Lemondrop

Out of a job, can't find a job, or really want to quit the job you've been slaving away at, without a raise, since the economy tanked?

All of the above reasons have contributed to a big influx of back-to-schoolers. According to the Census Bureau, an estimated 19.1 million students will head for an institute of higher learning this fall -- that's up from 13.8 million 20 years ago. And women are surpassing men in the master's department: Among people age 25–29, 9 percent of females hold advanced degrees compared to 6 percent of males. Recently you told us 25 percent of you were actively considering grad school.

You could go the expected route -- law, medicine, MBA -- or, say, enroll in a new offering at the International University of Monaco and get an MLUX, aka a Master of Science in Luxury.

There you can specialize in retail management or the science behind luxury goods and services. Both 10-month programs, which are conducted in English, include potential internships with labels like Gucci and Ferragamo. Added bonus: You get to live in the South of France. But degrees in the art of haute-couture management aren't the only unconventional master's being peddled to eager applicants, as evidenced by these nine surprising diploma programs:

Gastronomy
Eat, Study, Love. That's the premise behind a Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program offered at Boston University for the "Top Chef"–obsessed among us. The curriculum emphasizes "experiential learning through hands-on culinary arts laboratories and wine studies courses. The interplay of reading, research and writing about food -- as well as exploring food through the senses -- offers exceptional range and depth to food studies." Hungry yet?


Pop Culture
The administrators at Bowling Green State University in Ohio clearly felt there was an under-served discipline when they created a Master of Arts in Popular Culture program offered through the Department of Popular Culture. The school is home to the Ray and Pat Browne Library for Popular Culture Studies, which contains an "extraordinary collection of popular print materials ranging from hardcover best sellers to movie posters and television scripts."

Conflict Resolution
Have a knack for brokering peace accords between bickering friends? Then consider a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University, which is structured as an "intensive, theoretically- and practically-oriented, multidisciplinary degree housed in the Government Department, with core courses offered also in the Department of Psychology and the McDonough School of Business." Grads go on to enjoy peaceful careers in private sector businesses and, of course, government.

Homeland Security
Let's face it: The world we live in is quite different from those idyllic "Mad Men" days of yore, which is why Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack, N.J., now has a Master of Science in Homeland Security diploma program. On the syllabus: research and policy analysis; strategic planning, implementation and evaluation; weapons of mass destruction / terrorism awareness; and homeland security and constitutional Issues.

Turf Grass Management
If you'd much rather oversee the care of a small patch of U.S. soil than defend the entire country from terrorists, several (read: way too many) colleges and universities offer degrees in golf-course and sports-field grass maintenance, such as the University of Rhode Island and Penn State University, which has its own Center for Turfgrass Science and classes like Rules of Golf and Analysis of the Swing.

Bakery Science
There's a reason why cupcake shops are popping up all over the country: The sweet stuff sells, even in a turbulent economy. To get ahead of the confectionery competition, Kansas State University has a Master of Grain Science program, which focuses on the nitty gritty of cereal chemistry, grain milling, food-grade extrusion and, in a nod to weird science, "experimental dough."

Adventure Recreation
Back in the day, there was a term for people who dropped out of college to become river runners or back-country ski guides: slackers. Well, times have changed. At California State University, Long Beach (insert snarky surf joke here), there's a department dedicated to recreation and leisure studies that offers a Master of Science in Recreation Administration. Career trajectories include camp director, recreation therapist and park naturalist. No, not that kind.

Popular Music
Calling all "American Idol" groupies! At the University of Liverpool in the U.K., there's a Master of Arts in Popular Music program offered through the Institute of Popular Music. Classes cover revolutionary topics like "Popular Music and Daily Life" and "Music and the City." Liverpool was the home of the Fab Four, after all.

Thanatology
As the old saying goes, there are two things we can count on in life: death and taxes. Not to be morbid, but Hood College in Maryland offers a Master of Arts in Thanatology, the academic study of death. The goal is to fully educate graduates on dying and the grief process, so they can work with terminally ill patients and the bereaved. In the words of a recent graduate, "A quality education is crucial for any career change, especially when the goal is the ever-expanding field of death and dying."

Liz Ozaist is a frequent contributor to Lemondrop. If these grad programs don't float your boat, she most recently wrote about why the secret to being happy doesn't require an advanced degree.