Explore Fast-Growing Careers and the College Degree Required for Them

Learn more about how to get the education you need for fast-growing careers.

The right kind of college education is the best way to prepare yourself for the career you want. So how do you know whether you should pursue a certificate program, associates degree, bachelors degree or masters degree?

The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled a list of fast-growing careers between 2008 and 2018. Learn more about the type of career types they predict will be rapidly adding jobs in the next few years and the type of degree you need to obtain them.

The types of careers that interest you can help you in your college search. In addition to helping you focus your college interests to choose courses and a major, knowing more about the type of career you want can help you narrow down the type of college you want to attend: career college, community college, 4-year college or university.

Below you’ll find a list of these fast-growing careers and the type of degree required for each career.

Certificate Program

Fast-growing careers that require a professional certificate from a certificate program include:

Esthetician & Skin Care

What is a certificate program?

These programs allow students to obtain career-specific skills in order to obtain a job or specialize in their careers. You can either obtain a certificate in lieu of a college degree, or add a certificate to enhance the degrees you’ve completed. Most of these programs can be completed in less than a year, but the length of the program depends on the type of the certificate.

Where can you get a professional certificate?

Career colleges, community colleges and online schools all award professional certificates in a variety of areas.

Associates Degrees

Fast-growing careers that require an associates degree include:

What is an associates degree?

Students earn this post-secondary degree by completing 60 academic credits, usually spread out over two years’ worth of full-time study, or three to four years if studying part-time. In addition to providing the necessary career training for the above careers, you can also transfer your college credits from your associates degree program to a bachelors degree program.

Where can you get an associates degree?

You can obtain this type of degree at community colleges, career colleges, online schools and some 4-year colleges and universities.

Bachelors Degrees

Fast-growing careers that require a bachelors degree include:

What is a bachelors degree?

Students generally have to complete between 120 and 130 college credits to receive this degree; this is usually done over four of five years of full-time study. A bachelors degree is required for graduate studies, like a masters degree.

Where can you get a bachelors degree?

This degree can be obtained at 4-year colleges and universities, including private universities, public universities, liberal arts colleges and online schools.

Masters Degrees

Fast-growing careers that require a masters degree include:

Physician assistants

What is a masters degree?

This degree program, which you can begin after obtaining a bachelors degree, allows you to delve deeper into a specific field of study. You can either get a terminal masters degree, or get a masters degree as the first part of a doctorate degree.