Does grad school pay off? In terms of salary expectations, the answer is yes, even after the Great Recession.

However, you must be careful to vet the prospects for your profession -- including average salary and job openings down the line -- before spending or borrowing to attend graduate school.

Here are five popular degrees that still make the grade.

Average 2009 income from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Loan-repayment amounts based on unsubsidized Staffords and calculated using the Finaid.org calculator. Average debt exclusive of undergraduate debt and based on 2007-08 data (Dept. of Ed).

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5 Advanced Degrees Still Worth the Debt

Avg. annual tuition and fees, public: $22,959

Avg. annual tuition and fees, private: $41,289

Avg. debt: $126,152

Avg. income (internist): $183,990

Monthly loan payment: $1,466 (10 years); $831 (30 years)

Physicians' incomes are among the highest in the country, ranging from about $188,000, on average, for family practitioners to more than $485,000 for orthopedic surgeons, according to industry publication Modern Healthcare.

Job prospects for physicians will be healthy in the coming years, owing to an aging population and ongoing demand for high-level care.

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Medical Degree

Avg. annual tuition and fees, public: $18,000

Avg. annual tuition and fees, private: $36,387

Avg. debt (master of science): $34,824

Avg. income (public health administrator): $90,970

Monthly loan payment: $405 (10 years); $229 (30 years)

Public health professionals will be increasingly sought after as the health care industry expands, the federal government pursues disaster-preparedness efforts, and communities seek to improve preventive care. Most public health management positions require a master's degree.

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Master of Public Health

Avg. annual tuition and fees, public: $14,476

Avg. annual tuition and fees, private: $29,618

Avg. debt: $66,319

Avg. income (pharmacist): $106,630

Monthly loan payment: $771 (10 years); $437 (30 years)

Job growth will approach almost 20% over the decade ending in 2018. If you go into this field, plan on spending less time mixing medications -- most of which are delivered ready-to-use by pharmaceutical companies -- and more time counseling patients and filling out insurance forms.

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Doctor of Pharmacy

Avg. annual tuition and fees, public: $18,345

Avg. annual tuition and fees, private: $49,921

Avg. debt: $34,691

Avg. income (management analyst): $84,650

Monthly loan payment (10 years): $403 (10 years); $228 (30 years)

Job growth for business management analysts should be strong over the rest of this decade, as will the competition. Here's a case where the graduate degree definitely pays a dividend: Many firms won't even look at a candidate who lacks an MBA.

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MBA

Avg. annual tuition and fees, public in-state: $18,461

Avg. annual tuition and fees, private: $35,622

Avg. debt: $82,601

Avg. income (lawyer): $129,020

Monthly loan payment: $960 (10 years); $544 (30 years)

Hiring is down compared with prerecession levels, and competition for jobs will be fierce as law schools churn out more lawyers than the market can bear.

The biggest paydays now are at big private firms, where new lawyers earn a median annual salary of $160,000. Public-interest attorneys bring up the rear, with median starting salaries of $42,000.

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Lawyer

SPECIAL REPORT: Paying for College

TOOL: Graduate School Calculator

LIFE CRISES: The Dark Side of Student Debt

SPECIAL REPORT: A New Grad's Guide to Financial Success

SLIDE SHOW: 10 Great Cities for New Grads

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