One of the more complicated, yet important college majors that students can pursue is architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and erecting buildings and other physical structures. There are a lot of skills involved in becoming an architect and it’s the type of profession that’s good for those that enjoy drawing and numbers, as well as working hands on with a team on a public project. Without architects, some of the world’s most beautiful buildings wouldn’t be possible, and there is a sense of pride in seeing something you have designed and built yourself, for others to use and enjoy.

If you are interested in perusing a degree in architecture, you’ll want to go to a school well-known for its architecture program. Not only will you get an amazing education, but the school you attend can open a lot of doors when it’s time to get a job. Read the rest of this entry »

The first four-year Muslim college in the United States will open its doors for its first semester this year.

Zaytuna College is located in Berkeley, California, near the University of California – Berkeley, and will only offer two degree programs this year: Islamic Law and Theology, and Arabic. These degree programs were developed with an ideology of teaching students about Islam, while staying within a Western history and culture context. Another goal of the founders of Zaytuna is to promote a level of understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

“We feel the college is very important in that it provides a grounding for the community in its own tradition—not in a sense to create a difference with the larger society, but to actually normalize its presence within the larger society, that there is no contradiction between being an American and being Muslim,” said Hatem Bazian, a co-founder of Zaytuna College. Read the rest of this entry »

The field of psychology is one that will forever be needed, and thus, there will always be jobs available. Psychology is the scientific study of human mental functions and behaviors. From therapists to counselors, a psychology degree can get you involved in the field of helping people by helping them to understand themselves.

Those that want to go into this field can choose to earn a psychology undergraduate degree or choose to continue their education all the way up to the doctoral level. The higher your education in this field, the more responsibility you’ll have with your employment. Those with a psychology bachelor’s degree can find careers in case management, as a career counselor, rehabilitation specialist or psychiatric technician. However, psychology is usually one of those fields where most students choose to get an undergraduate degree as a stepping stone to higher level degrees. Read the rest of this entry »

We insure our cars, our houses, and sometimes even our pets. So, why not insure tuition? For a few hundred dollars, parents can purchase insurance for their child’s tuition in the event they drop of out college for medical reasons. With parents gawking at the semester’s $25,000 tuition bill, it’s no wonder some are considering tuition insurance. It has other parents, however, wondering if those extra hundred dollars are worth it, considering that bank-breaking tuition money they are already struggling to come up with.

The largest tuition insurance provider, A.W.G. Dewar, a unit of OneBeacon Insurance Group Ltd., said that insuring a child’s education is a solid investment. Providing plans for more than 1,000 of the U.S.’s priciest, private schools and elite colleges, Dewar often sends out insurance brochures to families when it comes time for parents to pay for tuition. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the more fun and flashy careers around is marketing. Marketing has a pretty broad scope, but generally involves the process of companies creating customer interest in the products or services they sell. Everything from commercials to direct mail to product placement in movies is a product of the marketing industry. Marketing as a career has been very popular because it involves different elements of creativity which opens up a lot of career opportunities.

Whether you decide to go into corporate marketing or work for an ad agency, it’s important to get good experience from your college courses and internships. Receiving an internship will offer you real life experience that looks great on a resume, which can be done while still in college earning your undergraduate degree. Read the rest of this entry »

Teaching is one of the most important, yet underrated, professions on the planet. Without teachers, you can’t have students, many of whom become inspired to touch the lives of other students like their teachers did for them. For those interested in becoming a teacher, it is important to have a good background degree.

The demand for teachers is high, because unlike other current job markets effected by the economy, there are always students that need to be taught. Not only are teachers needed for public schools at the elementary, middle and high school level, but at the college level, as well. Read the rest of this entry »

College degrees are important and picking a major that you enjoy studying will help ensure you enjoy the career that hopefully results from that degree. For those who enjoy math, a bachelor’s degree in mathematics is a great, yet often overlooked, major. Math degrees can set the stage for a number of careers including an actuary, an applied mathematician, a pure mathematician, a statistician or a school math teacher. Those who have a way with numbers, work well independently and love problem solving could find a very fulfilling career in any one of these positions.

Despite the pictures you probably have in your head right now, a math degree doesn’t automatically limit you to solving math equations with paper and a pencil. Math degrees are useful in computer and information systems, health, the business industry or even operations research. The use of data and numbers makes it possible to apply your mathematics degree to many different career options. Like any degree, students that graduate from the best schools will find that they have an edge in their specific job market. Read the rest of this entry »

College ranking is controversial, and not just because school pride dictates we consider our college or alma mater the best. On the heels of Forbes announcement of the best colleges in the states, US News has released its behemoth of a report. The two reports have fairly different conclusions, so it’s best to consider the different criteria used by each report.

The two reports obviously have different criteria. Forbes specializes in ranking colleges with a high level of student input. The first question in their published criteria asks if students enjoy their classes and overall academic experience. Next they consider how well graduates do in their post-college careers and how many students graduate in four years or less. They do not reveal how they weight the rest of their criteria, but they do say that each counts for less than 20 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

The starting school year is upon us, and with it comes the ever constant quest for the best school supplies before heading back to the classroom. For those in elementary, middle and high school, a universal list is provided. But what about school supply recommendations for college or technical school students to follow?

For those sitting in lecture halls, trying to absorb all the material that is shared by the professor, there are definitely some tools that can make the school year easier. Laptops and computers are expensive, but quickly becoming essential. The laptop can be used for completing writing assignments, doing research, as well as taking notes in class and corresponding with professors and fellow students. A regular desktop computer kept in your dorm room can be used to complete assignments if you don’t have a laptop, but for those that don’t have access to a personal computer, most schools are stocked with several computer labs that are open to students, many of them on a 24 hour basis.

Of course, a computer isn’t going to be the only thing you need for class, but it’s a great start. Read the rest of this entry »

Planning on attending a liberal arts college? Then plan on shelling out some hard cash. With that said, liberal colleges have proven to be a great educational investment. PayScale, a salary data site, released its recent report on this year’s top liberal arts colleges by salary potential. Here are some of PayScale’s most beneficial liberal arts colleges ranked by the average starting graduate’s salary:

1. Harvey Mudd College: The average salary is $68,900. The yearly tuition is, as of the 2009-2010 school year, $38,467.

2. Claremont McKenna College: The average salary is $58,700. The yearly tuition is, as of the 2009-2010 school year, $38,510.

3. Bucknell University: The average salary is $55,800. The yearly tuition is, as of the 2009-2010 school year, $40,816.

4. Lafayette College: The average salary is $54,800. The yearly tuition is, as of the 2009-2010 school year, $37,815. Read the rest of this entry »