If nanotechnology is the direction you want to go, check out NanoProfessor, a new program focused on nanoscience recently launched at Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota.
The University of Michigan’s School of Information has launched the nation’s first master’s degree program in social computing. The program is one of nine the school now offers to prepare students for careers in some long established, but also newly emerging, specialized fields, including human-computer interaction for professionals who design and develop technologies that fit the organization and work practices.
There’s also plenty of hype about “green” jobs, but those often require training. Several schools are responding to this opportunity, though.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and School of Arts and Sciences have developed a new program that enables students to earn a dual MBA/ master of environmental studies degree in three years or less. Montclair State University in New Jersey recently awarded its first PhD in environmental management as part of one of the few doctoral programs in environmental management in the U.S.
The University of Delaware is expanding its existing programs and designing new ones to meet the needs of engineering professionals, particularly in cases where it perceives that a bachelor’s degree is no longer enough. One of Delaware’s new programs is a master of science degree in software engineering, an effort initiated in 2007 at the request of the U.S. Army’s Software Engineering Center, with input from industry partners such as CSC, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, BAE Systems, and the U.S. Navy.
Specialization tracks proposed at this point include networks, information science/ artificial intelligence, scientific and high-performance computing, systems and architecture, systems engineering, computer science, and communications and signal processing. Also in the planning stages at Delaware, says Kathleen C. Werrell, assistant dean of engineering outreach, are graduate certificate and degree programs in systems engineering and engineering management.
As for current university graduates, CareerBuilder says the class of 2009 will face the most competitive job market in years, as companies continue to be cautious in their hiring. And if you find a job, you can also expect the economic downturn to have an impact on your entry-level salary.
Interestingly, one of the best opportunities, particularly for entry-level technical positions, might be government agencies. Want to work for the CIA? Your contact at California State University-Long Beach College of Engineering to apply for a high-tech job with the nation’s most publicized secret agency is “Sharon C.” (The CIA has a western regional office with an 800 number.)
You need at least a 3.0 GPA, and you have to be willing to relocate to the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C., metro area if you qualify. What’s the job? Hard to tell. The recruitment ad at Cal State just says, “Technology so advanced, it’s classified.” The URL is www.csulb.edu/colleges/coe/ee/views/jobs/2009/cia.shtml.