies like Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, Jabong, SnapDeal, Ola, Uber, Make MyTrip, Oyo Rooms, BookMyShow, Paytm etc. Rely a lot on the UX/UI design. After demonetization, the usage of mobile wallets and digital payments have gone very high. So, the demand for UX/UI professionals will continue to rise in the coming years. All the major e-wallets like PayTM, PayUMoney, Mobikwik, Freecharge, State Bank Buddy etc. Are battling in the UX/UI category.

Top Study Abroad Destinations: USA, UK

Top Universities for UX/UI Design and HCI:

Carnegie Mellon University
MIT
University of Michigan
University of Washington
Stanford
Georgia Tech
Indiana University
University of Maryland, College Park
New York University
UC Irvine
Purdue University
San Jose State University
UC Berkeley
University of Virginia
Cornell University
Bentley University
UT Austin
Rochester Institute of Technology
University of Colorado Boulder
UCL
University of Nottingham

2. Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Cyber Security

Big Data and Cloud jobs have been the hottest jobs for past few years now. More and more data are getting accumulated, and hence the job market is seeing more demand for data and cloud professionals. Cloud & Distributed Computing held its No.1 spot for the past two years. Big Data jobs have been termed as the Sexiest Job of the 21st Century by Harvard Business Review. Sites like Glassdoor, Times of India and Udacity also echoed in the favor. So much of data is automatically triggering a tremendous demand for better security. Here is why Cybersecurity is Top Business Priority in 2017.

Top Study Abroad Destinations: USA, Australia, Ireland, UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany.

Top Universities for Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Cyber Security

Harvard University
Walden University
UC San Diego
University of Massachusettes-Lowell
Southern Methodist University
UC Irvine
Carnegie Mellon University
University College Dublin
Queen’s University Belfast

3. Data Science, Data Mining & Business Analytics

Data Science, Data Mining, Statistical Analysis, and Business Analytics are continuing to be in-demand as well. Know more about Big Data Analytics.

Top Study Abroad Destinations: USA, Ireland, Australia, UK, Canada, Germany.

Show me, don’t tell me

Top Universities for Data Science and Analytics

University of San Francisco
UC Berkeley
Southern Methodist University
Arizona State University
MIT
Stanford
Oxford
Cambridge
Imperial College London
Carnegie Mellon
Michigan
UCLA
Upenn
UT Dallas

4. Web Development, Software Integration & Mobile Computing

This another category, which is very much overlapped and inter-linked with the above two categories. Particular attention should be given on mobile computing and mobile app development as the 70% of the users these days are on mobile. Some of the top core technical skills to develop are JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Ruby, Python, SQL, VCS, CMS, Node.js, Wireframing, Load Testing, Modules, DOM Manipulation, Data Format, Data API, Web Front Embedding, Responsive Webdesign, XHR etc.

Top Study Abroad Destinations: US, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, Finland

Top Universities for Web Development,  Programming,  and Mobile Computing

NUS
University of Leeds
Cornell University
Purdue University
University of North Carolina at Chappel Hill
San Jose State University
Stanford University
MIT

5. Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Management & Sustainable Technologies

Social Entrepreneurship has been gaining large popularity of late. Among all the categories, the environmental issues have been very critical. Environment and energy have big roles to play towards the economy. Renewable technologies are clean and sustainable sources of energy. They have the ability to make a huge social impact.

Apart from environmental problems, the fossil fuels are also a burden on the global economy. At present, the global spending on fossil fuels is approximately USD $500 billion annually Almost $6 trillion is being spent annually on dirty energy infrastructure. So, the need for cost cutting on energy and working towards clean energy is alarming. India ranks 5th for creating jobs in the field of renewable energy. 2015 saw a global investment of USD $268 billion in renewable energy sector (especially solar and wind energy). Forecasts say the figure is likely to reach $1.3 trillion by 2030.

So, there are needs and there are opportunities. Hence, the social entrepreneurship within the environmental sector will be a booming field in the coming years. An MBA in Social Entrepreneurship or a Masters degree in Renewable Energy will great career move. Know more about MBA in Social Entrepreneurship.

Top Study Abroad Destinations: US, UK, Singapore, Sweden, Netherlands

Top Universities for Masters in Renewable Energy

UT Austin
University of Michigan
Stanford University
MIT
Harvard University
UC Berkeley

Top Universities for MBA in Social Entrepreneurship

University of Oxford
Yale University
Harvard University
Stanford University
Northwestern University

6. Digital Marketing (SEO/SEM Marketing)

The demand for digital marketers has been going down since 2015. One of the reasons being there too many candidates who are now trying out their hands in the digital marketing field. Several students and professionals are opting for online and MOOC courses. Consequently, the supply is outpacing the demand.

But, the demand for digital marketing is there. The need for excellent SEO/SEM marketers is still there. In order to edge the competitors and bagging high salaries, a Masters degree from a top foreign university will be more than handy.

Top Study Abroad Destinations for Digital Marketing: US, Ireland, UK, France, Singapore

Top Universities for Digital Marketing

UT Austin
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Boston University
Northwestern
NYU
Georgetown
Syracuse University
Stanford
University of Connecticut
University of Denver
Southern Methodist University
University of Washington

7. PR, Media Communication & Advertisement

The Indian PR agency market grew by 19% in 2016. The demand for digital communications and PR is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Many big companies, MNCs, and startups are already there in India. Be it product or service, the companies, especially startups need to reach out to the customers. So, everyone will be battling in the areas of PR, branding, demand generation, marketing, and advertisement.The PR industry is expected to get double in size by 2020. Hence again, the demand for relevant marketing and communications professionals with sound business acumen and creativity will be there.

Top Study Abroad Destinations: USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, Singapore

Top Universities for PR, Media Communication & Advertisement 

University of Southern California
UC Berkeley
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Stanford
Pennsylvania
Michigan State
UCLA
NUS
NYU
Michigan
University of Amsterdam
George Washington University
Clarke University

8. Economics, Public Policy and International Relations

Degree in Economics is always a valuable qualification to have on your CV. With the current global scenario and the Indian scenario as well, professionals with good knowledge in Economics are supposed to be in good demand. The same goes for Public Policy and International Relations. Anyone with a specialized degree in Public Policy or International Relations with international experience will be an asset to high-profile international organizations. Top sectors will be finance, education, healthcare, environment, government, law etc.

Best Study Abroad Destinations: USA, Singapore, UK, France, Australia, Canada

Top Universities for Economics, Public Policy, and International Relations

Harvard
MIT
Princeton
Chicago
Stanford
UC Berkeley
LSE
Oxford
Yale
Cambridge
UCL
NUS
Georgetown
Columbia
Michigan
Dartmouth
Johns Hopkins University

9. Agricultural Science & Food Technology

You might not found these sectors in the hottest employment sectors. But, these both Agriculture and Food Science & Technology will have more opportunities in the near future.

Agriculture contributes to 13.7% of India’s GDP. Currently, the Indian agricultural industry is facing serious challenges. There is a big gap between supply-demand in food production. Consequently, India is facing, higher inflation, higher food imports, increasing national debt and inadequate food security. Agricultural Engineering and Agricultural Biotechnology have got the potential to solve these problems. Biotechnology can help Indian farmers to produce high-yielding crops, and to battle out adverse climates, crop diseases, soil erosion and pest control.

Food science and technology is relatively a new discipline in India. But, due to rapid urbanization and lifestyle changes, the field of food science and technology is gaining lot of interest. There is an increasing demand for processed, fast-food, easy-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals. Hence, a big challenge is to make those food items healthy and nutritious. Secondly, the processing and preservation are also big challenges. So, the market demands more advancements and sophistication in the field of food science and technology.

Best Study Abroad Destinations: USA, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, Norway

Top Universities for Agriculture

UC Irvine
Cornell University
Wageningen University
Ghent University
UC Berkeley
Australian National University
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
University of British Columbia
University of Queensland
University of Copenhagen
Aarhus University
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Food being a Basic Necessity of Human Society, the Agriculture & Food Industry is one of the Most Recession-Proof Sectors

Top Universities for Food Science & Technology

Cornell University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Texas A&M University
UC Davis
University of Florida
University College Dublin
University College Cork
University of Copenhagen
Denmark Technical University
Aarhus University
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Wageningen University
KU Leuven
Ghent University
ETH Zurich
Bern University of Applied Sciences

10. Translational Medicine

Translational Medicine is a specialized and highly inter-disciplinary disciplines within the broad field of biomedical sciences. Translational Medicine combines the knowledge, resources, technology and applications of laboratory findings to facilitate the discovery of new diagnostic tools and therapeutic treatments. Translational Medicine is at the interface between basic science and clinical medicine. It is also applicable when clinical observations lead to new research questions and ideas. So, bench (lab) to bedside (clinic), and back to the bench.

Translational Medicine is all about creating insights into clinically significant interactions among drugs, cell signaling pathways, drug targets, and diseases. Besides, translational medicine is also critical towards the development and delivery of personalized medicine. With the growing incidence of lifestyle diseases, there will be need of professionals trained in translational medicine.

Health & Medicine Are Always Going To Be In The Trend