TELECOMMUNICATIONS MAJOR

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN WITH A TELECOMMUNICATIONS MAJOR?

THINKING ABOUT GETTING A JOB IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS? Or just wondering how you can expand your horizons with a new major? Perhaps you’re interested in more professional positions or a managerial status in your company.

 Most jobs in the telecommunications field are entry-level, requiring only a high school diploma, but if you plan on moving up the corporate ladder you will be wanting a more specialized education. The industry does utilize on-the-job training, but maintenance and repair positions, as well as managerial jobs require a degree in telecommunications, making it quite the asset to anyone interested in upward mobility.

WHAT DOES “TELECOMMUNICATIONS” MEAN? Telecommunications workers perform a number of services to the community, including telephone, internet and digital repair, maintenance and delivery.

 There are several occupations available in the telecommunications field, including equipment installers and repairers; computer software engineers and support specialists; and, of course, operations specialties managers and top executives along with many, many other integral positions.

POPULAR SCHOOLS Telecommunications is offered as a major at most community colleges, but there are also trade schools which specialize in the field. Education-portal.com provides a list of six popular schools for telecommunications, most of which offer online programs:

Walden University: Offers online Bachelor and Masters programs for Information Systems and Technology – Networking and Operations.

Kaplan University: Offers online Associates, Bachelors and Masters of Science programs in Information Technology – Network Administration.

ITT Technical Institute: Has physical campuses in most states (excluding North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and parts of New England). The highest degree available at this school is a Bachelor of Science, but ITT Tech has one of the larger Information Technology programs.

DeVry University: Claims more than 60 locations in the US and offers a program for Engineering and Information Sciences almost as big as ITT Tech’s.

ECPI University: Located in North and South Carolina and Virginia with programs in Electronics Engineering Technology, Computer and Information Science, and Information Systems.

University of Phoenix: This is the only of these schools to offer a Doctorate in Management as part of the graduate Information Systems and Technology program.

CLASSES TO TAKE Information technology, computer sciences, and mass communications are closely related to telecommunications. Taking a minor or extra classes in any of these programs can be an asset if you plan to pursue a telecommunications career.

 As far as specific classes to take, you will need to look at what is offered by your school’s program. According to education-portal.com, some of the most common classes taken for telecommunications include:

CLASSES TO TAKE- Mass communications systems

- Interactive communications systems

- Computing

- Statistics

- Research methods

- Policies and regulations in telecommunications

- Telecommunications internship

CLASSES TO TAKE These courses are most typically offered for Bachelors degree programs. Adding IT and computer science courses to these would more than boost your chances of being accepted into the realm of telecommunications business.

 Anybody looking for opportunities in the telecommunications field should definitely consider any of the above listed schools and take advantage of some of these fantastic programs.