Online Colleges Expand Their Offerings In Emerging Fields

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:25:00 EST

Many colleges and universities are preparing students for careers centered around sustainability and the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) studies. Healthcare training also remains popular among college offerings. Students seeking to pursue studies in these areas might find scholarships, fellowships and grants for college readily available.

Sustainability itself has moved to the forefront of academic and public interest, according to a Pennsylvania university's strategic plan into 2014. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Education reports on its web site that sustainability involves human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods and a better world for all generations. The organization provides resources and support to colleges and universities to model and advance sustainability in everything from the way they operate to what they teach and research.

Students at a technical institute in Oregon have been participating in a Renewable Energy Engineering Program that the Oregonian in July 2010 reported is designed to prepare them for jobs in the emerging fields of solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy. A community college in Ohio is partnering with local organizations to establish a comprehensive program in green energy that is expected to draw some 450 students and help more than 200 people retain their positions in the energy sector, The Zanesville Times Recorder reported in June.

Scientific and technological innovations have also become increasingly important in that they contribute to the country's competitiveness as well as its role as a global economic leader, according to information and National Academies news cited in a National Career Development Association article. One university suggested that STEM graduates of the future might work with enhanced technologies that lengthen life spans, enable different means of communications and accelerate product development cycles. A panel in 2007 proposed a nationwide-coordinated system to help improve teaching STEM subjects and estimated that nearly one-quarter million math and science teaching positions would open by 2016.

A Georgetown University study intended to help students link their education and training choices with employment opportunities listed healthcare, technical and STEM subject occupations as among the fastest growing in the country, along with communication services and arts and education occupations. The country by 2018 is expected to need more college educated workers than are to be readily available, according to the study. Available jobs requiring some college or university training in 2018 are expected to include areas such as information and private education services, government and public education services, professional and business services and health care services, the report notes.

Health care is actually expected to remain a large source of job growth into 2016, according to July 2009 projections from the President's Council of Economic Advisers. The report forecast developments in the U.S. Labor market over the next 5 to 10 years, citing medical records, health information technicians, registered nurses, clinical lab technicians and physical therapists among those in health care. Growth is expected also in areas such as construction, with a need for skilled plumbers and electricians and areas of manufacturing such as aerospace and pharmaceuticals, according to the report. Workers are better positioned for good jobs if they acquire additional training, the report noted.

In terms of tuition assistance, the STEM subjects alone were last year among the top priorities for foundations and charities that supported education, according to a January Chronicle of Higher Education article. A Pennsylvania university cited studies noting critical current and future labor shortages of women and racial-ethnic minorities in STEM fields. Students might find scholarships available to encourage specific demographic groups to pursue STEM studies.

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Online Colleges Expand Their Offerings In Emerging Fields