Athens State Online Blog

A Group of Professionals Meet Around a Conference Table.

What Are Social Sciences?

March 17, 2023

What Are Social Sciences? ¶ The social sciences explore human behavior and the ways in which we interact with one another, including the structure of societies and how individuals interact within those societies. Social sciences degree programs are useful and versatile, and prepare students for any of a broad variety of careers, from those in people-facing fields to those that rely on an understanding of human nature. Choosing a degree program can be challenging for many people...

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A hospital administrator meets with medical staff.

What Can You Do With a Degree in Healthcare Administration?

March 16, 2023

What Can You Do With a Degree in Healthcare Administration? ¶ From the doctors, nurses, and technicians providing life-saving care, to the healthcare administrators and directors ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly, healthcare organizations rely on a multitude of moving pieces to function. Across the country, the need for skilled healthcare professionals is rising. Healthcare spending in the United States grew to $4.3 trillion in 2021, with the United States Census Bureau ranking the healthcare sector as one of the fastest-growing industries nationwide, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...

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A corporate trainer speaks to a group of staff members.

Career and Technical Education Salary and Job Opportunities

February 22, 2023

Career and Technical Education Salary and Job Opportunities ¶ Making the decision to pursue a higher education can be incredibly influential in shaping a person’s career and professional success. For many prospective students, the timeline and cost of earning a bachelor’s degree can be somewhat daunting, particularly when many programs are not geared toward a specific career and don’t cater directly to people who have already built experience in their field...

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A counselor meets with clients.

Careers in Humanities: Six Careers with Real-World Impact

February 22, 2023

Careers in Humanities: Six Careers with Real-World Impact ¶ Colleges and universities offer programs of study in the humanities, but what does that really mean? Is studying the humanities a good choice to prepare you to enter the workforce and have the career and life you want? It turns out that the majority of employers consider skills gained through humanities studies to be “very important” to career success. This is according to a 2021 study of executives and hiring managers by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in partnership with Hanover Research...

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Two businesspeople in conversation.

How Much Do Business Majors Make?

February 22, 2023

How Much Do Business Majors Make? ¶ A degree in business opens countless doors to hundreds of potential careers. It’s possible to become an accountant, work in logistics or supply chain management, seek leadership positions, or work in an executive financial role in a wide range of industries. How much do business majors make? That depends on the degree and career path, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage across all business and financial occupations was $76,570 as of May 2021...

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A nurse in blue scrubs explains policies to medical staff gathered around a laptop in a hospital meeting room.

How to Gain Nurse Leadership Skills to Advance Your Career

February 22, 2023

How to Gain Nurse Leadership Skills to Advance Your Career ¶ With the population of existing nurses aging and the pipeline for new nurses limited, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has warned of a worsening nursing shortage. With fewer nurses available, nurse leaders will also be in short supply. For both existing nurses and individuals considering nursing as a career, this challenge serves as an opportunity...

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Three workers at a community nonprofit discuss ideas during an informal meeting.

What Can You Do With a Religious Studies Degree?

February 22, 2023

What Can You Do With a Religious Studies Degree? ¶ What do basketball player Shane Battier, model Christy Turlington, and actor Maggie Gyllenhaal have in common? They majored in religious studies. This academic discipline has more to do with serving others than with the specifics of any particular faith. Religious studies is an interdisciplinary and nondenominational major that can prepare students for faith-based careers, but it doesn’t limit graduates to that...

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A smiling teacher in a busy classroom helps a student with an assignment on a laptop.

What Is Educational Studies?

February 22, 2023

What Is Educational Studies? ¶ Demand is growing for a new kind of educator. As the World Bank has noted, education reduces poverty, promotes equality, and drives innovation. It also represents a good investment in human capital. Education garners a robust 10% return on investment, according to the World Bank. But the traditional image of “education” as a teacher at the front of a classroom speaking to students is changing rapidly...

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A hospital compliance officer goes over clinical procedures with one of the hospital’s doctors.

What Is Healthcare Compliance?

February 22, 2023

What Is Healthcare Compliance? ¶ The primary objective of all healthcare organizations is ensuring that patients receive safe, high-quality care. One way healthcare organizations ensure they are providing this level of care is by emphasizing healthcare compliance, which means making sure all legal, ethical, and professional standards are met within the organization. This task is the responsibility of the chief compliance officer. For individuals interested in becoming healthcare compliance officers and chief compliance officers, it’s important to know what healthcare compliance professionals do...

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An HR manager meets with two employees to explain new workplace policies.

What Is SHRM?

February 22, 2023

What Is SHRM? ¶ Today’s human resource departments are complex and evolving, playing a critical role in both stewarding and optimizing an organization’s relationship to its employees. This involves a wide range of administrative functions — from hiring, onboarding, payroll, and policy training to benefits, discipline, and layoffs, as well as more strategic functions such as assessing staffing needs, recruiting, talent development, performance management, and coordinating company culture. Aspiring HR professionals typically thrive on this complexity and the many challenges the profession poses, but they also quickly become aware of how much there is to learn...

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