How To Become A Master Sergeant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a master sergeant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a master sergeant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $47.25 an hour? That's $98,276 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 38,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMaster SergeantUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,276

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.37%

Asian 1.79%

Black or African American 10.85%

Hispanic or Latino 15.72%

Unknown 3.93%

White 66.34%

Gender

female 9.96%

male 90.04%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a master sergeant

Explore master sergeant education requirements

Most common master sergeant degrees

Associate

41.7 %

Bachelor's

41.3 %

Master's

8.8 %

Start to develop specific master sergeant skills

Skills	Percentages
Logistical Support	13.42%
Combat	8.31%
NCO	6.33%
Human Resources	5.62%
Professional Development	4.17%

Complete relevant master sergeant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New master sergeants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a master sergeant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real master sergeant resumes.

Research master sergeant duties and responsibilities

Mentore and participate in and lead adaptive sports programs while receiving treatment for injuries sustain in Afghanistan during combat operations.
Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
Demonstrate training expertise for newly assign airmen, qualifying six technicians 4 months early.
Institute DoD mandate smart card log on; improve network security and reduce network threats.

Prepare your master sergeant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your master sergeant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a master sergeant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Master Sergeant Resume templates

Build a professional Master Sergeant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Master Sergeant resume.

Apply for master sergeant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a master sergeant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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