RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘stem degree’

  1. Explore How Accredited Degree Online Programs Facilitate Computer Systems Degrees

    December 8, 2011 by julia

    With growing attention to the environment and greater advancements in technology, students who earn campus or online degrees in areas such as science, technology, engineering and math might expect to enter growing, lucrative fields. They might work with hospitals and healthcare agencies and organizations on computer technologies that can improve efficiency and patient care. Or, they might find ways to help prevent the nation’s beaches from eroding in storms and rising seas.

    STEM-related degrees, as they’re known, are available on campus and through distance learning programs. Government agencies and private organizations have been working to stimulate student interest in pursuing science, technology, engineering and math degrees. A focus has been on how the work to which STEM-related degrees can lead can help the United States in its position as a leader in technology and innovation. In 2007, Congress passed the “America Competes Act,” calling for expanded science, technology, engineering and math programs and new STEM programs from the Department of Energy, Department of Education and National Science Foundation.

    Students interested in pursuing STEM-related degrees online or on campus have a wide variety of subject areas from which to choose. Information from the Bureau of Labor shows that employment between 2008 and 2018 is expected to grow faster than average as well for many STEM fields. The following information from the Bureau of Labor covers a few of these fields:

    Geoscientists and Hydrologists: Within the science studies, students obtaining degrees to become geoscientists and hydrologists might enter careers where they search for natural resources such as ground water and petroleum. With environmentalists and scientists, geoscientists and hydrologists might also work to clean up contaminated waters and soils. The need for energy, environmental protection and responsible land and water management are expected to stimulate employment growth of about 18 percent. Those who obtain master’s degrees might particularly enjoy excellent employment opportunities.

    Network Architects, Network Engineers, Web Administrators and Web Developers: If you’re reading this information, you have network architects and engineers and web developers and administrators to thank. Web developers create applications for the web, while web administrators – also known as webmasters – maintain websites. Network architects and engineers, on the other hand, establish, test and evaluate local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), Internet and intranet systems and more. Anticipated growth for these areas combined: 53 percent and, in addition to other occupations in computer network, systems and database administrator work, 286,000 new jobs.

    Computer Software Engineers: Think Microsoft Office and Starcraft II. Obtaining a technology degree online or on campus in computer software engineering can lead to work designing and develop computer games, business applications and more. Anticipated growth: 32 percent, or 295,000, new jobs are expected to be created as the demand for developing Internet, intranet and web applications grows. Rapidly evolving technologies create a demand for new products and a variety of industries rely on assistance keeping up pace.

    Biomedical Engineers: These are the professionals who research, develop and evaluate products and systems such as automatic insulin injectors and MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) systems. The number of biomedical engineering degrees has been growing, and many biomedical engineering positions require a graduate degree. This field is expected to see a 72 percent employment growth as a result, in part, of a demand for more sophisticated medical equipment and products.

    There are several other STEM careers that students might consider when deciding on traditional or online degree program pursuits. Many online college, university and technical school students are drawn to these instructional programs particularly because of their flexibility, where course work can be scheduled during non-working hours. In instances where STEM careers require a graduate level education, students who want work-related experience might find that online degree programs allow for the best of both worlds; time enough for their computer science degree and their real life responsibilities.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  2. Earth-Friendly Technology Career Professions Welcome Masters Degree Grads of Online College Degree Programs

    November 14, 2011 by julia

    Pursuing a master’s degree could be a great way to advance at work. In areas such as social work, psychology and nursing, this degree might also help professionals make a difference. There are also several choices for business students, who might consider masters degrees in nonprofit administration.

    Many students these days earning their masters might even consider making Earth Day every day. The idea for Earth Day dates back to 1962, when Senator Gaylord Nelson thought then-President John F. Kennedy could embark upon a nationwide conservation tour, according to an article Nelson penned for envirolink.com. Earth Day was first celebrated in April 1970.

    The concept of sustainability has come a long way since. Students in fact have a choice of many college, university and technical school masters degree programs that can lead to careers in sustainability. With a sustainable MBA, for example, students might focus on “people, profits and planet,” according to a recent San Francisco Gate article. Sustainable MBAs also are becoming more popular among students.

    Reports that evaluate MBA programs for their efforts to prepare students for social and environmental responsibility might provide students with guidance toward graduate level offerings that might best suit their interests and abilities. These reports are issued on a regular basis by the World Resources Institute and the Aspen Institute. Institutions in them, according to what World Resources Institute President Jonathan Lash told GreenBiz.com, are recognized as leaders in preparing students for such challenges as water scarcity, labor issues, climate change and more, the report noted.

    However, pursuing an MBA is not the only way an individual can add an environmentally aware element to their program of study. For example, individuals interested in obtaining a masters degree in architecture may ultimately want to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Professionals who have experience with LEED-registered projects recognized for strategies aimed at saving energy, making the most of water use, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, improving indoor air quality and more, can take exams to earn LEED credentials. Employers may look favorably on an architect who is eco-friendly in his or her practices and who incorporates sustainability into their designs.

    Students have a choice of many environmentally-progressive courses to take if they want to enhance their existing qualifications. Some find that such certificates offered by schools online are a convenient way to modernize their resume and background. As more people compete for cutting-edge jobs, taking the initiative to enhance one’s resume can make a candidate more attractive to employers.

    Undergraduate students might also consider degree programs related to environmental studies. A recent report in the Daily Green focused on the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges by listing ten of the best colleges for pursuing studies in this area. The institutions mentioned in the report covered the country, including a liberal arts college on Florida’s Gulf of Mexico where research could be conducted and a college in Boulder, Colorado, that is considered a “hot spot for green business and advocacy.” California universities recognized for innovations that include green transportation and alternative energy were also listed among the best for environmental studies.

    Many institutions also offer sustainable extracurricular activities. The non-profit Net Impact, for example, focuses on using business as a means of social change. A Net Impact chapter at a Washington, D.C., school was recently recognized for its leaders, members and work, a Corporate Social Responsibility newswire item noted.

    Because of their global commitment, online school program students are already making a difference, simply by attending college over the Internet, a very green alternative. Taking even one online course cuts down on fuel and carbon emissions that would be produced by driving to a campus. Add to that the hours spent achieving your master degree and you’ve already made a significant contribution!

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  3. Distance Learning Degree Programs Move Students With Their Degree In Environmental Management Into Careers In Green Technologies

    October 27, 2011 by julia

    Food science is such a wide field to study; it has split into many subcategories. While at their core they have a number of things in common, when one gets to post-graduate work, one is forced to pick one particular arena over the other. The three main specializations are Soil, Plant and Animal Scientists.

    Not that there aren’t parallels, after all they are all about food. Inevitably, soil, plant and animal scientists end up working for the same places; food companies, colleges and research centers or federal or state agencies. They all work on creating new sources for sustenance, such as algae, examine preservatives and other additives for negative effects, create new, superior storage techniques among other issues. As one can imagine though, their approach is all dependent on the area of specialization.

    As one can imagine, a soil scientist works – pardon the pun – from the ground up. They examine the earth too, for everything from how to help clean up Brownfield and Superfund sites to utilizing crop rotation to obtain maximum vegetation yield. This means they don’t only have to study their share of biology, ecology and chemistry, but have a keen understanding of topological subjects such as geography.

    As soil scientists concentrate on the earth, plant scientists concentrate on vegetation. Also called agronomists or crop scientists, these specialists concentrate on such things as increasing crop yield, improving the nutritional value of various plants, plant diseases and similarly related matters. These days they are actually going old school, re-examining the works of Darwin and Mendel regarding the work of those pioneers on plant genetics. They are also quite cutting edge, examining how biotechnology can improve plants.

    This obviously leaves animal scientists. As one can surmise, they study how to improve such things as meat, fish, milk and eggs. They are not veterinarians, who concentrate on health matters only. This doesn’t mean that animal scientists don’t study animal diseases. They just also work on producing better yield, nutritional value and analogous subjects.

    Like Agricultural and Food Scientists, anyone interested in entering these fields should start with an on campus or online university that offers a solid four year program in the environmental, life, or biological sciences. One might also check with a college career counselor about the university’s post-grad program. Post-grad is where one specializes in one of these three disciplines, and if one can streamline a six year curriculum, that’s better.

    Salaries depend in one’s area of specialization. It also depends on if one works in the corporate or public sector. For example, plant scientists working for a federal agency average $80,000 a year. Animal scientists, by comparison, make a little under $105,000. In the corporate world, animal scientists average over $55,000, while both plant and soil scientists average over $58,000.Interestingly, salaries are dependent on a number of factors. Animal scientists tend to earn more (up to $105,000 to $80,000) when they work for the government. Plant and soil scientists tend to do better in private industry ($58,000 to $55,000). All do come with excellent benefits.

    Also, all of these sub-specialities are considered aspects of food science, which means they are careers with incredible futures for some time to come. There are definite problems that require the expertise of these scientists and others with their environmental health degree and those who enter these fields via distance learning college programs are at the forefront of the solutions.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  4. Distance Learning Online Degree Programs Offer Careers In Green Technology For Grads With Innovative Insights

    October 8, 2011 by julia

    In Utica, NY, they devised a “rain barrel” program where recycled steel drums equipped with hoses capture rain for irrigation rather than risking sewage overflows into area waterways. In Tennessee, they’re working to create solar-assisted charging stations for electric vehicles. In Delaware, they can tour an Air Force Base to help come up with ideas for cleaning spilled chemicals that can contaminate ground water supplies.

    Who are “they“? Engineers all, and the “green” variety are expected to be one of the most secure occupations of the coming decade, according to a June Newsweek magazine report. Businesses want to save money on electric bills and earn tax credits, the article noted. The government announced a plan to create environmentally-friendly jobs, according to the report. As existing power company employees retire and renewable energy increases, employment in this area too is accelerating, an article on the Power Engineering magazine web site noted.

    Students considering working toward an engineering degree online or on campus have a variety of areas in which they can specialize. In civil engineering studies, they might learn about urban planning and developing solutions for pollution and water conservation. As part of an environmental engineering degree program, they might learn about solar and wind energy products. Engineers also specialize in everything from chemicals to computers, aeronautics to acoustics, petroleum, mechanics, electronics and biomedical science. Depending upon the area that students study through campus and online college, university and technical school programs, they might also become ocean engineers – perhaps designing robots and vehicles for deep sea explorations, according to the Junior Engineering Technical Society web site. Professionals in any engineering discipline can be green, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University web site notes.

    Already, engineering design companies are reporting growth in green engineering, according to an online publication known as Electronics Design, Strategy News. John Myung, vice president of sales and marketing for Focus Product Design, for the July article told the publication that companies are looking for new and better automobile designs. They’re also ordering solar panels as a means of analyzing this form of alternative energy, according to information provided by Myung.

    Virginia Tech, as the school with campus and online degree programs, is one of several institutions with green engineering offerings. In this particular instance, the school offers a minor that introduces students to water, air and soil issues, such as depleting drinking water from aquifers. The minor also explains how the engineering profession affects the environment and tells how engineers can create products, processes and systems to help solve or minimize environmental problems.

    Ivy League schools have added green engineering programs to their offerings as well. A Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University, for example, is designed in part to support and advance green engineering research. A Green Engineering Program from the Environmental Protection Agency, with an emphasis on pollution prevention, helps colleges, universities and technical schools to incorporate a green philosophy into the classroom. The EPA offers senior through graduate level chemical engineering students a green engineering textbook, the agency’s web site shows.

    The EPA site also provides a list of principles of green engineering that it reports engineers and scientists developed as early as 2003. Among them: Conserving and enhancing natural ecosystems while protecting the health and well being of humans and minimizing natural resource depletion. Green engineering principles also include making strides to prevent waste and improving and developing technologies that can create sustainability solutions, the EPA web site shows. Many engineering jobs require a bachelor’s degree at minimum, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The payoff is considered one of the best, with engineering degree graduates in at least four disciplines ranked among the top five in terms of 2010 salaries and earning as much as nearly $75,000 a year, a National Association of Colleges and Employers Salary Survey suggests.

    The Junior Engineering Technical Society, along with Power Engineering magazine, provides academic scholarships to high school students seeking their engineering masters degree. The Society of Automobile Engineers offers scholarships from the high school graduate to graduate college and university levels. Students interested in scholarships, fellowships and grants for college, university and technical school programs in engineering might look toward the Engineering Service Center web site and how online college programs apply.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments