Affordable Online Degree Programs

The economic downturn has led many parents nationwide to realize their careers are not recession-proof. As a result, many families are forced to adjust their lifestyles by obtaining secondary incomes, reorganizing their budgets or making mid-life career changes.
The recession has led many parents to "go back to school to learn more methods for dealing with the bad economy," Chandra Muller, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Daily Texan. However, Muller added, rising tuition at traditional universities has many students - particularly continuing students who have family responsibilities - seeking more convenient alternatives, such as those offered by online universities.
The cost of a four-year degree program at a public institution has risen 6.5 percent over the past year, according to the College Board. Consequently, parents who are already paying or preparing to pay for their children's higher education need to find less expensive options to fund their own educational pursuits.
Kenneth Pegues, for example, chose to pursue an associates degree in occupational safety online at Odessa College in Odessa, Texas after an accident left him unable to continue working at his restaurant job.
Although Pegues's family is currently struggling to keep him in school and stay afloat financially, he hopes his pursuit of his first degree will "set a precedent for his family" and inspire his children to go to college, he told the Odessa American.
Many parents seeking an advanced degree are also choosing to gain their education through online programs, including Nevonna Davis, who works in the accounting department at the Veterans Administration in Miami.
A single mother of a four year-old boy, Davis "decided to enroll in Kaplan University online classes" in order to "have more time with her son," she told CBS4.
Single parents such as Davis who are seeking convenient and relatively inexpensive options to continue their education, such as online degree programs, may benefit from financial aid opportunities. For example, Denny's Single Parent Student Scholarship provides $1,500 awards to mothers and fathers who are the sole providers for their children wishing to obtain college degrees.

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Pursuing an MBA Business Degree Economics

The recent downturn in the economy has many people playing armchair quarterback over decisions made by the Federal Reserve during the last few years. These guys are supposed to be geniuses when it comes to economics, right? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that there may have been errors in judgment regarding interest rates and home financing. Don't even think about being considered for such a high ranking position until you have an MBA Business Economics Degree.
An MBA Business Economics Degree goes beyond basic economics. The person in charge of making decisions regarding one of the strongest economies in the world will be required to have knowledge and expertise in the following areas: monetary policy, advanced economic theories like macro and micro economics, international markets and foreign trading, an understanding of leading economic indicators, - just to name a few. This person would need to be able to analyze economic issues quickly and accurately, as well as be able to assess and consider alternative economic policies to help achieve stability in a tumultuous economy.
Still want to pursue your dream of chairing the Federal Reserve? Then you definitely want to start looking at schools that have serious MBA Business Economics programs. There are several institutions of higher learning that offer such a degree program. In addition to accounting and finance coursework, they should offer courses that cover trade and finance theory, past and current trade issues, international economic organizations and their agreements and impacts on the world economy, econometrics and statistics.
The program should also offer hands-on experiences which will allow you to experience real world obstacles and challenges in the world of business and finance. It should provide opportunities for you to work with companies that will teach about corporate mergers and acquisitions, supply chain management and product development. By the time you are finished obtaining your degree, you will have knowledge and expertise in all of these areas, along with managerial skills and a firm knowledge and understanding of business ethics and economic practices and theory.
If you decide you want to focus on a particular area of economics, look for MBA programs that offer areas of specialized interest, such as the study of poverty economics, which deals with the effect that poverty has on overall economic stability or economic crime investigation and management, which prepares graduates to deal with economic fraud and corporate crime. These types of specialized programs make an MBA graduate highly marketable.
If the Federal Reserve is not high on your priority list once you have finished obtaining the MBA business economics degree, start looking in areas such as economics research in both the government and private sectors. Most advanced degree holders will find themselves in high demand for upper management positions in both the government and private sectors, as well as with non-profit organizations. A person may also decide to pursue an academic career by becoming an Economics Professor at a university.
MBA Business economics graduates are ahead of the curve in terms of earning potential too, with starting salaries around 75,000 per year, depending on the area of study.
When all is said and done, obtaining an advanced degree can definitely help your career, especially if you really do aspire to helping set economic policy on a federal or global level. An MBA Business Economics degree will set you on the right path by giving you knowledge and expertise regarding economic practices, theories and issues that can have a great impact on a corporation's bottom line. Maybe your expertise will eventually put you in line for Bernanke's seat as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. After all, knowledge is power.

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Careers in Economic Field

If you are interested in studying in the Economics field, there are a wide variety of career choices available to you. Generally speaking, most people with an Economics degree is whatever minor they choose, go for a Bachelor's degree, although a Master's degree will always ensure that you start out higher to the top of the companies food chain, and earn more annual income.
Career choices in the field of Economics can include Economic Consulting with research companies or consulting firms, where you would advise the company on business strategies and help to prepare economic evidence for court cases. Another destination that many Economic graduates find is law school. In the field of Economic law, you would have the chance to influence many decisions based on the economy, and would be able to contribute to many firms and government agencies. And, speaking of government agencies, there is always the choice of working directly with the government through non-profit organizations. The government, local, state, and national, hire Economists to aid with the statistic and analysis portion of business.
A look at the potential annual earnings for majors in Economics shows that, with a bachelor's degree, for instance if you decided to pursue your degree in Economics with a concentration in Finance, the annual salary that you could expect in your first year would be around $45,000, whereas a degree simply in marketing would earn you only $36,000 annually. The low end of the earnings for an Economy major, reported in 2005 was $24,000 for a bachelor's degree, while those with a Master's degree earned $37,000 starting annually. The Federal Government's annual salary for economists with a Master's degree in 2005 was $89,441. Overall, Economists are expected to earn a significantly higher income whether they are working with the government or with a private company, simply because the need much outweighs the supply.
Economists are normally employed within larger cities, however some do work overseas for varies companies, either government or private international operations. World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations all employ economists from all over the world to work in their facilities.
If you are considering a career in the Economics field, there are a few minor requisites to keep in mind. Those interested in Economics will normally be able to pay great attention to details. This is highly important because you will spend much time on precise data analysis. You must be able to present findings on your studies in a clear manner, both orally and written, so good communication skills are of the utmost priority.
A Master's degree or a PH.D is normally required for many private companies and most government agencies. Although a bachelor's degree will get you in the door to your Economics career, it's best to obtain at least a master's degree if you plan to start in a top position. You will also need at least a master's degree if you plan to teach Economics. Instructors and professors of Economics are among the highest paid career choices, outside of the Federal Government, so if you want to help others to obtain their goal in reaching an Economics degree, a master's degree will be required. The educational requirements and courses that you will need will, of course, vary depending on the college or institution that you attend. Basically, for a master's degree, you will need courses such as advanced economic theory, econometrics, labor economics, and international economics courses. Undergraduate courses will include microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics, and the history of economic thought. The entry-level jobs for the Federal Government require a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 21 semester hours of economics and at least 3 hours of statistics, accounting, and/or calculus.
Economists are a growing number, and will continue to be needed in our society, so if you have an interest, and have the necessary thinking, analysis, and data skills, a career in the Economics field would be a wonderful choice.

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