Category Archive: Careers

Career Options with an M.A. in Art Education

Art education careers offer uniquely fulfilling opportunities to share the power of creative expression with others and help them discover inspiration. And, as an art teacher, you are uniquely positioned to make a difference in students’ lives.

For example, a report from the National Endowment for the Arts suggested that opportunities to explore creativity may have positive outcomes for at-risk young people. Drawing on data from the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Labor, the study linked participation in the arts with higher overall academic performance and lower dropout rates for children and young adults of low socioeconomic status.

If you’re considering a graduate degree before embarking on a career in teaching art, you probably have some questions like, “What can I do with a master’s in art education?” It’s important to consider not only the roles available to art educators, but the skills and qualifications you’ll need to excel.

What Can You Do with an Art Education Degree?

After earning your degree and any required certification, you may start an art teaching career in various settings and at different grade levels. It’s important to find the right fit for your interests and strengths as an educator. Some of the possibilities include:

Pre-K-12 Art Teacher

Many art education graduates go on to work in public, private or charter schools. Classes may take place during the regular school day or as part of an after-school program. In some cases, teachers travel between multiple schools in a district, especially at the elementary level.

Teachers must carefully tailor lessons to fit the setting as well as their students’ ages and levels of development:

• In elementary schools, classes generally focus on spurring kids’ interest in the arts by presenting basic skills in drawing, painting and crafts
• In middle school, instructors introduce some of the major movements in art history, the elements of art and basic techniques like perspective drawing
• High school art courses focus on specialized areas such as painting, photography, ceramics, or video production. The curriculum may examine theoretical concepts and allow students more time to work on their projects independently.

Pre-K-12 art teacher requirements differ by state. To work at most schools, instructors must complete a degree in art education from an accredited university, pass state exams that test their knowledge of art and teaching principles and receive a state certificate or license.

Postsecondary Art Teacher

Postsecondary teachers work with students in specialized areas like painting, drawing, graphic design, photography sculpture, animation, media arts or art history. Instructors at this level are often professional artists themselves, and you may find that teaching at a college or university brings you the flexibility to spend more time on your own practice. Many instructors in community and junior colleges are adjunct faculty–non-tenure-track professors who work on limited contracts–and they often have opportunities to teach courses online.

Museum Educator

Art museums offer educational programs geared for a variety of audiences. Educators lead groups of children, college students or adults in learning about pieces featured in the collections and completing their own projects. Museum staff may also host workshops for K-12 educators and collaborate closely with classroom teachers in developing engaging programs for their students.

Community Art Programs

Community-based programs can be a powerful way of encouraging people of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds to connect with creative expression. An arts center can be a vibrant place that exhibits the work of local makers and hosts events like lectures and musical performances. In this setting, educators may guide participants through the steps of creating their own pieces, provide lessons in art history or interpretation and manage programming.

Art Education Average Salaries

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Why Get a Master’s in Art Education?

Building skills

Educators can learn valuable techniques and strategies by completing a master’s program focused on the challenges of teaching art in today’s classrooms. While earning an advanced degree you can:

• Explore the latest thinking in art pedagogy
• Develop your teaching philosophy and individual voice as a teacher
• Adapt your lessons to meet the needs of different developmental stages
• Find effective ways to incorporate technology into your lessons

Opening career opportunities

A graduate degree can mean more possibilities to start and advance in art education jobs, especially at the college level. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a master’s is necessary for 55 percent of postsecondary art, music and drama teaching positions. An advanced degree may also help educators take on leadership roles, such as chair of an academic department, director of a community arts center or manager of a museum education program.

About Adelphi’s Online Master of Arts in Art Education

Adelphi University’s online Master of Arts in Art Education (M.A. in Art Ed) program is suitable for recent college graduates, current teachers or career changers. By the time you graduate this two-year program, you’ll be ready to complete the requirements of New York State Visual Arts Pre-K–12 teaching certification.

Along the way you’ll learn methods for nurturing creativity through flexible online courses taught by experienced faculty, customizing your curriculum with a wide range of electives. By completing hands-on fieldwork anywhere in the State of New York, you’ll put the concepts you’ve learned to work in the classroom.

The Growing Field of Social Work and the Top MSW Career Paths

Demand for social workers is projected to grow 16 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. If you’re interested in a career in social work, a Master of Social Work could expand your job opportunities and help you get into a specific field. With opportunities in so many different settings — schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, government agencies, and more — an MSW can expand your horizons.

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About Adelphi’s Online MSW

The highly respected School of Social Work at Adelphi has a long history of producing leaders in social work and helping to shape social policies. Since 1951, we have continually been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and Adelphi’s Social Work graduate program is now ranked in the top 5% of the country, according to US News & World Report. Additionally, our faculty are expert practitioners and researchers, having published across the full range of topics within the field—including disparities in healthcare, child advocacy, the role of social workers in shaping policies and more.

Our Online Master of Social Work program brings the combined decades of expertise and legacy of Adelphi’s leading social work school to a flexible curriculum designed for working professionals. While the program is primarily delivered online, we include two annual on-campus experiences due to the importance of building relationships in the social work field. Many students tell us that the on-campus training is a highlight of their education.

We are incredibly proud of our ability to deliver the personalized attention of an in-person education to the online classroom. Our graduates complete the program prepared to become Licensed Master Social Workers and begin rewarding careers.

Careers with an MS in Nutrition

As most people are aware, many major health problems can be linked to poor nutrition, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and osteoporosis. And, these problems aren’t limited to a small number of people: According to the CDC, about half of all American adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor eating habits.

Because of these health risks, it’s no surprise that individuals often turn to nutritionists and dietitians to help improve their nutrition and wellness. Employment of dietitians and nutritionists is expected to grow 15% by 2026, which is much faster than the national average for all occupations (7%).

If you’re currently employed in heathcare or a health-related field and are interested in careers in food and nutrition or nutrition and dietetics, you may consider earning a master’s degree in nutrition to better position yourself for a role in this quickly growing field, and to gain a deeper knowledge of the complex relationship between nutrition, community, and health.

What Can You Do with a Master’s in Nutrition?

A master’s in nutrition can open doors to a wide range of career opportunities. Below are examples of popular nutrition and wellness career paths and their associated salaries.

Dietitian Salary and Career Information

Dietitians offer health advice and develop personalized nutritional plans for anyone who may need guidance, including individuals with medical conditions that require a certain diet, people who want to lose weight, or those training for their career or a special event. It is important to note that these professionals may only refer to themselves as Registered Dietitians (RDs) once they have earned the RD credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), which includes completing a dietetic internship and passing the dietetic registration exam. Even current RDs may strongly consider earning a master’s degree in nutrition, as the CDR will soon require a master’s degree to continue practicing.

Where they work: Hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, schools, private practice, businesses, academia

Dietitian Salary: $54,813 average; up to $71,000 depending on location and level of experience

Nutritionist Salary and Career Information

Nutritionists often perform the same work as registered dieticians, but they are not registered with the CDR and in most cases may not work in hospitals or clinics. However, many states still have strict requirements for those offering nutrition counseling. Because many nutritionists are self-employed, they often have the freedom to choose their own clients and set their own work hours. Nutritionists may also be health consultants for businesses or work as sports nutritionists for collegiate or professional teams. Some nutritionists even supplement their income by writing for health publications or contributing to other media outlets.

Where they work: Private practice, corporate wellness organizations, fitness clubs, nutrition and wellness retail stores, community programs, sports teams

Nutritionist Salary: $42,783 average; up to $70,000 depending on location and experience

Business and Industry Jobs

Given how much food and drugs impact our daily lives—and how strictly they must be regulated—there are myriad opportunities for nutrition professionals in business or industry roles including research, quality control, sales, marketing, and public relations. Researchers, for example, may conduct studies to ensure pharmaceuticals and foods are safe for consumers and meet regulations while quality control professionals may oversee the safety and quality of goods from production to distribution.

Where they work: Food and beverage companies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, food service vendors, health product distributors

Nutrition Industry Salary: Varies depending on industry, location, and level of experience. Quality Assurance Managers in food manufacturing earn an average of $75,899. Pharmaceutical Project Managers earn an average of $88,150.

Public Health Jobs

While dietitians and nutritionists may work in the public health sector, there are many other opportunities available to nutrition professionals in hospitals, medical associations, and public health departments at the city, county, and state levels. Depending on the position, these professionals may conduct research to advance scientific knowledge of nutrition and dietetics, as well as promote good health and disease prevention.

Where they work: Hospitals, government and non-government organizations, public health organizations, medical associations, research laboratories

Public Health Job Salary: Varies depending on position, location, and level of experience. Public Health Administrators, for instance, earn an average of $65,321, while some report earning more than $90,000. Public Health Specialists, on the other hand, earn an average of $48,562 and may earn as much as $70,000.

Nutrition Education and Research Jobs

Many nutrition professionals have a passion for sharing their knowledge and expertise to make an impact on a wider number of people than they would as a private practitioner. These nutrition educators promote good health by creating and implementing nutrtition education services for hospital patients, home care patients, outpatients, and other groups of people in their community. Other nutrition educators may decide to teach the next generation of nutritionists and dietitians at the community college level. While most four-year universities require a Ph.D., many community colleges and junior colleges allow qualified individuals with a master’s degree to conduct research and develop and teach a range of nutrition courses.

Where they work: Hospitals, long-term care facilities, K-12 schools, community colleges, junior colleges

Nutritional Educator Salary: Varies depending on position, location, and level of experience. Postsecondary teachers, on average, earn $76,000 per year. Nutritional Educators in New York City earn an average of $54,871.

Adelphi University’s Online M.S. in Nutrition

No matter which nutritional career path interests you, the online M.S. in Nutrition can help you achieve your goals by providing a streamlined curriculum concentrating on the skills and knowledge that both reflect the latest nutrition science research and align with current career opportunities. The program is geared toward busy working professionals in health or health-related fields who want to expand their knowledge so that they can more effectively help others and/or earn a professional credential that is required for employment or career advancement.

MA in Educational Technology Careers and Industry Outlook

If you went back in time to the release of the Atari and told people that video games would become powerful teaching tools, they would probably have some serious doubts. Yet we’ve now seen that games like Minecraft can be used to engage students in the classroom, as well as employees in corporate training programs. We now understand that technology can transform the way we think of the classroom, and even transform learning itself.

In fact, some people would say that video games will be important to the future of all education.

Of course, there are a lot of pitfalls involved in using any technology for learning, whether you’re talking about the classroom or business training. Learners may not use it in the way you intended, or they may be distracted instead of engaged. This is part of what makes educational technology careers both exciting and challenging. It’s up to these professionals to answer tough questions like:

• What specific technologies could have educational value?
• How can certain technologies and tools be used to reach a desired learning outcome?
• What can instructors do to keep students engaged instead of distracted?

There are also multiple ways to tackle problems like these. Technology can be integrated into a broader curriculum, but it can also be part of designing lesson plans for the classroom. Schools also hire educational technology professionals as consultants who help advise teachers and aid in designing lessons with an eye toward using technology effectively.

When it comes to edech in business settings, software and other technology tools can be utilized to deliver virtual lessons, or to design multimedia training programs. However, some of the same challenges apply in these environments as in the classroom. For example, how do you encourage employees to be engaged in digital learning tools, and how can these tools be used to improve how well they understand the material?

We know that, with so many career options and challenging issues out there, it can be difficult to decide which path is right for you. So, we wanted to highlight some of the careers with a master’s in educational technology that offer potential for personal growth as well as the chance to make a real difference in the field.

What Can I Do with a Master’s in Educational Technology?

If you pursue a master’s in educational technology, you have numerous career paths to consider. Although a lot of the opportunities in the field are in education, business training courses have also begun leveraging technology in new ways. For example, gamification is becoming a popular way to build softer skills such as communication, as well as teach topics that are not as interesting to most learners, such as a company’s compliance requirements.

In both business and school settings, educational technology professionals with many different perspectives are needed. For example, if your background were in IT, your role may be to manage the implementation of technology like gamification software, or ensure that your organization has the supportive technology to make eLearning technology run optimally.

If your background were in teaching, you’d be able to use the knowledge gained in an MA in Educational Technology program to integrate learning technology within your lessons.

Regardless of your professional experience, the educational technology field is dynamic and growing, which means that you’ll find the most success if you’re the type of person who is inquisitive, creative and entrepreneurial. You may end up carving your own path as an edtech consultant, or be the one who pushes for technology-focused change within your organization.

Careers with a Master’s in Educational Technology – Select Salaries

Source: Payscale.com

What is the future of Educational Technology?

The future is bright for educational technology, with Frost & Sullivan predicting that global investments in the field will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 18.3% through 2022. However, professionals in the field will also face highly dynamic and ever-evolving challenges due to how quickly technology can change.

For example, the ability to use artificial intelligence has historically been limited to companies with large technology budgets and that could invest in huge amounts of computer processing power. As AI has become more accessible, and available through cloud services like IBM’s Watson platform, however, education is now a key area for AI because it is highly accessible and easy for non-technical professionals to use. As a result, educational technology professionals will have to consider how to best use technologies like AI, which technologies are worth the hype and which aren’t, and how to best bring them into a learning environment.

If you’re excited by complex challenges like these, an educational technology career is a great way to leverage your passion. We can’t predict everything that will happen in the future of edtech, but it’s safe to say that the field will bring exciting challenges, require tough decisions and present opportunities to shape the future of learning.

About Adelphi’s Online MA in Educational Technology

Our online M.A. in Educational Technology program offers a blend of technical skills and problem-solving capabilities alongside theoretical and practical knowledge about teaching and learning. With this philosophy at its core, the program offers courses that teach practical skills, like Python and HTML5 programming, as well as a comprehensive exploration of theories of knowledge.

The program also offers opportunities for you to gain exposure to innovations in the areas of edtech that interest you most. The large selection of electives gives you additional options to personalize your study, with topics including video games and learning, educational video production, mobile technology and learning, and social media.

Career Options with a Master of Social Work Degree

Social work is all about listening to the stories of both individual clients and those of society, and helping to form solutions for complex social problems. Yet the ways in which social workers can do that are countless. They can help people deal with any number of medical, psychological, development or life issues. They can also act as advocates, bridging the gap between clients and policy.

As a profession that deals with psychological, economic, government, relationship, and countless other issues, social work offers many career paths for people who have a passion for helping others. In addition to finding opportunities in many different areas of health and wellness expertise (like child welfare, substance use, addiction, rehabilitation, and more), social workers can find deeply rewarding careers in various settings—from clinics to community agencies to schools.

Just as there is considerable diversity in the field, there are many different education and credential options to consider when you’re planning your social work career. For example, master’s in social work careers are often more specialized when compared to generalists. There are also different licensing options to consider.

What Can I Do with a Master’s in Social Work?

One of the top benefits of earning a master’s degree in social work is the flexibility. Working in an agency, a clinic, a hospital school or a home are all options. One example is the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) path, which typically focuses on mental and behavioral health. While the requirements for licensure vary by state, most require a Master of Social Work degree in addition to direct clinical experience. An MSW can also help you become more competitive later in your career if you decide to pursue administrative or senior management roles.

Check your state’s specific requirements for licensure as you plan your social work career path. If you have questions or want additional help in your search, contact us and we’ll be glad to direct you to the resources you need.

Master’s in Social Work Careers – Select Salaries

Note: All salaries are compiled from professionals with a Master of Social Work degree.
Source: PayScale.com

The flexibility of social work as a career has also led to greater competition in the job market. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 16% job growth (much faster than the 7% average for all jobs) for social workers from 2016 to 2026, the majority of professionals in the field are planning to pursue graduate degrees. A 2017 survey of social work bachelor’s degree graduates found that more than 80% planned to pursue additional education, and nearly 90% of those planned to pursue a higher degree in social work.

Top Benefits of a Master’s in Social Work

Increased Job Satisfaction

It is no secret that social work is a highly demanding career, both in regard to emotional labor and the sheer amount of knowledge effective professionals need. Furthering your education is just as much about career advancement as it is about giving you more tools to succeed in the field. An effective Masters in Social Work program will help you in developing the skills you need to stay ahead of trends in the field and hands-on practice with leading techniques.

For example, one of the top indicators of job satisfaction among social workers is ongoing professional education. While there are multiple ways to develop professionals, master’s-level education is uniquely positioned to provide some of the skills most linked to satisfaction. In particular, researchers found that social workers benefit from learning practice-based research methods—one of the cornerstones of an effective Master of Social Work program is coursework that teaches not just the importance of social work research but that guides students in applying it to their practices.

Ability to Evaluate Social Work Practices and Organizations

Once you identify which career path is right for you, it can still be difficult to determine how to move forward with your plan. If you want to work in an agency or clinical setting, for example, how do you determine whether a potential employer is a good fit for you? A master’s in social work program will cover the major theories of social work, with a focus on empowering you to develop your own model of practice.

Moving forward, developing a personal philosophy can help you avoid mismatches with employers who don’t share your core values when it comes to interaction with clients or the issues you care about.

Through interaction with your peers and with faculty, you’ll also gain direct exposure to many different perspectives within the field, which will better prepare you to deal with different types of challenges in your own practice.

About Adelphi’s Online MSW

The highly respected School of Social Work at Adelphi has a long history of producing leaders in social work and helping to shape social policies. Since 1951, we have continually been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and Adelphi’s Social Work graduate program is now ranked in the top 5% of the country, according to US News & World Report. Additionally, our faculty are expert practitioners and researchers, having published across the full range of topics within the field—including disparities in healthcare, child advocacy, the role of social workers in shaping policies and more.

Our Online Master of Social Work program brings the combined decades of expertise and legacy of Adelphi’s leading social work school to a flexible curriculum designed for working professionals. While the program is primarily delivered online, we include two annual on-campus experiences due to the importance of building relationships in the social work field. Many students tell us that the on-campus training is a highlight of their education.

We are incredibly proud of our ability to deliver the personalized attention of an in-person education to the online classroom. Our graduates complete the program prepared to become Licensed Master Social Workers and begin rewarding careers.