Hoboken, NJ –As the U.S. economy continues to regain its footing, online degree programs for helping professions are in high demand, according to eLearners.com’
“What we’re seeing is that during this economic downturn people are looking for careers that help others,” said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com. “Business programs will typically lead the way, but an interesting trend worth noting is that more people are seeking careers that lend a helping hand as shown in the growth of our online religion and nursing programs.”
The top ten online degree programs for January 2010 according to eLearners.com, which are ranked based on the top searches and inquiries made by prospective students on its site include:
1. Business Administration and MBA
2. Nursing
3. Psychology
4. Criminal Justice
5. Health Administration
6. Religion
7. Early Childhood Education
8. Counseling
9. Accounting
10. Human Services
Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows employment for many of the “helping professions”
• Job prospects in human services are expected to be excellent, especially for prospective employees with applicable postsecondary education. Employment for social and human services assistants is expected to grow by nearly 23 percent between 2008 and 2018.
• In the criminal justice field, the employment of private detectives and investigators is projected to increase 22 percent as security concerns increase and criminal activity grows on the Internet.
• Between 2008 and 2018, the number of jobs for registered nurses is expected to increase by nearly 600,000 (more than 20 percent), making it one of the fastest growing occupations.
• Health administration is another booming industry, with jobs in medical billing and as medical administrative assistants expected to increase by nearly 20 percent between 2008 and 2018.
• Counseling will likely see significant growth between 2008 and 2018. Overall employment of counselors is expected to increase by 18 percent; however, the outlook for some specialties is even brighter. Employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow by 24 percent; substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors by 21 percent; and rehabilitation counselors by 19 percent.
• Psychology, which was the second most requested online degree program on eLearners.com, has encouraging news as well. The psychology field is expected to experience a 12 percent increase in jobs between 2008 and 2018, with most of these openings in schools, hospitals and social service agencies.
“Although there is recognition that the caring fields are growing and will have plenty of opportunity, the reason for choosing these fields goes deeper than that,” said Ayn Fox, a Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation and a Career Coach for eLearners.com’
For students looking for online degree programs, eLearners.com offers more than 4,100 online degrees and certificates and more than 6,500 courses from accredited online colleges and universities. To help students learn more about online education and to answer some of the most frequently asked questions, eLearners.com offers the Guide to Online Education. eLearners.com also created the Debt-Free College Guide (http://debtfree.elearners.com/
For more information on eLearners.com and to search for online degree programs, visit www.elearners.com.
About eLearners.com®
eLearners.com is one of several high visibility websites operated by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online degree program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For online colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-
About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research Services division, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.
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