What Therapist Do

Therapists act as a sounding board for their clients, helping them manage emotional and psychological problems, as well as developing treatment plans. Therapist encourage their clients to open up about their experiences and emotions, and help provide the skills and coping mechanisms necessary to better live with or overcome various problems. Therapists can work with all different kinds of clients, from children to adults, as well as can focus on specific areas of therapy, such as marriage and family counseling. They often work with other mental health professionals, such as social workers and psychiatrists, as well as commonly refer their clients to community services, such as substance abuse treatment facilities or local support groups.

Undergraduate Degree

In order to qualify as a therapist, candidates must complete an undergraduate degree program. Finishing this degree is required before you can gain entrance into a graduate-level therapy program. While any bachelor’s degree can qualify you for most graduate degree programs, it’s recommended that you pursue a degree related to the mental health field, such as psychology or sociology. Counseling-related degrees also increase your chances of acceptance into more prestigious graduate programs.

Graduate Program

In order to practice as a therapist, most states require that you hold at least a graduate degree. Graduate programs include a masters degree in psychology, counseling, marriage and family therapy or social works. Degree titles may vary by college, and other mental health related degrees may also qualify you for licensing, depending on the state you plan to practice in. Different graduate programs have different requirements for entrance as far as prerequisites and graduate examinations. Check with your desired college to ensure you complete the necessary requirements before applying.

Certification

Therapist require a license from the state they work in order to practice. Each state has different requirements to get a license, as well as requires periodic renewal of the license to continue practicing. In general, each state requires a graduate degree, 2,000 to 4,000 of supervised clinical work after graduation, and a passing grade on a state-approved licensing examination. Mental health counselors can find additional information on certification through the National Board for Certified Counselors, while marriage and family therapist candidates can find state-specific information through the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards.

Continuing Education

Continuing education requirements vary depending on what state you hold a license in. In general, approximately 15 to 20 hours of continuing education credits are required each year in order to renew your license. Check with your state office to see which organizations offer approved continuing education courses for your specific license.

Once certified, therapists have the potential to make an average of $41,500 per year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. With the job outlook expected to rise by 29 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations, therapist can rest comfortably knowing that job demand will remain high, providing a secure career path.

National Board for Certified Counselors

Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards

United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics – Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists

Related Resources:

What Degree Do I Need to Be a Psychologist?

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Or perhaps you’ve just finished your degree and you like the pace of being a student. Actually, a student works very similarly to a consultant. It’s not a big stretch to becoming a consultant as a new grad as long as you make some networks to acquire paying jobs. You are essentially in research mode for others. And as a new graduate, research is something you’re probably very familiar with.

Either way, consultant can be a profitable business venture; of course not without risk. Be aware of the potential downfall of operating your own business. Be realistic: you are now your own boss!

Is there any such thing as a degree in consulting? Nope. Not really. Really any degree will suffice to become a consultant. The question is not what degree you have. The question is, what are you good at?

Risks

Becoming a consultant is one thing; thriving as one is another. Somedays you may feel like you have incredible control over your work schedule and and your days might be great. However, when you become ill or just need a day off, you have to remember that you have opted out of a conventional career. You let go of regular pay and health care and other benefits. A consultant might not have administrative help or tech support like you had at the office. Any additional needs you have will cost you out-of-pocket. Many consultants love working alone but others find it can be extremely lonely not having office camaraderie.

Job expectation

A consultant basically is offering skills, knowledge and expertise to other people or businesses. A consultant can give advice, do writing and editing services, solve problems, or make recommendations. Your clients pay you for your expertise. Decide what your expertise is, and find the people who think you’re worth paying for.

Consultants work in all kinds of fields. You name it: art and design, computer, finances, advertising, health and wellness, music industry. They are independent contractors and not employees of the hiring company. Free agents, able to take jobs they want and reject the ones they don’t. Sound good?

Special Licensing or Certification

It really depends on the occupation you are in. For instance, insurance, real estate, accounting, and financial planning will most definitely require some sort of license in their respected fields. Most all consultants will require at the basic level a business license from your city or town as well as a tax id number through the IRS. That requirement is regardless if you work from an office or from your home.

Outlook

It’s hard to say how well consultants do financially as it is such a broad title. You will need to find your niche and determine how much you can charge for your services. Consultants may get paid by the hour, by the day, or by the project.

Of course, there’s no ceiling on what you can make, either, if you’re driven, creative, smart, and at least a little bit lucky.

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You can earn an engineering degree in as little as two years or take as long as ten years working toward an advanced degree. It is important that students consider not only how long it will take to complete a degree program but also what work their degree will prepare them to do.

How Long Does It Take to Get an Engineering Degree?

Studies in engineering exist at every level of higher education, from the associate’s degree programs offered at community colleges to the Ph.D. programs at highly regarded universities in which candidates conduct original research. Of course, the extent of your engineering education affects the concepts and technical capabilities you’re able to learn, as well as what career paths are available to you.

Engineering Associate’s Degrees

An associate’s degree is the shortest degree you could earn in engineering. When you enroll in an associate’s degree program, it is possible to earn an engineering degree in just two years. However, doing so won’t make you an engineer.

In all disciplines of engineering, you need at least a bachelor’s degree to attain even an entry-level job – and in some disciplines, a master’s degree or higher might be required for entry-level roles. If you never advance your engineering education beyond the associate’s degree level, you can expect your future career opportunities to be limited to engineering technologist roles rather than full-fledged engineer positions.

The associate’s in engineering degrees that you can earn in two years come in two forms. Some associate’s degrees teach students the basics of engineering in preparation for continued studies at a four-year college. Think of these associate’s in engineering degree programs as the first half of a four-year bachelor’s in engineering degree program. Earning your degree this way may allow you to save money by paying a lower community college tuition rate rather than a pricy four-year college tuition rate for the first half of your undergraduate education. However, you can’t work as an engineer until you complete your bachelor’s degree. If you end up not transferring to a four-year school to complete your coursework, you won’t be able to be an engineer.

The other type of associate’s degree program pertaining to the field of engineering is two-year degree programs in a field of study called engineering technology. With a two-year engineering technology degree, you can get a job as soon as you finish your studies. Instead of an engineer, however, you will be an engineering technician or technologist. You will work with engineering equipment or assist full-fledged engineers with implementing their designs rather than developing your own ideas. Engineering technicians and technologists do the important work that helps engineers implement and scale their ideas, but if you truly want to contribute to the latest and greatest technological innovations, you might find work as an engineering technologist to be unfulfilling.

Engineering technicians make well above the median wage for all occupations but considerably less than engineers in the same discipline. For example, as of 2020, civil engineering technicians earned a median wage of $54,080, compared to $88,570  for civil engineers, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Bachelor’s Degrees in Engineering

Generally, engineers need a bachelor’s degree to work in this occupation. In most branches of engineering, having a bachelor’s degree will allow you to at least get started in an entry-level position. In many engineering disciplines, you could spend your whole career working in professional practice with only this level of education if you chose to.

That’s not to say that having an advanced degree isn’t helpful, because it often is. There are some roles—such as engineering professor, researcher in academia and researcher in advanced research and development departments—that you can only hold with a higher level of education. However, for many areas of engineering, the majority of engineers report having only a bachelor’s degree. For example, 96 percent of automotive engineers, 91 percent of transportation engineers, 86 percent of civil engineers, 85 percent of nuclear engineers, 83 percent of mechanical engineers and 82 percent of chemical engineers reported a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education, according to O*NET.

A typical bachelor’s degree program in any discipline of engineering requires at least four years of full-time study. However, students should know that an engineering curriculum is rigorous. To succeed in the challenging coursework required of engineering students, you will need to give yourself plenty of time for homework, projects and studying.

Even though a bachelor’s degree in engineering could theoretically be completed in four years, research has shown that many STEM students are not graduating on time. In fact, fewer than half of Asian-American students, just one-third of white students, less than one-quarter of Latino students and less than one-fifth of black students attain their STEM degree within five years, the Higher Education Research Institute reported. What happens to the rest of these STEM students? Some earn a STEM degree at a slower pace, while others switch to easier majors, transfer to different schools or drop out of college completely.

Taking longer to graduate with your bachelor’s degree certainly sounds less than ideal, but it isn’t always a bad thing. Some engineering schools offer opportunities for co-ops, or cooperative education programs in which students gain professional work experience in their field before graduating. This experience is often paid, and they provide plenty of hands-on work experience, as well as opportunities to start networking within the engineering industry.

Co-op experiences are usually longer in duration than internships and may also be more demanding than a typical internship that you might complete alongside coursework, which is why participating in a co-op experience could slow down your progress toward graduation. Programs that include a co-op component tend to last four-and-a-half to five years instead of the typical four years of study. Considering the work experience you’re gaining and the pay you receive for working, though, this situation is more like bundling your first job in the field into your engineering education than simply falling behind and taking longer to complete your coursework. Students who participate in co-ops may be better prepared for the work that’s waiting for them in the engineering industry after graduation than students whose undergraduate education encompassed more limited fieldwork experiences.

Engineering Master’s Degrees

Suppose you decide to pursue an engineering education beyond the bachelor’s degree. Your next step might be a master’s degree, which is a graduate-level education. When you add the length of a master’s degree program in engineering to the time you have already spent earning your bachelor’s degree, you’re looking at a minimum of five or six years of schooling beyond high school to get to this level of education.

Many engineering degree programs at the graduate level are designed to be completed in two years of full-time study. Master’s degrees in engineering can be researched-based, requiring a thesis containing original research, or professional, requiring no research, according to U.S. News & World Report. Either way, the advanced coursework that makes up a master’s degree curriculum in engineering is challenging.

Not all engineering graduate students finish their degrees in just two years. Many graduate students, especially those who are working full-time, have to study part-time. If they don’t want to quit their job, part-time study may be the only option that will give them enough time to devote to their studies to succeed in the program. On average, it takes students three years to complete online master’s degree programs in engineering, even when those programs are meant to be completed in two years, according to U.S. News & World Report. Perhaps more discouraging, only 55 percent of engineering graduate students actually complete their master’s degrees in three years, the U.S. News & World Report data showed.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some students are able to earn their graduate degrees in less than two years by choosing accelerated programs with intense workloads. These programs can cut down the time it takes to earn a master’s in engineering degree to just 12 to 18 months. There are also engineering schools that offer accelerated dual degree programs that allow students to work toward their master’s degree and bachelor’s degree simultaneously and earn both degrees in just five years total.

Doctoral Degrees in Engineering

The engineering students who pursue a doctoral education are the ones who will spend the longest amount of time in school. Engineers who hold a Ph.D. may spend up to 12 years—and sometimes even longer—in college, between their undergraduate studies and their doctoral studies and research.

At the doctoral level, this research component (or lack thereof) plays a big part in how long it takes to earn your degree. Just as there are both professional and research-focused options for a master’s degree, there are also different options for a graduate degree.

The traditional Ph.D. in engineering is a research degree. It requires a doctoral dissertation and takes an average of more than eight years to complete, CBS News reported. This is the degree you need for high-level research positions at universities, government research laboratories and competitive industry roles, according to U.S. News & World Report. If you go straight from your bachelor’s degree to your Ph.D. program and you finish your doctorate in the average timeframe, you’re looking at 12 years of total engineering study.

For engineers who aren’t looking for a research degree, the professional Doctor of Engineering degree is a great choice. This advanced degree prepares students for technical leadership positions rather than for research and academia. A Doctor of Engineering degree can be completed in as little as three years, but students should be aware that some Doctor of Engineering programs are only open to candidates who already have a master’s degree. In other words, a three-year doctoral program may bring your years of schooling up to a total of nine years, once you count the time it took to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.

The completion rate for Ph.D. programs in all subjects in the United States is low. Just 57 percent of students in doctoral programs succeed in earning their Ph.D. degrees within 10 years, according to CBS News.

How Long Does It Take to Become an Engineer With a PE License?

If you’re asking about the time it takes to not only earn a degree but also make strides toward your career in other ways—for example, “How many years does it take to become an engineer?”—the answer may be a little different, depending on whether or not you need to be licensed. Earning a Professional Engineering license isn’t a requirement for all engineering roles, and in many cases, you can start entry-level engineering positions without a license. However, if your goal is to be a licensed engineer, achieving licensure will make the process take a bit longer.

Typically, new engineers seeking licensure begin the process by taking the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which they can do once they earn their bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program. Passing the FE exams qualifies the candidate as an engineer in training, also called an engineer intern. The next step is for engineers in training to acquire work experience under the supervision of a licensed engineer. Generally, engineers in training must get at least four years of experience before they can sit for the second licensing exam, the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. Since the license granted to engineers is awarded by the state, different states may set somewhat different licensure requirements.

You don’t have to pursue your Professional Engineering license immediately upon graduation. You may begin the licensure process later in your career if, for example, you decide that you don’t want to put in the time, effort and expense of earning and maintaining licensure unless you get to a point in your career where having a license would be beneficial. 

Additional Resources

Top 10 Highest Paying Engineering Careers

How Advanced Does My Degree in Engineering Need to Be to Get a Good Job?

What Is the Difference Between an Associate’s Degree in Engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering?

Can I Complete a Master’s of Engineering Management in Just One Year to Save Time and Money?

What Degree Do You Need to Be a Biomedical Engineer?

What Civil Engineering Courses Will I Have to Take for a Degree in Civil Engineering?

What Are the 5 Best Careers in Environmental Science?

How Long Does It Take to Get an Associate Degree?

The post How Long Does It Take to Get a Degree in Engineering? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Studying abroad isn’t just for undergraduates. Students pursuing a master’s degree can often benefit from taking an educational journey to a foreign country. Whether your inclination to study abroad stems from a desire to learn more about global business or tourism, to take advantage of the best research opportunities or simply to expand your own horizons through travel, the experience can enhance your life in a number of ways.

Getting a Global Business Perspective

With businesses increasingly expanding, there’s a real need in management and administration roles for candidates who understand the business world on an international scale. In fact, some graduate programs focus specifically on global business, so it’s no surprise that these programs often permit – or even require – students to gain hands-on experience working on the other side of the globe.

Exploring International Tourism Practices

If you want to work in the hospitality or tourism industry, traveling the world can help you learn about the different cultures you future guests will belong to. A trek across the globe can help put you in the shoes of the guests you will soon have to impress. Further, visiting a faraway country for an academic purpose can help you gain hands-on experience working in some of the busiest tourism areas in the world. You will have the opportunity to see what works – and what doesn’t work – when it comes to managing the logistics of a world-renowned hotel, restaurant or attraction.

Attaining Sought-After Research Opportunities

Another reason you might choose to study abroad is for research purposes. It’s not unusual for graduate programs to allow students the freedom to integrate foreign research experiences into their pursuit of a master’s degree, according to the United States Department of Education. A study abroad experience may give you the opportunity to use the considerable resources, like research equipment, available at a college or university far from home. This path could allow you to meet and network with instructors who are the leading experts in their fields – even if they live and work on the other side of the world.

Achieving Personal Growth

Even if your intended career doesn’t specifically require a global perspective or research experience, a study abroad opportunity can enhance not just your future career, but your life. Traveling can teach you a lot about the world around you and about cultures – not just others, but your own. By studying abroad as you earn your master’s degree, you can learn more about what it’s like to live in other cultures, meet new people, try new experiences and make great memories.

What Graduate Students Should Know About Studying Abroad

Before you decide whether or not to study abroad, consider the facts. At many schools, a study abroad experience is affordable. Your semester in a foreign country might cost no more than a semester of study at your own college campus or online.

You should also know that you can study abroad even if it means traveling to a country where you don’t know the language. Many graduate students believe that they can only study abroad if they are fluent in another language, but that’s not true, according to U.S. News & World Report. Many schools offer English-language courses even if they’re located in non-English-speaking countries.

Of course, learning a second language is an excellent choice for personal and career growth. However, not being fluent doesn’t have to stop graduate students from enjoying the many benefits of studying abroad while pursuing a master’s degree.

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Associate’s Degree Programs in Human Resources

If your goal is to get the minimum education you need to begin a career in the field of human resources as quickly as possible, an associate’s degree could be the right option for you. In just two years, if you study full-time, you could complete an associate’s degree in human resources. Junior colleges and community colleges often offer these programs of study, which can prepare graduates for roles such as human resources assistant and payroll and timekeeping clerk. In an associate’s degree program in human resources, you would be likely to study general business classes such as Business Law and Ethics, Accounting Principles and Business Principles as well as business-focused coursework in math and communication. At the associate’s degree level, HR classes might include Introduction to Human Resources, Employment Law & Labor Relations, Introduction to Compensation & Benefits, Organizational Behavior & Leadership and Recruitment, Selection & Staffing.

The biggest drawback to an associate’s degree is that it doesn’t meet the minimum education typically required for roles like human resources specialist. To work in this role or similar roles – and especially, if you eventually want to advance to a leadership role in HR – you will need at minimum a bachelor’s degree, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Your associate’s degree will help you attain an entry-level general HR role such as human resources assistant or a narrowly focused role such as payroll and timekeeping clerk. These positions are often more administrative or clerical in nature than a position as a human resources specialist or generalist. They may not carry the same amount of prestige and often pay considerably less than more central HR roles.

The pay difference between HR specialists and assistants is more than 20,000 per year, The Houston Chronicle reported. Payroll and timekeeping clerks earn a $44,950 average wage, compared to the $60,350 median wage for human resources specialists, the BLS reported.

Bachelor’s Degree in HR Programs

The education needed to become a human resource specialist is typically a four-year degree. A bachelor’s degree in human resources prepares you for many entry-level and above jobs in HR. With this degree, you can become a human resources specialist, human resources generalist, recruitment specialist, labor relations specialist, training and development specialist or a specialist in compensation, benefits or jobs analysis.

While students in a bachelor’s-level HR program must take the same foundational business and human resources coursework as those going for an associate’s degree, they also have the opportunity to develop more depth of HR knowledge. For example, you might take classes in general Human Resource Management, Issues in Human Resource Management, Global Human Resource Management, Compensation Management, Employee Training and Development and Labor Relations.

Although a bachelor’s degree is often called a four-year degree, not every student completes their education within four years. In fact, less than 60 percent of college students will finish their bachelor’s degree even in six years.

Master’s in Human Resources

In HR, as in many other fields, management is where the money is. A bachelor’s degree meets the minimum education requirements for many jobs as a human resources manager, training and development manager and compensation and development manager, the BLS reported. However, having a graduate degree can open new opportunities in HR management that you wouldn’t have with only a bachelor’s degree. Each of these HR roles has a six-figure median salary, so it is no wonder why master’s degree programs in human resources have become popular.

Generally, students must choose between two types of master’s degree programs in human resources. You could earn your Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a human resources concentration. This program is broader and more general in scope, consisting of graduate studies in management, marketing, economics and finance as well as advanced HR coursework. Another option is the more specialized Master of Science in Human Resources or Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Management. These HR programs include less of an emphasis on general business studies but instead focus on graduate-level coursework in subjects like talent management, human resources analytics, human resources leadership and global HR management.

Earning your graduate degree is one way to advance an HR career, but it’s not the only way. In fact, the BLS predicts better career prospects for candidates who have either a master’s degree or a professional certification.

Additional Resources

How Long Does It Take to Get a Degree in Business?

How Long Does It Take to Get an MBA?

How Long Does It Take to Get a Degree in Leadership and Management?

What Is the Difference Between a Certification in Human Resources and a Master’s Degree in HR?

What Salary Can I Expect With a Human Resources Management Degree?

How Long Does It Take to Get an Associate Degree?

The post How Long Does It Take to Get a Degree in Human Resources? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Careers in Private Investigation

Around 37,000 American workers had jobs as private investigators or private detectives as of 2021, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported.

Private investigators are far less common in the U.S. workforce than police detectives and criminal investigators. Criminal investigators outnumber private investigators three to one, with the BLS reporting 112,900 jobs for police detectives.

What Do Private Investigators Do?

Like criminal investigators and police detectives, private investigators make a career out of conducting investigations. The term “investigation” can refer to any kind of systematic research, inquiry, or examination through which the investigator may come to discover facts.

Private investigation can include many types of evidence gathering, including conducting physical or digital surveillance, interviewing people familiar with the matter being investigated, performing background checks and going through old news articles, police reports, photos, letters or other documents. When interviewing people involved in their case, private investigators should actively listen to the subject, ask follow-up questions and take notes as needed.

RELATED: What Degree Do I Need to Be a Crime Scene Photographer?

The main thing that differentiates private investigators from criminal investigators is the types of cases they investigate. Rather than investigating criminal activity on behalf of government law enforcement agencies, private investigators take on cases of all kinds that are brought to them by private clients.

Additionally, private investigators aren’t official law enforcement officers, so they aren’t authorized to investigate criminal matters by collecting evidence from crime scenes or apprehending and questioning suspects, as police detectives do.

The work that private investigators perform may overlap with criminal matters in some instances, however. A family may hire a private detective to investigate a missing persons matter, particularly if the trail has gone cold and there is no active police investigation. Additionally, if the private investigator uncovers matters involving fraud, embezzlement, blackmail, abuse or assault, murder, or any other type of crime in the course of their missing persons investigation, they should notify the authorities, and criminal charges may result.

RELATED: What Are My Degree Choices in Fraud Analysis?

In general, though, private investigators are hired to apply their investigative skills to non-criminal situations, often pertaining to civil legal matters. For example, private investigators often undertake marital infidelity cases on behalf of individuals who suspect cheating spouses or partners. This isn’t necessarily a legal matter if the client only wants to know to satisfy their own curiosity, but it may become a family law matter if the infidelity uncovered prompts a divorce and, for some couples, a child custody battle.

Private investigators often investigate other types of legal issues, too, such as insurance fraud, personal injury claims, and identity theft. A business may hire a private investigator to investigate suspected accounting fraud, embezzlement, conflicts of interest, contract violations and other acts of impropriety. If the investigation finds evidence of these occurrences, it may result in legal disputes among business partners, regulatory investigations, fines or even criminal charges.

Where Do Private Investigators Work?

If private investigators don’t work for government law enforcement departments, where do they work?

The largest share of the occupation, 22%, is self-employed, the BLS reported. Self-employed private detectives run their own private investigation firms or agencies. Another 18 percent of the private investigator workforce is employed in the investigation, guard and armored car services. Whether a private investigator works for someone else in the investigation industry or is self-employed, private investigators working in this space primarily provide investigative services to individual clients or businesses such as law firms, often on a consulting basis.

Jobs in the finance and insurance industry account for 12% of the private investigator workforce. Financial institutions may have investigators on staff to examine potential fraud and financial crimes and to gather the information needed to hold perpetrators accountable. The insurance industry also relies on private investigators to ferret out potential fraud, but they often do this in different ways, conducting both physical and digital surveillance on claimants rather than auditing paper trails.

RELATED: How Do I Become a Financial Forensics Investigator?

The last of the largest employment industries the BLS listed for the private investigator occupation is the government. One in 10 private detectives works for the government. These private investigators are still private citizens, not sworn law enforcement officers, so you won’t find them arresting and interrogating suspects. They may, however, perform background checks, undertake investigations of non-criminal (civil) legal matters and conduct investigations of fraud involving government programs, benefits and resources.

The Career Path for Private Investigators

Strictly speaking, private investigators may not need to have a college degree. They do, however, need to cultivate skills in a variety of areas, undergo training, gain work experience and, in many states, acquire a license.

RELATED: How Do I Become a Private Detective?        

Often, the path to a private investigator career resembles the following steps.

1. Earn Your High School Diploma.

The lowest level of formal education you need to become a private investigator is a high school diploma or an equivalent, like a GED. According to O*NET, 25% of industry experts surveyed responded that a high school diploma or equivalent is the level of education new hires need to be prepared to perform the job.

Private investigators need to have strong skills in conducting research, documenting and communicating their findings and using logic and reasoning to make inferences and deductions. For certain cases, they may need knowledge of specific industries, including science, business and computer technology. Students who wish to become private detectives should take an array of courses in high school, including electives in areas like law and legal studies, business and accounting, psychology, the social sciences and computers.

Students should also strive to get the most out of their required courses, such as science, math and English. To make sure that they have the option to go to college if they choose to, a student who wants to become a private investigator should consider pursuing a college preparatory course of study. Any clubs or extracurricular activities that can help you build the kinds of skills required to work as a private investigator can be valuable preparation for your future career. For example, working on the school newspaper may allow you to get involved in some basic investigative journalism.

2. Go to College.

Even if it’s not required, having some level of a college education is beneficial if you want to become a private investigator. O*NET found that 38% of respondents listed a bachelor’s degree as the level of education needed for new hires in the field, while another 16% recommended an associate’s degree.

Not only can having an associate or bachelor’s degree help you build the skills you need for success as a private investigator – skills like research, writing, public speaking, critical thinking, problem-solving and the use of computer technology – but a degree may also be required for licensure or allow you to meet licensure requirements with fewer years of experience. Most private investigators enter the field after gaining at least a few years of experience in another related field. Having a college degree may make it easier to gain entry into your initial career, as well, which in turn prepares you for a private detective career.

Having real-world work experience is critical if you want to become a private investigator. Whatever major you choose, look for internship opportunities through which you can build a repertoire of skills that would be useful in conducting private investigations.

3. Gain Relevant Work Experience.

The initial careers that can lead you to a private investigator career are varied, but they all involve solving problems, conducting research or investigations or otherwise gathering or managing information in some capacity.

Law Enforcement Experience

Most commonly, private detectives get their start in local law enforcement agencies or the military, where they work their way up the ranks to detective roles. This experience investigating criminal cases is the most directly relevant experience for a private investigator career. Over the course of their career as law enforcement personnel, aspiring private detectives may advance to roles in state or federal agencies.

Through work in these roles, you acquire experience in matters like interviewing people of interest related to a case, collecting and handling evidence properly and conducting surveillance, background checks and other sorts of research on an individual, a company or another entity. You can also develop skills in critical and analytical thinking about motives, means and opportunity, as well as skills in deductive reasoning and assessing whether interview subjects are telling the truth or whether they are hiding something.

Paralegal Experience

Despite the advantages of coming to the private investigator occupation from a career in criminal investigation, there are other roles through which you can develop the capabilities required for this work. Paralegals, for example, assist lawyers in conducting research, drafting legal documents and maintaining case files. They become skilled at ferreting out relevant information needed for an investigation, documenting and organizing evidence, drawing conclusions from data and interviewing clients (as well as contributing to or sitting in on depositions, legal proceedings during which parties must answer questions under oath).

Paralegals work in all areas of law, from criminal defense and prosecution to personal injury, family law and corporate law. Because paralegals also know the legal process and system well, they understand what kind of evidence is admissible in a legal matter and what sort of evidence is needed to achieve the desired outcome of the case, such as illustrating or debunking claims against the client and documenting damages or wrongdoing on the part of other parties.

Experience in Process Serving and Collections

Process server is another career that can serve as a springboard to the private investigator occupation. Process servers refer to someone whose job is to deliver legal documents like warrants, subpoenas and writs to an individual. The job can require doing research to track down the individual named in the document and thinking outside the box to find and deliver those documents. In some cases, process servers are sheriffs or deputies, while in other cases, they are third parties —  who, in some states, must be licensed or registered.

Similarly, collections agents whose job is to get payment from individuals who are overdue or delinquent on paying their debts often develop skills that can be applied to a career as a private investigator. Collection agents have to first track down the person whose debts are in collections and find a means of contacting them, just as private detectives may need to do when working on a case.

Insurance Claims Experience

Another relevant area of professional experience is the insurance claim adjuster occupation. Claims adjusters work for insurance companies handling claims for benefits. Insurance companies, naturally, don’t want to pay out any more money in claims than they have to. Part of an insurance claims adjuster’s job is to investigate the claim and identify any reason that the insurance company should not have to pay or be able to pay less compensation.

Insurance claims adjusters may conduct field investigations, gather and review data such as medical records and property damage repair estimates, interview claimants and defendants and maintain case files. In some instances, insurance claims adjusters may even conduct surveillance on a claimant, either digitally by scouring social media sites or physically by following the person in their real-world travels.

Fewer than five years of work experience in related careers are required for becoming a private investigator, the BLS reported. However, it’s not unusual for police detectives to retire from public service after 20 or 25 years and become a private investigator.

4. Get Training in Matters Related to Private Investigation Work.

To become a private investigator, you need strong skills in a variety of areas. You can develop these skills in different ways. Often, new private investigators cultivate the skills needed for the job through either formal training or on-the-job training.

Some detectives develop these skills by attending private investigator schools. In a private investigator school, you may study topics like state and federal laws, legal principles and private investigator requirements, surveillance methods, evidence collection and handling, observation, background checks, undercover investigations, interviewing, security and more. Some programs even cover studies in the business-related field of private investigators’ work, such as marketing your investigation services.

If you intend to carry a weapon on your person for protection, you must follow state laws, which often include mandatory firearms training. Private investigators who undergo firearms training will typically learn about gun maintenance and operation and when they are legally permitted to use deadly force (for the most part, defending themselves or others from serious threats to physical safety). Armed private investigators must comply with all state firearms licensing requirements, or they could face criminal charges.

5. Meet Any Licensure Requirements in Your State.

Although you aren’t working for the government as a private investigator, your work may still be regulated by it. The BLS reported that “most” states require private investigators to acquire a state-issued license.

Licensing requirements for private investigation work vary by state laws, but licensing requirements may include minimum levels of education and experience, as well as passing a licensing exam. For example, New Jersey requires a minimum of five years of investigative experience, while in California, having an associate or bachelor’s degree reduces the amount of experience required for licensure. In some states, new private investigators must gain experience working under the supervision of licensed investigators before they can apply for their own licenses.

RELATED: How Do I Get Licensed to Become a Bounty Hunter?

Many states require private detectives to hold a current surety bond, or a detective bond, of a certain dollar amount. Although a surety bond may seem similar to an insurance policy, its purpose is to protect your clients and ensure that you and your firm act in accordance with the law rather than to protect your company.

To maintain your private investigator license, you may be required to complete continuing education courses throughout your career.

5. Pursue Professional Certification.

Some private investigators choose to enhance their reputation by seeking professional certification. The National Association of Legal Investigators offers the Certified Legal Investigator credential, and ASIS International offers the Professional Certified Investigator certification.

Degree Options for Private Investigators

Given the variety of paths people can take to a career as a private investigator, it may come as no surprise that there’s no one major that’s right for an aspiring private investigator. You might choose a college major because it will prepare you for the career through which you first begin gaining the skills to become a private investigator or to develop knowledge of and competencies in a range of fields and industries.

Depending on which path to becoming a private investigator you have in mind, you might consider popular majors such as criminal justice, law enforcement, computer forensics, business, political science and psychology.

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

Whether you want to prepare for any number of careers in criminal justice – including investigation – or just develop a solid foundation in the legal system and criminal procedure and evidence handling practices, an interdisciplinary degree in criminal justice can help you achieve these goals.

Criminal justice majors study every aspect of the criminal justice system, ranging from the history of the criminal justice system to social theories of crime, concepts and methods used in corrections and research methods used to study criminal behavior and rehabilitation. Often, courses in a degree in criminal justice program include at least some study in criminal investigation methods and criminal procedure. Majoring in criminal justice allows aspiring private investigators to keep their options open and work in private investigator jobs and for law enforcement agencies.

Law enforcement careers, like police officer and, eventually, police detective, are among the most common stepping stones on the path to becoming a private investigator. It makes sense that students interested in this path might major in an area such as law enforcement administration or the related areas of police science and homeland security studies.

RELATED: How Do I Become a Police Detective?         

Degrees in these areas have a lot in common with criminal justice degree programs, but they tailor the curricula to work in law enforcement roles more specifically, while a degree in criminal justice may still prepare students for work outside of law enforcement. A degree in homeland security emphasizes areas like public safety, emergency management and security in general beyond what you would find in a typical criminal justice curriculum, according to Pace University. In that sense, neither major is broader than the other, but both include both breadth and depth in different areas of the curricula.

Evidence matters in private investigations, just as it does in criminal investigations. If you want to learn about the methods used to handle, process and glean insights from physical evidence, you might consider majoring in forensic science or crime scene investigation. Forensic science programs include a great deal more coursework in the life and physical sciences – and how to apply them to criminal investigation matters – than criminal justice programs.

RELATED: What Salary Can You Expect With a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice?

Computer Forensics

Private investigator work today involves using computer tools and technologies to acquire information. Taking courses through which you can develop relevant computer skills can prove valuable.

RELATED: What Is the Benefit of a Degree in Cybersecurity vs. Network Security?

Students majoring in this subject take courses in areas like network forensics, mobile device forensics, digital forensics pertaining to various operating systems, cybercrime and cybersecurity and reverse engineering of malware. Major coursework in this area of study may also include studies in criminal law and criminal procedure.

Business, Finance or Accounting

Private investigator work often overlaps with areas of business, finance or accounting. As such, many private investigators come to the field with some background in business.

Whether the private investigator is investigating suspicions that an employee is stealing from the company, committing corporate espionage or otherwise acting improperly, being familiar with business practices is valuable. Majoring in business administration generally, or areas like finance and accounting more specifically, can give you the tools to generate and interpret financial reports and find evidence of bribery, embezzlement, identity theft, fraud and other business-related wrongdoing.

Political Science

One potential major for prospective private investigators that might surprise you is political science. However, majoring in political science can be valuable for private investigators because this field of study equips students with knowledge of the criminal and judiciary systems, state and federal law and how law enforcement agencies at various levels work together, The Houston Chronicle reported.

Psychology

Studying the human mind can give you a glimpse into how people think and behave and why they do the things they do. This knowledge can be valuable not only in figuring out the motive for a person’s improper or unethical behavior – and what that person will do next – but also conducting interviews and getting persons of interest to reveal valuable information effectively.

Work as a private investigator isn’t always as glamorous as television shows, movies and detective novels would have you believe. Private investigators work long hours, including working on weekends, evenings and holidays. Still, the career is rewarding for those with an unquenchable need to find out the truth.

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Engineering and Engineering Technology

The first thing prospective students should know about associate’s degrees in engineering is that there is a difference between studying engineering and studying engineering technology. Many associate’s degrees are offered in the field of engineering technology, rather than engineering. One important reason for this is because you must have a bachelor’s degree if you plan to be an engineer. If you want to go for your associate’s degree, you need to either be prepared to transfer to a four-year college to complete your bachelor’s degree requirements or going into the somewhat different, though related, career path of engineering technician.

RELATED: 25 Fastest Online Associates Degree Programs

Both paths can lead to a good job. Engineers, who apply science and mathematical principles to designing solutions to real-world problems in a variety of disciplines, earn a median annual wage of $92,220l, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Engineering technicians are the ones with the technical job of installing, testing, maintaining, repairing and troubleshooting technology created by engineers. An engineering technician can expect a median salary from $50,230 to $67,240 depending on discipline, the BLS reported, although with specialized on-the-job training, engineering technicians can earn six-figure salaries in senior-level roles, according to U.S. News & World Report.

A bachelor’s degree is required to use the title engineer as well as to attain a Professional Engineering (PE) license, though licensure is voluntary and not required to become an engineer.

Demand for Engineering Technicians

Overall, career opportunities for engineering technicians are growing at nearly the same rate as jobs for all occupations. The BLS predicts a six percent increase in jobs for all engineering technicians, mapping technicians and drafters. However, what your job prospects would be in this occupation depend a great deal on what discipline of engineering technology you choose as your specialty.

The fastest growing branch of engineering technology is environmental, which currently employs about 17,000 Americans. The BLS expects opportunities in environmental engineering technology to rise by 13 percent, which will lead to an additional 2,200 jobs. However, occupations that already employ more engineering technicians may have lower rates of job growth but add more jobs to the economy. For example, there are already 81,100 civil engineering technicians working in the U.S., and the nine percent anticipated job growth rate should result in 6,600 new jobs.

Engineering technician jobs in other disciplines aren’t growing quite so fast. Opportunities for industrial engineering technicians, for example, are expected to see little to no change with a growth rate of just one percent, or 400 new jobs expected. Electromechanical technicians and electrical and electronics engineering technicians will see slower than average rates of growth, according to the BLS.

The field of aerospace engineering technology has an average job outlook with a seven percent growth rate expected, but its above average pay makes it the most profitable branch of engineering technology.

Demand for Engineers

If you’re willing to put in at least another two years of additional studies beyond your associate’s degree, you might wonder what job outlook is in store for engineers. The BLS expects the total number of engineering jobs in all disciplines to increase by nearly 140,000 over a decade.

As with engineering technology roles, new jobs for engineers are likely to be more plentiful in some branches of engineering than in others. Engineering opportunities as a whole are predicted to increase by eight percent. The discipline seeing the fastest growth rate, 15 percent, is petroleum engineering, which currently employs 33,700 Americans but should add another 5,100 jobs. The field of marine engineering should see a 12 percent job growth, but since it only accounts for 8,200 jobs, that double-digit increase will only add 1,000 new positions. The much larger occupation of civil engineering, employing 303,500 Americans, will see 32,200 new jobs if it grows at the anticipated 11 percent rate.

On the other end of the spectrum are slower growing engineering roles. Engineers working in two branches, nuclear engineering and materials engineering, are seeing what the BLS terms “slower than average” job growth. For nuclear engineers, a four percent growth rate will add just 700 jobs. Materials engineers will likely see only 400 new jobs opening over a decade if job growth occurs at the expected two percent. Of course, there are several other engineering disciplines which are growing at approximately average rates, such as mechanical engineering, health and safety engineering and electrical and electronics engineering.

The curricula of engineering and engineering technology programs are different. Aspiring engineers who earn an associate’s degree in engineering technology may have to start their education over from scratch at a four-year school.

Related Resources:

Top 10 Highest Paying Engineering Careers

Top 10 Paying Jobs With an Associate’s Degree

50 Highest Paying Associate Degree Jobs

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IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay, public domain

A cardiac care nurse or cardiovascular nurse is a nurse who treats patients that either have heart conditions or have had heart surgery. In fact, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reports that in 2017, there were 3,244 heart transplants and 29 heart and lung transplants. The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (H CUP) states that in 2011, there were 214,000 coronary artery bypass grafts, 136,000 procedures related to pacemakers or cardioverter/defibrillators and 120,000 heart valve procedures performed in the United States. Including hospital stays, these procedures cost around $16.517 billion. Therefore, lots of patients need nurses that can help them after heart surgery. If you want to be a part of the growing health care industry that the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects to grow by 15 percent over the next 8 years, you need to start off as a registered nurse (RN).

Education for Cardiac Care Nurses

To become an RN, you will need either an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and to pass the NCLEX-RN. While an ADN is the minimum education requirement, many hospitals want candidates to have at least a BSN to work as a RN. Students with a BSN have better pass rates than those with an ADN by almost 6 percent.

RNs that want to advance their career in cardiac care will need a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. This will allow them to become certified, which is important for being a long-term cardiac care nurse. However, some students may want to consider earning a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) where they can move on to becoming a cardiovascular nurse practitioner. Another reason is to pursue a DNP program is that the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is proposing that APRNs be required to attain a doctorate degree rather than a master’s degree. As a result of this movement, some schools have begun to transition their MSN programs into DNP programs.

An MSN degree can lead to becoming a cardiovascular advanced nurse practitioner, with a median salary of $94,677 and the potential to earn $120,549, according to Payscale.

Cardiac Care Nurse Certifications

There are a few certificates that can help you appeal to future employers. One is the Cardiac Medicine Certification (CMC), which is granted by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. You have two different options to meet the requirements for this certification. The two-year option is to practice as an RN or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) caring for cardiac patients for a minimum of 1,750 hours within that two-year period. With this option, 875 of those hours must be within the most recent year, and at least 875 of those hours within the past two years must have been spent caring for cardiac patients. The other option is a five-year option that requires 2,000 hours, with 1,000 of those hours caring for cardiac patients. Also, 144 of those hours must be within the most recent year.

Another certification for cardiac care nurses is the Cardiac-Vascular Nursing certificate, which is granted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This certification requires 2,000 hours of caring for cardiac patients within the past three years, as well as 30 hours of continuing education in the cardiac-vascular nursing field. You will also need to have practiced as an RN for two full years.

Hospitals also look for cardiac care nurses to have certification in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support.

The Role of a Cardiac Care Nurse

When working with patients who are recovering from heart surgery, cardiac care nurses perform a number of roles. They must complete stress test evaluations to help check how the patient is doing. They also monitor their patient’s heart activity and pain level.

Cardiac care nurses might also conduct research so they can help educate patients about preventive methods. They may also try to motivate patients to make lifestyle changes to improve their health.

Cardiac care nurses primarily work in hospitals in a number of areas. Besides cardiac medical wards, they find employment in coronary care units (CCU), intensive care units (ICU) and cardiovascular intensive care units (CVICU). Cardiac care nurses can also find employment outside of hospitals in places such as nursing homes and correctional facilities. Some cardiac care nurses actually work in cardiovascular centers. Schools and the military also employ cardiac care nurses.

Cardiac care nurses not only help patients with one of the most vital parts of the body, they can also earn up to $103,642 according to Payscale.

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IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay, public domain

When you start your college search, there are so many factors to consider that the whole process can seem overwhelming. How can you tell which of these factors really determines the quality of the undergraduate education you’ll receive at the school?

You can start by focusing on the aspects that have the most significant impact on the quality of your education and the likelihood that the degree program will help you fulfill your ambitions. Just a few of the characteristics that make for a high-quality bachelor’s degree program include a solid core curriculum, appropriate accreditation, a good reputation and a program of study in your intended major.

A Strong Core Curriculum

A comprehensive core curriculum is one of the things you should look for in an undergraduate college degree program. This set of graduation requirements often includes classes in a variety of subjects ranging from the natural sciences to the fine arts and from technology to foreign language.

What makes it so important for a bachelor’s degree program to include a rigorous core curriculum? In many ways, being a college graduate isn’t just about knowing a lot about one subject, but instead about having a college-level understanding of a wide range of subjects. The core classes you take expose you to knowledge outside your own discipline and help you develop important and versatile skills in thinking critically and communicating effectively.

The core curriculum at some schools is firm, with students taking a very specific set of courses. At other schools, students need only to complete one out of several courses to fulfill their graduation requirements. Some highly-respected colleges offer what’s called an “open curriculum,” allowing students to choose their own core courses so long as those classes help them achieve objectives set by the school.

Institutional and Programmatic Accreditation

Earning a bachelor’s degree from an unaccredited program is one of the biggest mistakes a student can make. This degree often won’t satisfy professional certification requirements, impress prospective employers or help you attain your goals.

When you’re considering a college, make sure that the institution as a whole has earned accreditation from one of the regional accrediting agencies. You should also look for a program that has attained specialized accreditation from an organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Reputation and Rankings

While a list of rankings can’t tell you all you need to know about a college, it is important to research your school’s reputation. Knowing how others view your school can tell you a lot about how a prospective employer will look at you as a job candidate someday.

In fact, reputation is so important that when U.S. News & World Report compiles its list of schools that do an outstanding job educating undergraduate students, it bases these rankings solely on peer nominations.

Programs of Study in Your Major

There’s no one right undergraduate degree program for every student. While it’s important that a bachelor’s degree program is accredited, respected and provides a strong core curriculum, it’s just as important that the institution offers a major that will help you reach your personal and professional goals. This could be a traditional major within one department, an interdisciplinary major, a self-directed major or even a minor or specialization.

Accreditation, an impressive reputation, a rigorous academic core and a wide range of bachelor’s degree offerings are some of the qualities the best degree programs for undergraduates share. These attributes matter more than school size, cost, or location when it comes to determining quality.

The post What Should I Look for in an Undergraduate College Degree Program? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Practice Answering Behavioral and Technical Interview Questions

While a job interview is a conversation that goes back and forth between you and one or more representatives of your prospective employer, much of that conversation takes the form of questions from interviewers and the answers you provide. In interviews for finance jobs, most questions are either behavioral or technical in nature, according to the Corporate Finance Institute, a professional certification organization for financial analysts.

Behavioral questions are intended to determine if you would be a good fit for the job and the company by providing information about your personality and soft skills such as teamwork and communication. These questions might ask you for examples of what you have done in different scenarios or what you would do in hypothetical situations. Candidates often draw on their professional experience to answer these behavioral questions, but if you don’t yet real finance work experience, you can still discuss experiences such as internships, volunteerism, classroom projects and work in unrelated fields that highlight the skills or personality traits your interviewer is looking for.

Technical questions are the questions that help your employer gauge your level of technical competence. These questions test your analytical skills and finance and accounting knowledge. Preparing for technical job interview questions may be more challenging than preparing for behavioral questions, because they are less standardized and may vary a great deal from one employer to another. You might be asked to explain the difference between types of financial statements, explain which type of financial statement you feel best conveys a company’s overall financial performance or discuss different types of financial models. One way you can prepare for technical questions, other than reviewing the principles of finance that you have learned, is by practicing organizing your thoughts and planning your answers to questions before you speak, instead of blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.

At some business schools, students can set up a practice job interview with a professional career counselor or with real employer representatives. To find out what interview help might be available to you, check with your college’s career services center.

Know What Happens After an Interview

If you have been so focused on the interview itself that you haven’t given much thought yet to what happens next, you aren’t alone. Preparing for and then going on the job interview can take up so much of your attention that you lose sight of the job search process as a whole. While your performance in the interview is one of the most important factors in whether or not you get the job, it isn’t the only time you make an impression on your potential employer. Career experts recommend sending a thank you note, via mail or email, to every member of the organization who took part in your interview no later than 24 hours after the interview. Some employers may have a screening process that includes multiple interview stages. Candidates who perform well at the first interview may be asked back for a second interview with a larger group of interviewers or senior-level staff or be invited to take part in a working interview.

If the company chooses you for the position, there are still decisions to be made. You need to know how to successfully negotiate your salary so that you are making the money you deserve but doing so in a way that reflects well on you as a professional. You must decide whether you will accept the job offer. While you presumably wanted the job when you applied for it, it is important to consider everything you have since learned about the position, the company and the opportunities you would have for growth, both through the interview and your own research. Experts recommend asking for time – a few days or longer – to consider a job offer, even for jobs that you feel confident are right for you. Once you have carefully considered the pros and cons of the job offer, it is important to either accept it or turn it down politely and gracefully. In either case, a thank-you note is recommended.

If your interviewer does not go over the hiring process with you during the interview, then you should ask a question such as “When should I expect to hear from you?” or “What are the next steps of the interview process?” to find out the details.  

Additional Resources

What Should You Know When You Interview for a Job With a Degree in Business Administration?

What Is the Salary Potential for Someone With a Finance Degree?

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Finance?

How Many Jobs Are Available in Finance?

The post What Should You Know When You Interview for a Job With a Degree in Finance? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Graduate Accounting Curriculum

As an undergraduate accounting student, you probably took your fair share of mathematics coursework. You had to meet your college or university’s general education requirements, so you may have taken a class such as college algebra or precalculus. If you earned a passing score on an Advanced Placement Mathematics Test in high school, you may have had the option to test out of this general education math requirement completely, if your school allowed you to do so. As part of your program requirements, you probably took one or two additional general or business-focused math classes, like business statistics or business calculus.

Generally, a master’s in accounting degree program won’t fill up your course schedule with math classes. It’s likely that the only math coursework you will need to do is that needed for applying new accounting concepts in your graduate-level accounting and auditing courses. If you have already worked in the field of accounting at the time you start considering a graduate program, then you have probably noticed that basic math functions such as adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying are the skills you use most often in your career. It is important to know the most often used accounting formulas and how to plug values into those formulas to get the data you need. However, you don’t need to know high-level math to do this.

That doesn’t mean that a master’s degree in accounting is easy. You will, of course, take advanced coursework. You will learn new concepts and theories as well as how to apply them. In many programs, you may have the option of pursuing an academic concentration that allows you to develop specialized skills in a subject like tax accounting or forensic accounting. However, that advanced coursework is more likely to take the form of studies in advanced auditing, advanced financial reporting, corporate financial management, federal income tax for corporations, forensic accounting and fraud examination and an accounting capstone course or experience.

Earning a master’s degree typically takes two years of full-time study, but some accounting schools offer accelerated dual degree options that allow students to complete both degrees in just five years.

Careers With a Master’s Degree in Accounting

If you think about what you want to do once you earn your master’s degree in accounting, the job you’re envisioning probably doesn’t include a great deal of complex mathematical work. The jobs you can get with a master’s degree in accounting tend to be more closely related to business than to sheer mathematical proficiency. For example, appraisal and valuation specialists identify assets and assess their value, budget analysts determine how much a business should reasonably spend on its expenses and tax examiners review tax return documents. Certainly, working with numbers and being able to use mathematical formulas is important for each of these roles. However, none of these positions is likely to require you to have a mathematician’s understanding of the most esoteric theories in topology, geometry or trigonometry. The math skills are among the most important qualities accountants should have, the skills needed for accounting relate to comparing, analyzing and interpreting financial data, not complex mathematical skills, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

One area of accounting in which you may need to do well at math is taking the professional examinations needed to attain certification. Perhaps the most widely known accounting certification is the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license. To attain this license, candidates must pass the notoriously challenging 16-hour, four-part Uniform CPA Examination.

Generally speaking, math classes are not high on the list of prerequisite coursework or recommended coursework for preparing for the CPA exam. Students should have some experience with business statistics and calculus for management and science. However, most of the coursework needed to succeed on the CPA exam is related to accounting principles, managerial cost accounting, intermediate accounting practices, auditing, tax accounting, economics and accounting information systems. The CPA exam measures proficiency in Auditing and Attestation, Business Environment and Concepts, Financial Accounting and Reporting and Regulation. The exam content will test your quantitative abilities, and some CPAs find that the math functions needed for the exam are more complex than those used in their daily work as certified public accountants.

Accounting is one occupation in which there is a wage premium for having a master’s degree, according to the BLS.

Additional Resources

How Much Math Is Required for a Degree in Accounting?

How Much Math Is Required for a Degree in Auditing?

What Classes Will I Have to Take for a Degree in Accounting?

How Advanced Does My Degree in Accounting Need to Be to Get a Good Job?

The post How Much Math Is Required for a Master’s Degree in Accounting? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Work in the Field of Labor Relations

The vast majority of labor relations specialists work for labor unions. Jobs with labor organizations account for 78 percent of employment in this occupation, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Other labor relations specialists work for the government or in the management of companies and enterprises. The primary role of a labor relations specialist is to explain and oversee labor contracts, but within that responsibility are a lot of diverse job duties. Labor relations specialists interface with both company management and union representatives and run meetings between the two parties. They write proposals and rules that become the formal text of collective bargaining agreements and explain and clarify the meaning of communications between management and labor unions, the BLS reported. Labor relations specialists are responsible for ensuring that workers are treated appropriately according to union policies and agreements, which includes looking into employee grievances.

Jobs in labor relations often appeal to detail-oriented individuals who are great listeners and communicators. You must have the drive to stand up for workers’ rights, the capacity to understand complex formal contracts and the tact to calmly and diplomatically address contract negotiations and worker grievances. Labor relations specialists can earn high wages, with a median salary of $63,200, but the job outlook for this occupation is unfortunately not positive. In fact, due to a decrease in labor unions, the BLS expects jobs for labor relations specialists to decline by eight percent, or 6,300 jobs. If you really want to work as a labor relations specialist, having a combination of a bachelor’s degree, specialized professional certificates and work experience will give you the best chance of breaking into this competitive occupation, according to the BLS.

Everything from compensation to benefits, along with policies and practices of labor unions and company management, fall under the domain of a labor relations specialist, the BLS reported.

Labor and Employment Relations Degrees

Labor relations is a specialized area of business operations, so it stands to reason that the corresponding degree would be specialized, as well. An undergraduate degree in labor and employment relations aims to give students a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between management and employees as well as the tools to effectively manage and improve that relationship. Coursework might include studies in labor economics, employment relations, industrial-organizational psychology, current and historical issues in labor and employment and ethics in human resources management. Labor relations degree programs often emphasize the study of laws as they relate to the employment relationship. Contract negotiation is also a crucial part of these specialized degree programs, according to the BLS.

Industrial relations and management, a related degree path, tends to emphasize a blend of studies in human resource management skills, interpersonal relations and conflict management, advanced operations management and labor law.

Human Resources Degrees

Although labor relations specialist is a human resources role, studies in this field tend to be too specialized for many career paths. Considering that this shrinking job only employs 81,100 total Americans as it is, it’s no surprise that labor relations degree programs are scarcer than more general degree programs in human resources. Fortunately, a degree in HR is perfectly acceptable for this career path, the BLS reported.

Human resources majors usually take classes in human resources management strategies, staffing, organizational development, training, compensation and benefits administration and leadership and management skills. Core business studies round out your knowledge of the business world by exposing students to introductory coursework in accounting, finance, economics and marketing. Students should strive to complete one or more internships to help them acquire real HR experience before they graduate.

While not required to work in labor relations, choosing a program that meets the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)’s guidelines can help you ensure that you are getting a comprehensive HR education and put you on the path to easier certification.

Business Degrees

Labor relations specialists have to understand both sides of the employment relationship. While studies in general business offer fewer specialized skills in labor relations, they equip candidates with a broader understanding of the business world. Having more extensive studies in management, business administration, finance and accounting can help you better understand where management is coming from in their interactions with labor unions. This knowledge can help you establish a more effective rapport with business leaders, ultimately to the benefit of employees.

A business degree has the benefit of being more versatile than a human resources or labor relations degree, an attribute that is particularly valuable when you know that opportunities in your intended occupation are declining and you may need to be adaptable.

Professional Labor Relations Certificate Programs

If you’re torn between wanting a specialized education that will give you the best shot at a labor relations career and wanting a degree with a little more versatility and flexibility, professional certificate programs could be the bridge that connects your goals. The BLS reports that these programs, which are shorter than full degree programs but feature specialized studies, can help improve an aspiring labor relations specialist’s career opportunities.

The topics of certificate programs in labor relations include contract administration, collective bargaining, mediator training and negotiation, arbitration and conflict resolution. 

 Additional Resources

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Human Resources?

What Classes Will I Have to Take for a Degree in Human Resources?

What Is the Difference Between a Human Resources Degree and a Business Degree?

What Salary Can I Expect With a Human Resources Management Degree?

What Degree Do I Need to Be a Mediator?

The post What Degree Do People With a Job in Labor Relations Have? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Nursing Degree Studies and Job Opportunities

Students can choose from different pathways into the nursing profession, but they should know that the more time-consuming options also offer the most benefits. You can complete the education required to become a registered nurse (RN) in just two years of study, if you choose to earn a diploma or an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is often essential for working in more advanced roles. In fact, some states, like New York, require nurses to earn a BSN degree within 10 years of attaining their licenses in order to continue practicing.

In nursing school, you would study subjects such as microbiology, anatomy, physiology, psychology, chemistry and nutrition, the BLS reported. Clinical experience is a crucial component of any nursing school education.

Naturally, a nursing degree program would prepare you for a career as a nurse. What you might not know is how varied this career can be. Registered nurses work in many different specialties and work environments. Nurses who go on to earn a master’s degree can move into advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) roles, such as nurse practitioner.

The median wage is $68,450 for registered nurses and $107,460 for nurse practitioners. Both jobs are in demand, with an expected 15 percent growth rate for RNs and 31 percent for APRNs.

Medical Degree Studies and Job Opportunities

Doctors always need to complete an advanced education to attain a license. Aspiring physicians can choose between Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree programs based on differences in philosophy. In any case, though, medical students will need to spend four years studying medicine after they earn a bachelor’s degree. Then they will begin working as residents, typically in a hospital, for three to seven years, according to the BLS. Medical students take classes such as pharmacology, biochemistry, anatomy and medical laws and ethics. They also complete hands-on experience requirements in a variety of specialties, including pediatrics, surgery and internal medicine.

RELATED: How Long Does It Take to Become a Doctor?

Physicians may work in hospitals, clinics and private practices. Their work settings, schedules and salaries depend largely on the type of medicine they practice. Naturally, surgeons and anesthesiologists spend a large chunk of their time, if not all of their time, in hospital settings, while primary care physicians work mostly out of doctor’s offices.

Medicine is among the highest paid careers in the United States. Doctors practicing family medicine earn a median wage of $230,456 while anesthesiologists make $453,687 per year.

Similarities and Differences Between Nursing and Medicine

Both nursing and medicine are career fields that revolve around providing health care to patients. However, the focus of these disciplines is different. When you study nursing, you’re preparing for a career in caring for patients. While providing that care can take many forms, including administering medication and checking vital signs, everything you will do as a nurse works toward that primary goal of providing patient care. Doctors, on the other hand, focus more on diagnosing and treating medical conditions.

There’s a lot of overlap between work settings and schedules for nurses and doctors. Since people get sick and injured at all times of day, doctors and nurses who work in hospitals often work long shifts and overnight or weekend work schedules. On the other hand, doctors and nurses who work in offices are more likely to have a regular schedule.

A number of characteristics are valuable in the field of health care, regardless of which career path you take. Anyone who cares for patients should have the compassion necessary to treat people who are suffering, the communication skills to express complex information to patients and fellow providers and the physical stamina needed to do the hands-on work of caring for patients. Supervisors in either field need to develop strong leadership skills. Surgeons may have a greater need for physical dexterity, while nurses who are often in charge of several patients at a time may need excellent time management and organizational skills.

RELATED: The Best-Paying Jobs in Health Care: Top 15 Highest-Paying Medical Specialties

Doctors make a good deal more money than registered nurses do – and even the lowest paid doctors make more than twice the median salary of a nurse practitioner. However, aspiring doctors must spend significantly more time and money preparing for their career than nurses do.

Whether you study nursing or medicine, science courses and clinical experiences are an essential part of your education. How long that education takes can range from a couple years to 15 years or more.

Choosing Between Studying Nursing and Medicine

Ultimately, deciding whether to be a nurse or a doctor depends on your personal goals and how much time, effort and expense you are willing to invest. If you want to get started in your career sooner rather than later, nursing school may be a better option for you. Even if you earn a BSN, you’re still looking at just four years of study, versus the four years of undergraduate work, four years of medical school and three to seven years of residency needed to become a doctor. On the other hand, if the high salary and prestige of a physician is worth the wait to you, then you may be willing to put in the extra work to become a doctor. Neither career path is easy, but both would allow you to make a difference in the lives of your patients.

Related Resources:

Top 25 Medical Schools

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Median Salaries for Rehabilitation Counselors

Although the career is rewarding in many other ways, rehabilitation counselor is not a lucrative occupation. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a median salary of just $35,630, which is less than the $38,640 median annual wage for all occupations. The highest-earning 10 percent of rehabilitation counselors earn upwards of $63,820 per year, but the 10 percent who make the least earn under $22,990 per year.

If you want to maximize your earning potential in this career field, you should look for job opportunities with state government agencies, such as state departments, divisions or offices of vocational rehabilitation. For the 14 percent of rehabilitation counselors working for state governments, the median wage is much higher, $51,350, according to the BLS. Other top-employing industries for rehabilitation counselors tend to pay considerably less. The community and vocational rehabilitation services industry employs the most rehabilitation counselors, 30 percent of the workforce, yet it pays the lowest median salary, $31,260. Individual and family services accounts for 19 percent of jobs and pays a $33,300 median wage. Nursing care facilities employ 12 percent of rehabilitation counselors, with a pay rate of $31,640.

Though the comparably low wages may not show it, rehabilitation counselors need an advanced education. Most states require a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, thousands of hours of supervised experience, a passing score on an exam and a license.

Best and Worse Locations for Rehabilitation Counselor Pay Rates

Wages for rehabilitation counselors can differ a great deal from one state to another – even within a single geographic region. The state with the highest pay rates for rehabilitation counselors is Alaska, which pays an average salary of $60,840, the BLS reported. In New Jersey, the mean wage for this occupation is $59,520 per year. Rehabilitation counselors in Rhode Island make $55,520, on average, with those in Maine earning a similar pay rate of $54,260. Colorado pays a $50,040 mean annual wage.

Unfortunately, many states pay rehabilitation counselors far less. Among the dozen states with the lowest average wages for this occupation, three states – Tennessee, Oklahoma and South Carolina – pay less than $30,000 on average in this career. Kansas and Arizona have similar mean wages of $31,310 and $31,750, with Wisconsin’s $32,250 median salary putting it not far ahead. In Mississippi, rehabilitation counselors earn $33,020 on average, similar to the $33,240 pay rate in West Virginia. Three states – Missouri, California and Wyoming – earn average salaries in the $35,000 range, narrowly surpassed by Montana, with its $36,120 average wage.

In the state with the very lowest wages, Tennessee, the average pay for rehabilitation counselors is just $23,900 per year, or $11.49 per hour, according to the BLS.

Benefits of a Rehabilitation Counseling Degree

The requirements needed to become a rehabilitation counselor are intense, yet earning potential in this career path is below average. However, there are other advantages of this career path besides salary potential. For one thing, the occupation is seeing much faster than average growth rates of 13 percent – near double the growth rate the BLS anticipates for all occupations. Over a decade, this job growth should result in 15,100 new jobs for rehabilitation counselors. The field also offers opportunities for workers who dream of establishing a private practice and being their own boss. Seven percent of rehabilitation counselors or self-employed, according to the BLS.

Rehabilitation counselor opportunities often offer excellent job benefits, according to the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. Rehabilitation counselors are more likely to have benefits like healthcare insurance, disability insurance and retirement savings plans. In fact, 90 percent of rehabilitation counselors reported having medical coverage, with more than 60 percent having dental coverage and more than half of rehabilitation reporting vision coverage. About 70 percent of workers in this field reported having long-term disability insurance, while 73 percent reported short-term disability insurance.

Upward mobility for rehabilitation counselors is high, according to U.S. News & World Report. That means plenty of potential for career advancements and accompanying salary increases. Earning the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential can help.

Related Resources

How Do I Prepare for a Rehabilitation Counseling Degree While in High School?

How Long Does It Take to Become a Psychologist?

The post What Is the Salary Potential for Someone With a Rehabilitation Counseling Degree? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

When evaluating the worthiness of a business administration degree, it is crucial to consider the potential outcomes and benefits. Graduates often enjoy access to ample job opportunities, opportunities for advancement, and the flexibility to explore different sectors within the business world. Moreover, the analytical, communication, and leadership skills developed throughout the course of this degree program can prove invaluable in both professional and personal settings.

However, like any educational pursuit, a business administration and management degree is not without its challenges. Students must devote substantial time and effort to their studies, and some may require additional certifications or specializations to stand out in the job market. Balancing these factors can help prospective students make an informed decision about whether a business administration degree truly aligns with their personal and professional objectives.

Understanding Business Administration and Management Degree

A degree in Business Administration and Management provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the world of business. With a foundation in various disciplines, such as marketing, finance, strategy, and operations management, graduates learn how to effectively manage and lead organizations. Through their coursework, they acquire valuable skills in problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking that are essential for success.

The journey typically begins with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, which covers fundamental concepts and principles. This undergraduate program offers a broad exposition to various aspects of the business world, equipping students with essential theoretical knowledge. At this level, students may choose to specialize in specific areas like marketing, human resources, or finance, according to their interests and career aspirations.

For those seeking a higher level of expertise, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is often the next logical step. This highly-regarded program delves deeper into the business realms, focusing on advanced theories, strategies, and practices. As a result, MBA holders often rise to executive positions in a variety of industries, such as management consulting, financial services, and technology.

In addition to traditional full-time programs, flexible MBA degrees are now available to accommodate diverse needs and schedules. Online and part-time programs enable professionals to pursue higher education while maintaining their careers. This has made it possible for more individuals to invest in a Business Administration and Management degree, asserting its worth as a valuable credential in the job market.

Prospective students must carefully weigh their options and assess personal goals before pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management. It is essential to understand the potential benefits of such a degree in their desired field and how it aligns with their career aspirations. By acquiring an in-depth knowledge of the offerings and requirements, they can make informed decisions and capitalize on the opportunities presented by these programs.

Key Aspects of the Degree

A Business Administration and Management degree offers a comprehensive education in various fields, such as finance, marketing, management, accounting, economics, human resources, organization, communication, and leadership. This diverse curriculum prepares students for a variety of career paths and provides them with a solid foundation for success in the business world.

One of the key aspects of a Business Administration and management degree is its focus on finance. Students gain an understanding of financial analysis, risk management, and investment strategies. They also develop skills in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting. This knowledge is crucial for aspiring financial professionals and forms the backbone of various business functions.

In addition to finance, marketing plays a significant role in the curriculum. Aspiring marketers learn how to identify market opportunities, develop marketing strategies, and utilize various marketing tools such as advertising, social media, and market research. Understanding consumer behavior and the competitive landscape enables graduates to create compelling marketing campaigns and drive business growth.

Management is another critical aspect of the degree. Students learn crucial managerial skills such as strategic planning, decision-making, and problem-solving within the context of various industries. They also build competencies in operations management, project management, and organizational change. These skills enable them to effectively oversee teams, improve productivity, and achieve business goals.

The degree also delves into the field of accounting, offering an understanding of financial accounting and management accounting. Recognizing key financial metrics and understanding their impact on the organization’s financial performance allows graduates to make well-informed business decisions.

A strong foundation in economics equips students to analyze economic systems and markets, comprehend how resources are allocated, and understand the global economic landscape’s complexities. These insights enable graduates to navigate business challenges and make better strategic decisions.

Human resources and organization play a significant role in Business Administration. Students learn about recruitment, training, compensation, and employee relations. They also study organizational behavior, structure, and design, learning how to create supportive and productive work environments.

Effective communication is vital in any business setting. The degree prepares students to communicate their ideas persuasively and adapt their communication styles to diverse audiences and situations. The curriculum also emphasizes the development of leadership skills, fostering qualities such as vision, influence, and ethical decision-making that are vital to becoming effective leaders.

Career Opportunities and Salary

A Business Administration and Management degree offers varied career opportunities for graduates. One such career path includes becoming a financial analyst, responsible for analyzing financial data and providing recommendations to businesses and individuals for investment purposes. Professionals in this role typically have a background in accounting, economics, or finance.

Some choose to become marketing managers, tasked with planning and executing marketing strategies to promote a company’s products or services. Here, adeptness at understanding target audiences and utilizing marketing tools is essential. A career in operations management, on the other hand, involves overseeing the production of goods and services that a business offers. In this role, individuals are responsible for successfully achieving organizational objectives by maximizing efficiency and resources.

Additionally, Business Administration and Management degree holders may pursue career goals such as becoming accountants or sales managers. Accountants are vital for managing an organization’s finances, ensuring accurate financial records, and assisting with tax preparation. Sales managers, on the other hand, are responsible for leading and guiding sales teams to achieve or surpass sales targets.

Furthermore, graduates have the option of becoming human resources specialists, focusing on managing an organization’s workforce. In this role, they will be involved in recruiting, training, and retaining employees, as well as handling employee benefits and resolving conflicts.

Salary prospects also remain promising for Business Administration and Management degree holders. The highest-paying business degrees have several positions with lucrative remuneration packages, making them competitive career choices. Nonetheless, factors like experience, geographic location, and the size of an organization can influence the salary earned in these roles.

Having a Business Administration and Management degree equips graduates with diverse skills suited for various industries, helping them adapt to the dynamic world of work. Consequently, with a wealth of career paths to choose from and competitive salary prospects, this degree remains a valuable investment for aspiring professionals.

Skills, Adaptability and Professional Development

A Business Administration and Management degree equips students with a diverse set of skills, fostering adaptability in various business environments. These competencies range from strategic decision-making and problem-solving to effective time management and empathic communication. As a result, graduates emerge as well-rounded professionals prepared to excel in a myriad of roles within the business landscape.

One notable aspect of a Business Administration degree is its focus on operations management and consulting strategies. These core elements cultivate the ability to analyze data and make informed decisions, ultimately driving organizational growth. With exposure to real-world business scenarios, students learn to devise effective strategies for managing resources, executing projects, and optimizing company operations.

Further enhancing professional development, a Business Administration and Management degree emphasizes building a robust professional network. This network helps graduates access valuable resources, market insights, and career opportunities. Strong interpersonal skills gained through teamwork, collaboration, and negotiation exercises enhance their communication prowess essential in nurturing their networks.

Adaptability is another crucial component of a successful business career. The skills acquired in a Business Administration program enable graduates to adapt swiftly to evolving industries, fluctuating market trends, and emerging organizational challenges. By fostering versatility, this degree prepares individuals to thrive in a dynamic business world marked by continuous change and growth.

In summary, a Business Administration and Management degree offers a comprehensive education that instills valuable skills, adaptability, and a commitment to ongoing professional development. This well-rounded experience empowers graduates to succeed in various business roles, establishing a strong foundation for their careers.

Certifications and Specializations

In the world of business administration and management, certifications and specializations play a crucial role in augmenting the skills and expertise of professionals. Possessing such qualifications can give individuals a competitive edge, demonstrating their dedication and knowledge in specific areas of business analytics, project management, human resource management, organizational behavior, strategic management, and information systems.

For instance, a certification in Project Management Professional (PMP) is highly sought after by employers, as it showcases one’s ability to successfully lead and direct complex projects. Similarly, a specialization in business analytics equips professionals with the skills necessary to derive actionable insights from data, driving informed decision-making within an organization.

There is no shortage of options when it comes to certifications in business administration. Some individuals may opt for human resource management certifications, paving the way for a rewarding career in the HR field. Others might focus on concentrations within organizational behavior to effectively lead and inspire teams, fostering organizational growth and success.

Furthermore, certifications in information systems enable individuals to excel in the burgeoning world of digital transformation, where businesses increasingly rely on technology for operations and strategy implementation. By acquiring expertise and knowledge in such niche areas, professionals can leverage these skills to create tangible value for their organizations.

Obtaining certifications and specializations in various concentrations within the realm of business administration and management can prove to be highly beneficial for professionals. By pursuing these qualifications, individuals not only demonstrate their commitment and competency but also gain a competitive advantage in the job market, empowering them to thrive in their chosen career paths.

Return on Investment

Pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management can be a significant financial commitment. The return on investment (ROI) is an essential factor to consider when evaluating the worthiness of this academic endeavor. ROI encapsulates the financial gains and personal growth that can arise from investing time, effort, and money into obtaining a degree in this field.

Monetary gains are of great importance in the realms of finance and accounting. Earnings potential is often influenced by the level of education attained. A study pertaining to the return on investment for undergraduate degrees in hospitality and tourism management, which is housed within colleges of business administration, suggests that a college degree indeed has a positive impact on earnings. Another exploration of the perceived return on investment in an MBA illustrates further the financial importance of obtaining a higher degree in business.

The realm of financial management plays a significant role in the decision-making process around advanced degrees. The overall cost of the degree, including tuition, books, and opportunity costs, must be weighed against potential earnings to determine the long-term financial viability of pursuing a Business Administration and Management degree.

In addition to monetary returns, personal and professional development outcomes are important factors when evaluating the ROI of a Business Administration and Management degree. Skill acquisition, for instance, adds value to the degree-holder’s career. A separate study examining the ROI in business education on undergraduate skills development reveals that a degree in Business Administration enhances students’ abilities while informing decisions on future educational investments.

Evaluating the return on investment in a Business Administration and Management degree involves considering various factors, including earnings potential, financial management, and personal growth. The balance between these elements ultimately determines the degree’s worthiness for each individual.

Challenges and Ways to Overcome Them

In the pursuit of a Business Administration and Management degree, students often face various challenges. One notable difficulty is keeping up with the ever-evolving landscape of the business world. To stay relevant in the industry, graduates must possess adaptability skills to accommodate new trends and advancements in technology.

One possible approach to enhance adaptability is the frequent engagement in market research. By staying informed about ongoing changes in the market, a market research analyst can develop effective strategies that align with the business’s objectives and address market fluctuations. Doing so not only helps graduates stay ahead of the curve but also makes them valuable assets to their organizations.

Problem-solving skills are also essential in overcoming challenges that may arise while pursuing a Business Administration and Management degree. By developing these skills, graduates are better equipped to tackle real-world business problems and provide innovative solutions to complex issues. A framework for sharpening one’s problem-solving abilities involves:

• Identifying the issue: Accurately determine the underlying problem at hand.
• Generating ideas: Brainstorm a wide range of potential resolutions.
• Assessing feasibility: Evaluate the practicality of proposed solutions.
• Implementing solutions: Execute the chosen strategy and monitor its progress.

Effective decision-making is another crucial factor in overcoming challenges in the business world. A solid understanding of analytical concepts and techniques is required to make informed decisions based on data and insights. By applying these concepts, graduates can assess risks, weigh pros and cons, predict trends, as well as allocate resources more efficiently. Consequently, they can drive the organization towards success while minimizing undesired consequences.

The increasing dependence on information technology is inevitable in today’s business environment. With the growing reliance on digitization, data analysis, and automation, graduates must possess some degree of technical proficiency. By acquiring IT skills relevant to their field, students can optimize their performance and contribute to the organization’s overall digital strategy.

Pursuing a Business Administration and Management degree presents numerous challenges. Nonetheless, by adopting strategies such as adaptability, problem-solving, decision-making, and IT proficiency, graduates can effectively tackle these obstacles and emerge as valuable professionals in the business world.

The post Is a Business Administration and Management Degree Worth It? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay, public domain

Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Engineering

Both graduate and doctoral degrees in engineering are more specialized than undergraduate degree programs, with Ph.D. degrees having the narrowest focus. Naturally, the coursework covered in either a graduate or doctoral degree program in engineering builds upon the principles and practices students learn from an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)-accredited bachelor’s degree program.

Master’s degrees in engineering can be either research-focused or professional degrees, according to U.S. News & World Report. A research-focused master’s degree often requires a student to complete a thesis presenting original research, while a professional master’s degree in engineering often has no such requirement. Ph.D. degree programs, on the other hand, are research-focused and usually require students to complete a dissertation in order to earn the advanced degree.

Some schools also offer Doctor of Engineering degree options as well as, or in place of, traditional Ph.D. programs in engineering. A Doctor of Engineering degree requires research but emphasizes practical application rather than theory. Instead of writing a dissertation, a student enrolled in a Doctor of Engineering degree program might compile a portfolio of their best work, including plans, design prototypes, models and simulations and patent applications that can be shown to prospective employers. Doctor of Engineering programs may take less time than Ph.D. programs and may be a better choice for engineers who want to advance their education beyond the master’s level but still want to work in industry or to apply engineering concepts rather than conducting theoretical research.

Some master’s in engineering degree programs can be completed in as little as a year, while Ph.D. programs typically take at least four years and an average of more than eight years, according to CBS News.

Jobs With Master’s and Doctorates in Engineering

Typically, becoming an engineer in any discipline requires only a bachelor’s degree, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). You may even be able to become an engineering manager with a bachelor’s degree, once you have the right experience, the BLS reported. Any degree beyond the bachelor’s degree is an advanced education for an engineer, offering not only the possibility of increased earning potential but also the opportunity to take on roles that would be unattainable with only an undergraduate degree.

Generally, master’s degrees are excellent choices for experienced engineers who need a graduate degree to earn a promotion to a senior role in the engineering industry. They can also prove valuable for ambitious engineering students and recent graduates who know they want to shoot for leadership positions eventually. Often, a master’s degree in engineering that follows the professional track rather than a research track fulfills this need. Engineers eyeing engineering manager roles might also choose a specialized engineering management master’s degree or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree to develop their business and leadership skills.

On the other hand, you might envision yourself working in academia or in research positions. A master’s degree may be sufficient for some of these positions, the BLS reported. However, at the highest levels – such as tenure-track university professor and researcher, whether in academia, industry or government research lab – these positions often require a Ph.D., according to U.S. News & World Report.

While engineers with a master’s degree earn nine to 13 percent more money annually than those with a bachelor’s degree in some disciplines, in other branches of engineering they earn the same or less than their less educated peers, the BLS reported.

There are many reasons why advancing your career by furthering your education can be a smart move for engineers. Whether you’re looking to boost your salary or open the doors to new opportunities, a post-baccalaureate degree can certainly be the key to achieving your goals. However, before you invest the time, money and hard work needed to earn a graduate or doctoral degree in engineering, you need to develop a clear understanding of what you want from your advanced education and which educational path will help you make those plans a reality.

Related Resources: 

Which Degree Is Best for a Software Engineer?

The post What Is the Difference Between a Master’s Degree in Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Not only are those with this background helpful for the accident-prone, but for general athletic training as well. An Athletic Trainer at your local gym or your favorite coach from High School might have a degree in Sports Medicine. This degree will help you find a career in the fields of exercise, health or sports. You will be a master of the human body, you will have medical knowledge to help all people including athletes not only preventing but identifying and rehabilitating injuries.

Education

Before you can lend a hand, you will need to get the proper training. There are a few options depending on the desired career for those who study Sports Medicine. 2-year, 4-year and graduate school options are plentiful. However, they will all start with the basics as far as coursework goes:

• Kinesiology
• First aid
• Nutrition
• Therapeutic recreation
• Athletic medical conditions
• Exercise physiology
• Weight training
• Exercise science

Careers with a 2-Year Degree:

• Coach for community center (YMCA)
• Personal Trainer
• Fitness Instructor

RELATED: How to Become a Personal Trainer: What Degree Should I Get?

Careers with a 4-Year Degree

• Phys. Ed teacher
• Instructor for hospital/wellness center

Careers with a Graduate Degree

Athletic Trainers typically need a master’s degree, that will be an Master of Science and will take an additional 2 years post bachelor’s degree. Doctoral degrees are also available, they are intended for those who wish to conduct research within the field. Common graduate coursework is as follows:

• Epidemiology
• Strength and Conditioning theories
• Human Movement
• Biostatistics
• Physiology
• Injury prevention

Job Expectations

Trainers and coaches can expect to find work for a gym, a college or school, recreation facilities or within a hospital’s wellness centers. Some graduates of Sports Medicine may seek PTA (Physical Therapy Assistant) certifications in order to practice that specialty within a sports context. Of course hours can vary, but many positions are during the day.

Certification

More states than not require Athletic Trainers to be Board Certified. You will find it advantageous to find accredited programs where you can receive your certification before you set upon this degree path. The following organizations can direct you:

• The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
• The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
• Fitness Certifications (ACE)

Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Exercise Physiologists and Athletic Trainers can expect to make a median of just over $42k. The job market is looking pretty stable with an estimated growth of 19% between years 2012-2022. The demand for these positions should remain high as people become more aware of sports-related injuries and the importance of addressing them at a young age. We can expect to see secondary and post secondary schools employing most of the Athletic Trainers in this field.

Related Resources:

Top 25 Medical Schools

The post What can I do with a degree in Sports Medicine? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Accounting and Finance Roles

Many accountants, auditors and finance professionals work in accounting or financial firms. However, just because that path is typical doesn’t mean you must follow it. Accountants, for example, can open their own solo accounting firm or tax return preparation business. Seven percent of accountants and auditors in the United States are self-employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While not necessarily required to be a self-employed accountant, attaining the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential can help you stand out from other accounting services and expand the scope of services you are qualified to provide.

The area of finance with the largest proportion of self-employed workers is financial planning. About 24 percent of personal financial advisors are self-employed, the BLS reported. Personal financial advisors work directly with clients to help them plan for their financial goals. Their work may include analyzing and recommending investment options, but it also involves educating clients on their options for college and retirement savings and recommending different forms of insurance to protect against financial risk.

If you aren’t sure whether to study accounting or finance, learning the differences between these fields can help you decide. Generally, accounting focuses on creating financial reports, while finance more often involves analyzing data for investment purposes.

Business Consulting Jobs

Companies are always seeking out ways to become more profitable. Making changes that increase worker productivity and minimize wasted time, effort and money can help management steer the organization in the direction needed to grow. However, sometimes business leaders are so entrenched in the existing way of operating that they can’t see the places where productivity falters or resources are wasted. Other times, managers know there is a problem, but the best way to solve it is unclear. To gain a fresh perspective on the steps they can take to improve their operations, businesses will sometimes bring in a management consultant, also known as a management analyst.

While management analysts can work in established consulting firms, they can also strike out on their own. About 17 percent of management analysts are self-employed, according to the BLS. While there are no specific qualifications you must have to call yourself a business or management consultant, you must know enough about business operations to convince clients that your insight will be beneficial to them. Pursuing your bachelor’s degree in business is a natural place to start, but you may need more to impress clients. Often, management analysts add to their professional credentials by earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree or obtaining the Institute of Management Consultants USA’s Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation, the BLS reported.

Even though being self-employed means setting your own work schedule, you must be prepared to work around your clients’ schedules and meet deadlines. One-quarter of management consultants report regularly working more than 40 hours per week.

Startup Founders and Entrepreneurs

Perhaps the most obvious way to use the skills you learn in a business degree program to become self-employed is to launch your own startup company. Your company could be related to the field of business and finance, like an accounting, financial planning or consulting firm, but it doesn’t have to be. Many business degree graduates take great ideas that have little to do with their field of study and turn them into successful businesses. In fact, 23 percent of chief executives – like chief executive officers (CEOs), company presidents, executive directors and managing directors – are self-employed, according to the BLS.

If you would like to be an entrepreneur, think about your own interests and passions. What products or services, if they existed, would make your life easier or more enjoyable? Ask for feedback from people you know as you begin to flesh out your business idea.

Once you figure out what you want your business to be, you should plan to do more research into the market, existing products and services that your business idea might compete against and the processes involved in creating the product or service you have imagined.

Other Business- and Finance-Related Jobs

If you think of business professionals as number-crunchers who sit in cubicles all day, you could be missing out on a number of interesting, and more active, roles in business and financial operations. For example, real estate appraisers and assessors are crucial to the buying and selling of residential and commercial properties, but they don’t fit into the mold that many people think of when they imagine working in business. About 23 percent of real estate assessors and appraisers are self-employed, according to the BLS. Meeting, convention and event planner is another occupation that is crucial to business activities. The BLS reports that nine percent of meeting, convention and event planners are self-employed. Finally, the BLS reports that two percent of auto damage insurance appraisers, the professionals who evaluate the extent of the damage sustained by cars in motor vehicle collisions for insurance purposes, are self-employed.

The BLS expects self-employment in business and financial operations to rise by 56,800 over a decade.

Additional Resources

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Business Administration?

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Business Management?

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Finance?

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Entrepreneurship?

How Many Jobs Are Available in Finance?

The post What Self-Employed Career Opportunities Do You Have With a Business Degree? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

What Is an ATF Special Agent?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is a federal government agency dedicated primarily to enforcing federal laws that pertain to firearms, bombs and “destructive devices.” The ATF is part of the United States Department of Justice.

RELATED: Is it easier to get a job with the Department of Justice if I go to school in or around D.C.?

Although the ATF originally served as a regulatory and revenue enforcement agency that focused on taxing alcohol and tobacco products, its more urgent focus today is on crimes related to firearms, explosives and other destructive devices.

The types of federal criminal law matters an ATF agent may investigate include:

• Illegal trafficking or trade of alcohol and tobacco products
• Illegal manufacture, possession or use of firearms or explosives
• Bombings
• Arsons
• Firearms trafficking, or illegal gun sales

The goal of the ATF and its agents is to protect communities and the people who live there from violence involving firearms and explosives as well as from illegal trafficking of intoxicating beverages (alcohol) and tobacco. This federal law enforcement organization is different from other federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which focuses on enforcing drug laws, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which enforces federal laws in more than 200 different categories.

Special agent is the name for front-line field investigators who work for the ATF.

Careers in the ATF

ATF special agent is one of several possible careers with the organization. There are also industry operations investigators who conduct routine inspections of companies in regulated industries like explosives and firearms production.

A career in forensics and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) might take you into the field at times, but you’re likely to spend a lot of your time working in forensics labs. Professional and technical careers with the ATF include intelligence research specialist, attorney and administrative roles.

Although each of these ATF careers supports the mission of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, there’s a clear career path to follow if you want to be where the action is. ATF special agents are the highly trained law enforcement agents who investigate criminal violations in the field, crack cases and put away dangerous criminals.

What Do ATF Agents Do?

Conduct Criminal Investigations

The main job duty of ATF agents is to conduct criminal investigations and collect evidence needed to charge and convict perpetrators of crimes related to firearms, explosives and alcohol and tobacco diversion. Some of the ways agents go about gathering evidence is through conducting surveillance and interviewing witnesses, victims, suspects and persons of interest.

Execute Search Warrants

A law enforcement officer can’t conduct illegal searches. Instead, they must wait for a judge to sign a search warrant. Once that happens, the agent can conduct the search in accordance with the warrant. They must be meticulous in their search to avoid missing evidence that could be critical to the investigation.

Arrest Suspects

When sufficient evidence is gathered to bring in and charge a suspect, an ATF agent will make an arrest. Arresting a suspect can be a physically demanding and often dangerous task, so it’s important to follow proper procedures and be in good physical condition.

Write Case Reports and Testify in Court

Arresting a suspect isn’t the end of the case. An agent must write up their reports and, in some instances, will be required to testify in front of grand juries or at the defendant’s trial.

How to Become an ATF Agent

Although good federal agents are always in high demand, the intense competition for roles like ATF special agent affects the job outlook. To have a good chance of getting hired by the ATF, you need to do more than just meet all of the minimum requirements. You must prove that your abilities would be an asset to the agency if you want to become an ATF agent.

The most essential requirements to become an ATF agent are:

1. Work toward U.S. citizenship, if not already a U.S. citizen.

2. Earn a bachelor’s degree.

3. Gain professional work experience in a law enforcement role that emphasizes criminal investigation.

4. Consider going to graduate school.

5. Start the lengthy hiring process for ATF special agent roles, which includes taking a special agent exam and a physical fitness test.

Technically, you can become a Grade 5 ATF agent – which is the entry-level ATF position grade for special agents – without having a bachelor’s degree. If you don’t have a degree, however, you must have at least three years of law enforcement work experience to get hired in an entry-level ATF special agent position. On the other hand, agents must have at least one year of experience working in criminal investigation if they possess a bachelor’s degree.

In your work as a police officer, you must have had progressive increases in your responsibilities throughout these three years and have gained considerable experience in conducting criminal investigations. Experience as uniformed police officers whose roles revolve mainly around misdemeanor crimes and traffic violations does not count for the purpose of experience qualifying for an ATF agent career, even if that work experience exceeds three years in duration.

If you want to advance to a Grade 7 ATF agent, you will need a formal college degree. In fact, Grade 7 ATF agent minimum requirements include successful completion of a bachelor’s degree while demonstrating “Superior Academic Achievement” or completing one year of graduate study. At the Grade 9 level, ATF agents need a master’s degree or two full years of graduate school. The higher a special agent’s Grade and Step, the higher their base salary. ATF agents may also receive locality pay and numerous other benefits.

Due to the necessity of having a college education to advance your career, it’s a wise choice for all prospective agents to start working toward their undergraduate degree as soon as possible and to consider going to graduate school at some point.

RELATED: What Salary Can You Expect With a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice?

The Best College Majors for Aspiring ATF Agents

If you’re asking how to become an ATF agent, you should start by pursuing a four-year degree. Having a college education will help you qualify for your first law enforcement jobs, through which you can gain the experience you need to apply to the ATF. Going to college also puts you on track to qualify for Grade 5 and potentially Grade 7 special agent roles, for which the ATF requires a formal college education.

You don’t need a specific college major to get hired as an ATF agent. Any program of study completed at an accredited institution is acceptable if you want to become an ATF special agent. However, having an educational background that is relevant to your intended field of work, such as criminal justice, police science, psychology, sociology, political science or a related field, can help your career more than majoring in a random subject of study.

Whatever major you choose, look for ways outside of your studies to boost your appeal as a candidate for a competitive ATF special agent career. Consider seeking internship opportunities with the ATF or other government or law enforcement agencies. Learn a foreign language. Take proactive steps to stay physically fit. Think about whether you possess the willingness to relocate and enthusiasm for substantial travel that an ATF agent needs to have. Avoid getting into any trouble with the law and drug use, since having a history of drug use – even if you’re no longer using – could prevent you from reaching your goal of becoming an ATF agent.

Criminal Justice

If you want to investigate crimes related to firearms, what better place to start than by majoring in criminal justice? A criminal justice degree program will cover topics in criminal law, criminal investigations and procedures, criminal evidence, corrections and rehabilitation, criminology, juvenile justice, community corrections, administration of criminal justice organizations, ethics and research methods for criminal justice.

RELATED: What is the Difference in a Degree in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice?

Law Enforcement or Police Science

Some colleges and universities offer separate degree programs in law enforcement and police science. If you’re interested in going into law enforcement and police work, these professionally focused programs could be the right fit for you. These programs typically build upon core criminal justice coursework with specialized studies in law enforcement and policing, with courses such as police operations, police administration, patrol and community policing, security and criminal justice management.

Psychology

Most undergraduate psychology programs have a general focus, allowing students to survey the field by taking courses in subjects like developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology and abnormal psychology. However, certain schools offer four-year degrees in criminal psychology or forensic psychology or a related field. The curriculum of an undergraduate criminal psychology program may include courses in criminology, the psychology of criminal behavior, the theory and treatment of substance abuse, crisis intervention and the foundations of criminal justice.

Sociology

The criminal justice system is a social institution, and criminal behavior has both social causes and social effects. It makes sense, then, to study the field of sociology if you want to work in criminal justice or criminal investigation. Sociology majors may study sociological perspectives and research methods, social movements and change, social inequality, sociology of race and gender, sociology of the family and environmental sociology. If you’re interested in working in criminal justice, you might seek out electives in areas like crime and delinquency, family violence, juvenile social and legal justice, criminology and law and families.

Political Science

Students who major in political science will study topics such as American politics and government, constitutional law, and politics and policy, along with politics in different countries and continents, international relations and current issues in politics.

Eligibility Requirements for ATF Agent Jobs

Before you can even apply for a job as an ATF special agent, you must meet some basic requirements for eligibility. The basic requirements ATF special agent applicants must meet as of 2022, according to the official ATF website, include the following.

U.S. Citizenship

Only citizens of the United States may become ATF agents.

Age Requirements

Except under extenuating circumstances, only applicants between the ages of 21 and 37 years old will be considered. The reason the position has a maximum age requirement, which is established in accordance with both law enforcement retirement provisions and age discrimination restrictions, is to make sure that the ATF special agent will be eligible for full retirement benefits upon reaching the mandatory retirement age (currently 57 years old). Exceptions exist for veterans and candidates currently serving in positions already covered by federal law enforcement retirement provisions.

Selective Service Registration (If Applicable)

Male ATF agent applicants must be registered with the Selective Service System as required by law. Generally, U.S. citizens ages 18 through 25 must be registered.

Valid Driver’s License

Not just any form of identification will do when applying for a job as an ATF agent. The federal government agency requires candidates to possess a valid driver’s license. Being legally able to operate an automobile is important because part of training for an ATF special agent is learning driving techniques that include emergency vehicle operations, non-emergency vehicle operations (NEVO), cognitive driver training in crash avoidance and techniques for skid control on the road, according to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC).

Clean Criminal Record

Because ATF agents carry a gun, anyone who is not eligible to possess or use a firearm may not work as an ATF agent. Those convicted of felonies, misdemeanor domestic violence charges and other certain other crimes may be excluded from consideration based on their criminal records.

ATF Agent Conditions of Employment

If you meet the basic requirements to be considered eligible to become an ATF agent, it’s now time to actually begin your application.

Fill Out Required Questionnaires, Exams and Assessments

It may not sound too exciting, but the hiring process for ATF special agents begins with a lot of paperwork, including two written tests.

First, you need to successfully complete the ATF Special Agent Applicant Questionnaire on the official site. Think of this document as a comprehensive supplemental application required to become an ATF agent. As you fill out the applicant questionnaire, you will encounter questions about your previous employers and addresses, your past work performance in law enforcement, your character and your criminal history and past drug use. This information is necessary for your pending background check.

Once you complete the special agent applicant questionnaire, you must take the ATF Special Agent Examination. Scoring well on this exam is necessary for becoming an ATF agent. The content of the ATF Special Agent Exam is divided into three parts: Part A is the Verbal Reasoning section, Part B is the Quantitative Reasoning section and Part C is the Investigative Reasoning section.

Each test section on the ATF Special Agent Examination consists of multiple-choice questions. The different sections of the special agent exam require the prospective agent to perform different tasks. The questions in the Verbal Reasoning section (Part A) require applicants to read and draw conclusions from a paragraph to answer questions.  Quantitative Reasoning section (Part B), aspiring new agents must perform basic mathematical calculations. In the Investigative Reasoning section (Part C), the ATF requires applicants to deduce information from the statements provided to help them answer questions based on statements made in a hypothetical investigation.

Aspiring ATF agents must also complete the ATF Special Agent Applicant Assessment Test. Not to be confused with the ATF Special Agent Examination, the ATF Special Agent Applicant Assessment Test is a personality test rather than an aptitude test. Its results show how you would fit into the mission and culture of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Test Your Physical Health and Abilities

ATF special agents are subjected to physically strenuous job duties, which may include chasing suspects on foot and subduing them. For that reason, candidates must be in good health and physical condition.

Aspiring ATF agents will undergo a medical examination. Medical testing for aspiring ATF agents includes a vision test, a hearing test and an evaluation of your ability to perform strenuous physical activities safely. Your weight must be in proportion to your height. To become an ATF special agent, your hearing loss must not exceed 30 decibels. You must also comply with the ATF’s drug policy and must be willing to submit to a drug test.

Besides undergoing medical testing, you must prove your physical fitness by earning a minimum score on the Pre-Employment Physical Task Test (PTT). The Pre-Employment Physical Task Test measures your physical capabilities based on your performance doing push-ups and sit-ups and running a mile and a half. To pass the Physical Task Test, your performance on these physical tests must meet specific requirements for push-ups, sit-ups and time to completion of the 1.5-mile run according to your age and gender.

Interview and Background Investigation

Although your investigative skills and integrity are the most important factors that would determine your success as an ATF agent, two aspects of the hiring process will test your communication skills.

• A field panel interview
• Writing sample

Naturally, the oral interview panel will test your speaking and listening skills, while the writing sample will be used to assess your written communication skills.

Like any law enforcement organization, the ATF subjects applicants to a background investigation. To become an ATF special agent, you must be able to qualify for Top Secret security clearance at the time of your application and throughout your career with the ATF.

As a result, ATF agents continue to undergo a background investigation every five years during their employment. In addition to this background check, you will also be asked to consent to take a polygraph exam.

Complete ATF Training Programs

Once they have met all minimum requirements for eligibility, gone through the hiring process and received a job offer, it’s time for a newly hired ATF agent to complete their federal law enforcement training. Agents must undergo rigorous training to prepare for work with the ATF.

Agents who are new to federal law enforcement jobs start by completing fundamental training under the Criminal Investigators Training Program (CITP). The Criminal Investigators Training Program is a 12-week program conducted at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia.

Examples of the type of content covered in CITP training include:

• Interviewing
• Tactical driving skills
• Constitutional law and amendments
• Terrorism and counterterrorism
• Cybercrime and digital investigations
• Behavioral science
• Investigative operations
• Federal criminal law and court procedures
• Firearms use
• Physical techniques

In Special Agent Basic Training (SABT), new ATF agents undergo more specialized training in areas like firearms and ammunition identification, firearms trafficking, explosives and arson investigations and investigations of alcohol and tobacco diversion. They also delve into training in the techniques used to interview suspects, report writing, undercover procedures and firearms and tactical training, as well as continuing their physical training, through the Special Agent Basic Training program.

For Further Reading: 

Top 10 Graduate Degree Programs in Criminal Justice

Where Can I Work With a Degree in Forensic Accounting?

The post Do I Need a Degree to Be an ATF Special Agent? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

What Do Audiologists Do?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), audiologists provide a multitude of services to patients with hearing loss and balance disorders, including diagnosing, managing, and treating these health issues. Additionally, audiologists can help patients and families affected by hearing loss to develop communication strategies, like learning to read lips or use technological tools for communication.

Audiologists work in a variety of settings. Most audiologists work in a clinical setting of some sort, including audiology clinics. More than one in four audiologists work in physicians’ offices, according to the BLS. ENT offices, the offices of physicians who specialize in ear, nose and throat health, are particularly relevant work environment options for practicing audiologists.

Many audiologists –nearly one in four – work in offices dedicated to practitioners such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and audiologists specifically. Hospital is another common work environment for a career in audiology. Another 15% of the workforce is employed in hospitals, administering hearing tests and providing hearing and balance care in these settings.

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The educational services industry is also a major employment industry for audiologists. Audiologists who work in the educational services industry may work for school districts, assisting students with hearing and balance issues, or they may work in universities where they conduct independent research and pursue academic scholarship.

Other environments where audiologists work include government agencies, such as the military, and private companies. Audiology roles in private industry and the military usually revolve around developing safety protocols, programs and procedures for hearing conservation, noise reduction and hearing protection in noisy working conditions. Becoming an audiologist opens up to you a broader array of opportunities and work environments than most people would initially think.

Testing and Treating Hearing Loss

The only way to determine if hearing loss or hearing problems are present – and the extent of the problem – is to test hearing. Audiologists are in charge of administrating hearing tests and conducting other exams to find the cause of their patient’s problem and create a treatment plan.

Over the course of a patient’s treatment, an audiologist must evaluate and keep track of the patient’s condition so they can make any necessary changes to the treatment plan.

Dispensing Hearing Aids

One of the ways hearing loss can be treated is through the use of wearable electronic devices known as hearing aids. A hearing aid typically consists of a microphone component, an amplifier component and a speaker component, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Fitting a patient for hearing aids and dispensing hearing aids is part of the work of an audiologist.

Audiologists also fit and dispense to patients other types of assistive listening devices, according to the BLS. Assistive devices of this nature are used with hearing aids to amplify, or make louder, the sounds hearing aids pick up. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, some examples of assistive listening devices that may help patients who have hearing aids to hear better include:

• Hearing loop systems, also called induction loop systems, which transmit sounds using electromagnetic energy
• Infrared systems, which transmit sounds using infrared light
• FM systems, which transmit sounds through radio signals
• Personal amplifier devices that can amplify sound levels while diminishing background noise

It’s important to note that audiologists are not the same as hearing aid dispensers. Audiologists are healthcare professionals who go through a doctoral program of education and a licensing process. Hearing aid dispensers, on the other hand, don’t have to have any medical or healthcare education. Their primary purpose is to sell hearing aids, and they are not authorized to diagnose any other hearing or health problems or to offer any other health treatment options. Similarly, a hearing instrument specialist has a background in hearing technology and assistive devices, but they don’t have the doctoral-level knowledge of the anatomy of the hearing system that an audiologist possesses.

Recommending Cochlear Implants

One method audiologists may recommend for treating hearing trouble is cochlear implants. Cochlear implants are devices that have two parts that work together to help those with hearing loss perceive sound, although these implants don’t restore “normal” hearing.

One part of the implant is surgically implanted into the patient’s inner ear, while another part is worn near the patient’s head. These two parts work together to facilitate hearing, with the outside part picking up sound via a microphone and sending a digital signal to the receiver located in the inner ear. Then the receiver sends signals directly to your brain via electrodes so it can recognize the sounds being detected.

Cochlear implants are available to both children and adults who have had severe hearing loss. Generally, children must be at least nine months old and have not shown any benefit from hearing aids to be considered candidates for cochlear implants, while adults with profound hearing loss might consider these implants if they have difficulty hearing conversations even when using hearing aids.

Not all audiologists are qualified to assess patients’ candidacy for cochlear implants. If you want to become an audiologist who is qualified to perform this task, you will need to pursue Cochlear Implant Specialty Certification (CISC) from the American Board of Audiology (ABA). Even with this certification, audiologists aren’t authorized to perform the procedure needed to insert the implants themselves. This is a surgical procedure and must be done by a trained surgeon, like an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT), also called an otolaryngologist.

When audiologists work at a cochlear implant center, they will typically collaborate with an array of other health professionals working in clinical practice with the patients there, including ear, nose and throat doctors or surgeons, psychologists and speech-language pathologists.

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Treating Balance Disorders

Audiologists’ knowledge of the human ear makes them well suited for treating balance disorders. The hearing system and the vestibular system – the sensory system that is responsible for humans’ sense of balance and spatial orientation – both use the vestibulocochlear nerve to send sensory signals to the brain.

When patients suffer from dizziness, falling, motion sickness, vertigo, or other balance problems, an audiologist can conduct vestibular assessment – in other words, balance testing –and provide treatment to fix or improve these symptoms. These treatment plans can include surgery, medication, or even vestibular rehabilitation, a treatment program in which exercises are used to help improve stability and symptoms of vertigo.

Is an Audiologist a Doctor?

People who want to become an audiologist often wonder whether an audiologist is considered a doctor. If you’re defining the term “doctor” as a person who has a doctoral degree, then yes, audiologists training for the career today – and over the past 20+ years – are doctors. Since 2001, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) has required new audiologists to have a Doctor of Audiology degree.

However, audiologists are not “physicians” or “medical doctors,” like ENTs are, and they don’t go to what would be accurately classified as “medical school,” even though some audiology programs are offered out of schools of medicine. For example, the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offers a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program. Instead, you would undertake a specialized AuD doctoral degree program to become an audiologist.

You can think of audiologists as the hearing-focused equivalent of optometrists. Both of these healthcare practitioners complete lengthy doctoral programs in specialized health matters that include supervised clinical experience.

RELATED: What Degree Do I Need to Be an Optometrist?

Becoming an Audiologist

Although you need a doctoral degree to begin practicing in the field of audiology, you should start thinking about your path to this profession early on. The first step you should take to become an audiologist is earning a bachelor’s degree.

Bachelor’s Degrees for Audiologists

Although there may not be a bachelor’s degree in audiology program specifically, there are undergraduate options like a degree in communication sciences and disorders, hearing science and related areas. Most audiology students have a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders or hearing science, according to the employment website Indeed.

However, this doesn’t mean that AuD programs will only admit students from these majors. Students who want to become an audiologist may apply from other majors as long as they have completed sufficient coursework in areas like statistics, biology and psychology while pursuing their bachelor’s degree.

RELATED: Can I Get a Graduate Degree in Speech Therapy if My Undergraduate Degree is Totally Unrelated?

Another alternative undergraduate program of study to consider is sound engineering, the field concerned with the technical aspects of sound production and recording. While a bachelor’s degree in this area has more to do with music than medical conditions like hearing loss, majoring in sound engineering provides students with a strong understanding of acoustics and sound. This knowledge is valuable if you want to become an audiologist.

Getting Into Audiology School

Earning a master’s degree beforehand isn’t necessary for most audiology doctoral program options. However, going to graduate school to earn a master’s in audiology degree could help with your knowledge in the medical field, especially if you’re coming from an unconventional undergraduate background.

Unlike medical school and optometry school, there isn’t a separate entrance test for getting into AuD programs. Instead, most degree programs in audiology ask students to submit Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test scores along with their application. The GRE General Test assesses test-takers’ abilities in quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and analytical writing. Because there are many GRE-required AuD programs, spending time studying and preparing for this exam is important if you’re serious about pursuing a career as an audiologist.

Audiologist Licensure and Certification

Completing your education is only part of the process required to become an audiologist. To be qualified to diagnose and treat speech and hearing problems through a career in audiology, new audiologists must meet certain requirements. Every state requires that audiologists undergo a licensing process, although individual states establish their own licensing requirements.

A Doctor of Audiology degree from an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ASHA-accredited program is the first step required to attain licensure. Aspiring audiologists must also complete any minimum supervised professional experience requirements. Audiologists must earn a passing score on a credentialing exam like the Praxis Examination in Audiology before they can be fully qualified for a career as an audiologist.

In addition to mandatory state licensure, audiologists can seek voluntary certifications. The American Board of Audiology offers three professional certification options:

• The American Board of Audiology Certified (ABAC) credential for general audiology practice
• The Cochlear Implant Specialty Certification (CISC) for audiologists interested in assessing patients’ candidacy for implants
• The Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification (PASC) specifically for pediatric audiologists, or audiologists who work with children

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers a credential called the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology. Attaining the Certificate of Clinical Competence requires audiologists to meet several professional standards, including academic qualifications, verification of knowledge and skills and passing an examination.

The American Academy of Audiology (AAA) offers continuing education resources to help entry-level and established audiologists keep abreast of the latest developments in the field.

What to Expect in an AuD Program

As long as applicants to an audiology doctoral degree program have an undergraduate education that doesn’t leave any gaps in prerequisites, such as coursework in child language acquisition, they can jump right into their audiology coursework once they begin their doctoral degree.

Students in a doctoral audiology program take classes in the anatomy and physiology of hearing mechanisms, amplification, acoustics and psychoacoustics, neuroscience, vestibular sciences and the pathology of the auditory system. Coursework in calibration and instrumentation, the measurement of hearing, implants and clinical case conferences are also common.

Audiology students learn the practices of effective family-centered counseling and interviewing, research methods for the communication sciences and disorders and professional issues and ethics in the field of audiology. Courses specific to working with children, such as classes in pediatric audiology and aural rehabilitation for children, may also be part of the curriculum. Some AuD programs allow students to pursue a specialty track, such as vestibular sciences or early identification and management of children with hearing loss.

Towards the end of an AuD program, the focus of the program turns to developing the student’s clinical skills. Through a clinical externship, audiology students in their final year gain experience working in a variety of healthcare settings, including community clinics, hospitals, audiology and other types of medical practices. Your externship may also allow you to gain clinical competence in educational agencies and schools for the hearing impaired during your final year of the program.

Most AuD degree programs take four years to complete, but not all programs are four-year programs. Some schools offer an accelerated AuD degree program that can be completed in just three years.

Comparing Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

Both audiology degree programs and SLP programs are accredited by ASHA, but there are significant differences between these fields.

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The Differences Between Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

While most audiologists focus on diagnosing and treating conditions like hearing loss, earwax impaction, tinnitus and vertigo, the speech-language pathologist career emphasizes disorders of the mouth, throat, and tongue and how these issues impact communication.

Speech-language pathologists often do work with people with hearing issues, but it isn’t hearing loss (and its causes) specifically that functions as their area of expertise. Speech-language pathology also emphasizes the management of symptoms that might come from a brain injury, stroke or Parkison’s disease, as well as swallowing disorders and communication disorders such as stuttering.

The biggest difference between an audiologist and a speech-language pathologist is in their approach to communication treatment. Audiology focuses on the ear and on patients’ issues with hearing and balance rather than on how they communicate.

Another difference is the level of education required to work in these roles. While audiologists need to complete Doctor of Audiology (AuD) degree programs, speech pathologists are only required to attain a master’s degree to qualify for SLP licensure.

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Similarities Between Audiologists and Speech Pathologists

While their areas of expertise may differ, both occupations require good interpersonal abilities to connect with patients to help them overcome communication disorders difficulties. In fact, audiologists and speech pathologists may work with the same patients, fulfilling different roles with an individual patient’s treatment team.

Both roles require an advanced education, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports similar salaries for the occupations: a median salary of $78,950 for audiologists as of 2020 and $79,060 for speech-language pathologists.

ASHA Certification

Both ASHA certifications show that the candidate had met rigorous academic and professional standards.

Board certification in audiology requires you to have earned a doctoral degree from an institution accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) as well as have completed your supervised clinical practicum hours. You must also submit your passing Praxis examination scores, your official doctoral transcript and any disclosure documents.

ASHA certification offers benefits like preparing you to meet licensure requirements, improving your opportunities for career advancement (especially in school districts) and offering the potential to earn a higher average salary. If you are planning to move to a different state, you might be able to use your certification to avoid having to provide test scores, academic degrees, or proof of clinical experience to acquire your new state licensure.

Is an Audiologist Degree Right for You?

If you’re interested in the field of healthcare and in degree options that are accompanied by high average salary rates, audiology may be the career path for you. To become an audiologist, you need excellent communication skills, critical-thinking skills and problem-solving skills. You also need a great deal of patience and compassion to be able to understand and communicate with patients who have trouble hearing and communicating, as well as to empathize with the struggles they face in their lives as a result of their hearing loss.

Of course, since becoming an audiologist necessitates going for your doctorate, you need to be willing to invest a great deal of time, effort and money into your education, as well. All in all, an aspiring audiologist should expect to spend around eight years in school after earning their high school diploma if studying full-time – four years to complete their bachelor’s degree and another four years to complete their doctoral degree in audiology. For part-time students, the path to become an audiologist will take even longer.

The post What Degree Do I Need to Be an Audiologist? appeared first on DegreeQuery.com.

Positive Job Growth

If you’re basing your choice of a college major partly on the demand for a degree in a given discipline, then you’re making smart decisions. No student wants to spend years studying and tens of thousands of dollars on tuition only to be unpleasantly surprised by a dearth of job opportunities. A poor job outlook is not an issue you are likely to encounter when you major in finance.

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As a whole, jobs in the business and finance occupations are growing at a faster than average rate of 10 percent, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The fastest-growing job for finance graduates is personal financial advisor, for which the BLS anticipates a 15 percent rate of growth that could add 40,400 new jobs. Though not exclusively finance-related, the role of management analyst is expected to grow by 14 percent, culminating in 115,200 new jobs, the BLS reported. The BLS is predicting an 11 percent growth rate for both financial analysts and loan officers, with similar job gains of 32,200 and 36,300, respectively.

Jobs for financial examiners are expected to match the overall growth rate for business and finance jobs. Since this occupation currently employs only 52,500 Americans, that 10 percent job growth will equate to just 5,100 new positions.

High Wages

Managing money can earn you a big paycheck. Finance careers are among the most lucrative roles in business. Personal financial advisor has the highest median annual wage, $90,640, according to the BLS. The personal financial advisors who work in the securities, commodity contracts and financial investments activities industry enjoy the highest salaries, with a $98,560 median. Since more than half of personal financial advisors work in this industry, it’s safe to say that many personal financial advisors earn near-six-figure wages. Earnings may be based on hourly fees, sales commissions or percentages of money managed, according to the BLS.

Financial analysts earn a median wage of $84,300 per year, the BLS reported. The 24 percent who work in securities, commodity contracts and financial investments activities again see the highest wages, with a median salary of $100,180. Another well-paying finance occupation is financial examiner. These finance professionals have more to do with checking that banks, lenders and other financial institutions are complying with laws and regulations than they do with managing money themselves, but they still enjoy a median wage of $81,690. The BLS reports that the 14 percent of financial examiners who work for the federal government earn a median salary of $118,040, while the next best-paying industry, securities, commodity contracts and financial investments activities, pays a median wage of $90,800.

Some finance roles offer the potential for significant bonuses on top of these high salaries, making the total earning potential of a financial specialist even higher.

Leadership and Self-Employment Opportunities

If you aspire to be the boss, studying finance can help you get there. Financial manager jobs are plentiful, profitable and growing rapidly. The BLS predicts that job opportunities for financial managers will increase by 19 percent, which could result in the addition of 108,600 new jobs. The numerous job titles that fit into the category of financial manager include treasurer, controller, finance officer, cash manager, credit manager and even risk manager and insurance manager. A financial manager’s job duties and knowledge requirements depend on the size of his or her organization as well as the industry of employment, but generally, these managers oversee and evaluate the organization’s financial stability and performance. The median wage for financial managers is $125,080, the BLS reported. The highest-paying industries are professional, scientific and technical services, with a $147,040 median wage, and management of companies and enterprises, with a $141,890 median salary.

Studying finance also offers opportunities if you want to run your own business. If the financial planning side of finance interests you, then you could become one of the 24 percent of personal financial advisors who is self-employed. Personal financial advisors work with individuals to develop strategies for achieving financial goals that range from saving for a major purchase or for retirement to insuring themselves against financial risks. Some personal financial advisors, known as wealth managers or private bankers, work only with the very rich and handle large investments. Many personal financial advisors, however, work with members of the general public, whose financial goals tend to be more modest, such as saving for a child’s college fund and setting themselves up financially for retirement.

Studying finance is also great preparation for a role as a management consultant or management analyst, which involves examining an organization’s business operations to make recommendations for improving the business. Management consultants are usually outsiders hired to come in and evaluate a company while offering fresh insight. While management analysts can work for consulting firms, the BLS reports that 17 percent are self-employed.

Undergraduate programs in finance often include studies in a variety of other areas of business. If you are considering self-employment in the future, it may help to take some coursework in entrepreneurship so that you can develop the resources to start a business.

Additional Resources

What Is the Salary Potential for Someone With a Finance Degree?

What Is the Demand for a Degree in Finance?

What Kind of Job Can You Get With a Degree in Finance?

How Advanced Does My Degree in Finance Need to Be to Get a Good Job?

How Long Does It Take to Get a Degree in Finance?

What Degree Do You Need to Be a Financial Analyst?

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