Bachelor's in Being Totally MacGyver? Top 10 Degrees You Wish You Could Get

Picture this: at your high school reunion, you mention that you just finished up grad school. When someone asks what you studied, you casually say, "Oh, I got a master's in the next big thing."

Talk about a conversation stopper.

The Top 10 "You Wish" College Degrees

These degrees might be mere fantasy, but their real-life equivalents could have you earning a healthy salary in a challenging career. Take a look at our top picks for degrees you wish you could get.

1. Bachelor's Degree in Being Totally MacGyver
   Real-Life Degree: Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
   
   Have you ever escaped a villain by fashioning a lariat out of rubber bands, paper clips, and old gas station receipts? If the idea appeals to you, it might be worth your while to check out the inventive potential of an engineering degree.
   
   
2. Bachelor's Degree in Secret Agent Affairs with an Emphasis in 007
   Real-Life Degree: Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice
   
   Use this crime-fighting degree to learn the tools of the trade, including laws, police procedures, and criminal psychology. After that, you'll only need to study the owner's manual for your submersible all-terrain spy vehicle.
   
   
3. Master's Degree in the Next Big Thing
   Real-Life Degree: Master's of Business Administration (MBA)
   
   From Survivor to The Apprentice, superstar producer Mark Burnett comes up with a new golden idea every TV season. You'd have to go back in time to invent reality TV before him, but an MBA can always help you come up with the next big thing.
   
   
4. Associate's Degree in Iron Cheffing
   Real-Life Degree: Culinary Arts Associate's Degree
   
   Get behind-the-scenes of the professional kitchen and improve your skills with a culinary arts degree. Who knows: you may someday face down Chef Morimoto over the Iron Chef secret ingredient.
   
   
5. Bachelor's Degree in Tree Hugging
   Real-Life Degree: Bachelor's Degree in Forestry
   
   Like Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in Parks & Recreation, you have a passion for the birds and the bees. With a forestry degree, you might find yourself enjoying a healthy salary as the head of a local parks department.
   
   
6. Bachelor's Degree in Doing Your Civic Duty
   Real-Life Degree: Various
   
   Follow in the footsteps of your political heroes: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton majored in political science, Sarah Palin majored in journalism, and Mitt Romney earned his degree in English.
   
   
7. Associate's Degree in Keeping the Doctors in Line
   Real-Life Degree: Doctorate in Nursing
   
   "Doctors diagnose. Nurses heal." It's one adage Nurse Jackie (Edie Falco) stands behind on the Showtime comedy of the same name. With a doctorate in nursing, you could find yourself healing and helping others as well. You may even get to boss the doctor around!
   
   
8. Associate's Degree in Looking Sharp
   Real-Life Degree: Associate's Degree in Fashion Design
   
   Your personal fashion is always on-point. Help others see the light with a stylish degree that rewards your inventive nature and gives you the skills you need to make it in the fashion industry.
   
   
9. Bachelor's Degree in Better Living Through Chemistry
   Real-Life Degree: Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, plus Teacher Certification
   
   Like Walter White in Breaking Bad, you could thrive in a career based around educating the next generation in the fundamentals of an essential science. Unlike Walter White, you could avoid secretly manufacturing methamphetamine to pay for your chemotherapy treatments.
   
   
10. Bachelor's Degree in Courtside Seats
    Real-Life Degree: Various
    
    For basketball players in the NBA, earning a college degree might be a surprising priority. Vince Carter went back to school to earn his bachelor's degree in African American Studies. Kevin Durant, another player to return to school, agrees on the importance of an education. "To walk across the stage will be just as important as being drafted," he told The New York Times. "Maybe even more important because that lasts an entire lifetime."

Career Training for Real-Life Dream Jobs

While none of the degrees above can guarantee you top-secret spy work or land you in an Iron Chef's sights, they're all good preparation on the road to your own inspiring career. Consider the careers above as a way to challenge and inspire yourself to reach your own goals.

Get Matched to an Online School

• What's So Great About UK Universities?
• Written in the stars: Best degrees for your old and new zodiac signs
• 10 degree programs for 2011
• Old school: The 20 colleges and universities over 100 years old
• Play with your food: Top culinary blogs for students and aspiring chefs
• The write stuff: Top 5 careers for English majors
• Big Major on Campus: 10 Widely Studied College Degrees
• Analyze These: The Top 5 Careers for Psychology Majors
• Learning Is a Work of Art: 25 Schools for Art Lovers
• 5 Geektastic Careers for Math Majors

• On-Campus vs. Online Degrees: Which One is Better?
• 19 Classes You Wish You Were Taking
• 7 Reasons to Get Your College Degree Online
• Tuition for E-Learning: What is Reasonable?