This past fall, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put out a list of 20 occupations with the highest percent change of employment between 2019-29.
In other words, if you’re looking for a field that is likely to yield a job, it’s wise to start with one of the professions listed here.
Most of the professions cited by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics require a college degree. Concordia University Wisconsin offers programs (or complementary degrees) for 11 out of the 20 on the list.
Scroll down to learn more.
Number 2 on the list: Nurse Practitioners
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 52%
2019 median pay: $109,820 per year
Nurse practitioners coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare.
Concordia provides two routes to get to the NP level:
- Our online Master of Science in Nursing—Nurse Practitioner program for primary care providers has two track options: family nurse practitioner or primary care adult-gerontology nurse practitioner.
- If you already have your BSN, our new Post BSN to DNP program bypasses the master’s degree to get you your doctorate to become an NP. The DNP is rapidly becoming the standard for preparing for a nurse practitioner role, so this program is definitely worth a look.
Number 4 on the list: Occupational Therapy Assistants
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 35%
2019 median pay: $61,510 per year
Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
An OTA certification can be obtained at most technical colleges within two years. While Concordia does not offer an assistant program, we do make it easy for you to make that next step. Our bridge program will take you from OTA to Master of Occupational Therapy in as little as four years, giving you the skills (and pay bump) you need to progress in the field.
Number 5 on the list: Statisticians
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 35%
2019 median pay: $91,160 per year
Mathematicians and statisticians analyze data and apply mathematical and statistical techniques to help solve problems.
Concordia has at least two programs that can get you there:
- Our online Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics and Organizational Performance launched this past fall. It’s designed to be completed in four years.
- The Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics and Change Management is designed to be completed in as few as three years. It’s offered in a blended format, with the first two years’ courses on campus, summers online, and a third year online.
Number 6 on the list: Home health and personal care aides
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 34%
2019 median pay: $25,280 per year
Concordia offers a certificate program that can be completed in as few as 15 months. Our Medical Assistant Certificate program is offered in a blended format, which means that your education will take place both online and face-to-face at our Miller Park Way location.
Number 7 on the list: Physical Therapist Assistants
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 33%
2019 median pay: $58,790 per year
The PTA process takes about three years to complete, but when you’re ready to take your associate degree to the next level, you should look into Concordia’s bridge program.
CUW’s Bridge PTA to DPT program is designed for PTAs with at least one year of experience in the field. Applicants with an associate degree can earn BSRS and DPT degrees in 4.5 years. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree can earn a DPT degree in approximately three years.
Number 8 on the list: Medical and Health Services Managers
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 32%
2019 median pay: $100,980 per year
Medical and health services managers plan, direct, and coordinate the business activities of healthcare providers.
Concordia has a variety of routes to get the job done:
- Adult accelerated bachelor’s—Offered conveniently online or at seven of our accelerated learning centers throughout Wisconsin, our Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management is a 120-credit program designed to help current healthcare administrators make sure the facility they manage is well taken care of. This program is also offered as an associate degree.
- Bachelor’s—Our Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration is a traditional undergraduate program that will prepare learners through courses in business management, finance, human resources, marketing, and more.
- Master’s—For more than a decade, Concordia has enrolled more MBA students than any other university in Wisconsin. Our wildly popular Master of Business Administration program offers dozens of concentrations, including in healthcare management. The MBA in Healthcare Management program may be completed in as few as two years.
Number 9 on the list: Physician Assistants
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 31%
2019 median pay: $112,260 per year
Physician assistants practice medicine on teams with physicians, surgeons, and other healthcare workers. Concordia’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program is a 26-month, full-time curriculum that boasts small classes, faith-based instruction, and a built-in inter-professional approach. Our cohorts annually achieve above-average pass rates on the national certification exam and land jobs within months of graduation.
Number 10 on the list: Information Security Analysts
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 31%
2019 median pay: $99,730 per year
Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems.
Concordia’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program offers five concentrations, including in cyber security. And with our new Computer Science Scholars program, you can earn your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science in as little as four years, and for the price of the undergraduate degree!
Number 11 on the list: Data Scientists and Mathematical Science Occupations, all other
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 31%
2019 median pay: $94,280 per year
This mixed bag occupational grouping holds all kind of potential for specialized routes. Concordia, likewise, has a variety of ways to help get you where you want to be.
Traditional undergraduate programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Applied Analytics
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (cuw.edu)
- Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics and Organizational Performance (cuw.edu)
- Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics (cuw.edu)
Accelerated undergraduate programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Analytics and Change Management
Graduate programs:
- MBA in Sustainability Management and Analytics
- Master of Science in Computer Science (with a new Business Analytics concentration coming soon)
Number 15 on the list: Speech-Language Pathologists
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 25%
2019 median pay: $79,120 per year
Concordia’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program develops speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in individuals across the life-span. It’s a two-year program, with classes based primarily in CUW’s newest building on campus.
Number 17 on the list: Substance Abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors
Expected growth rate, 2019-29: 25%
2019 median pay: $46,240 per year
Professionals in this area provide treatment and advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, or other mental or behavioral problems.
If you want to become a mental health counselor or substance abuse/behavioral disorder counselor, a great place to start is with a psychology degree. Our Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program promises tons of hands-on projects and opportunities to put service learning into action.
You can follow up your psychology undergraduate experience at Concordia, too. Our Master of Science in Education—School and Professional Counseling program allows you to specialize in either of its namesake’s areas. The professional counseling program track is an approved program by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) and leads to a LPC-IT endorsement.
Additionally, in 2020, Concordia was the only organization in the state to receive a federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) grant to expand access to behavioral health services for families affected by opioids and other substance use disorders. The Opioid Impacted Family Support Specialist Certificate is offered free of charge to any currently enrolled CUW student who is accepted into the program. Even though the certificate program is housed within our Social Work department, you don’t have to be a social work major to apply. If you are interested in becoming a social worker though, we have excellent programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels: Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work.
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
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