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Radio and Television
Radio and Television
The very hands-on, creative, and professionally oriented Radio and Television major goes by a variety of names including broadcasting, among many others. It’s usually offered as a specialty within a university’s department of communications or department of journalism. If you choose to make Radio and Television your major, you’ll study the history, theory, criticism, and nuts-and-bolts production practices of radio, television, and film. In short, you’ll learn how to create all manner of electronic media from scratch. The goal of any Radio and Television program is to prepare you for an entry-level position and, ultimately, a successful career in the media. Upon graduation, you’ll be qualified to work for radio and television stations as well as in government, public relations, and a number of other fields. To make sure you are extra-polished when you get your diploma, many schools that offer degree programs in Radio and Television maintain their very own, student-run radio and television stations at which you can practice and gain expertise in all facets of media production.
Preparation
Prior experiences with high school newspapers or broadcast stations will obviously give you an edge. You might take several English courses and join the yearbook staff so as to polish your writing skills, too. Beyond that, believe it or not, you’ll probably be required to take a course in statistics. Consequently, you shouldn’t ignore math completely.
Radiologic Technology
Radiologic TechnologyRadiologic Technology is a very professionally oriented major in the health care field. Radiologic technologists use x-rays and radioactive substances to diagnose and treat diseases and injuries. Two-year and four-year degree programs in Radiologic Technology and Radiography are available at colleges and universities all across the fruited plain. One of the important things to know about the field of Radiologic Technology is that there is a big, national standardized test involved. Would-be practitioners must sit for the National Certification Examination in Radiography. If you major in Radiologic Technology, what you’ll learn is how to perform sophisticated diagnostic x-ray procedures. You’ll learn exactly what an x-ray is, how to operate radiography equipment, and more than you ever wanted to know about radiation safety.
Preparation
You’ll need a strong foundation in the basic sciences. If you are planning to major in Radiologic Technology in college, you should take courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. You’ll need a decent background in math as well.
Range Science and Management
Range Science and ManagementAh, home on the range. But what exactly is a range, anyway? Rangelands are the grassy areas where livestock graze. Back in their heyday, cowhands used to work and camp across the west on forage lands, raising and herding animals on plentiful wild grasses and plants. Unfortunately, the contemporary American landscape does not have quite the space and resources for livestock and wildlife it once did. Protection and conservation of these remaining pastures falls to students of range science and management. One part scientist, one part cowhand, range science and management majors study rangelands, arid regions, and grasslands, learning how to manage these areas for maximum efficiency, animal health, and environmental balance. In addition, you’ll take classes in wildlife biology, plant sciences, ecology, soil science, hydrology, and livestock management.
Preparation
Ah, home on the range. But what exactly is a range, anyway? Rangelands are the grassy areas where livestock graze. Back in their heyday, cowhands used to work and camp across the west on forage lands, raising and herding animals on plentiful wild grasses and plants. Unfortunately, the contemporary American landscape does not have quite the space and resources for livestock and wildlife it once did. Protection and conservation of these remaining pastures falls to students of range science and management. One part scientist, one part cowhand, range science and management majors study rangelands, arid regions, and grasslands, learning how to manage these areas for maximum efficiency, animal health, and environmental balance. In addition, you’ll take classes in wildlife biology, plant sciences, ecology, soil science, hydrology, and livestock management.
Real Estate
Real EstateLinked closely with the fields of finance and business, Real Estate is a major that leads directly to a specialized career. Although most states require specific licenses to practice Real Estate, a major will give you all the basics you need to get on your way. As a Real Estate major, you’ll learn the difference between residential and commercial real estate. You’ll learn about brokerage and financial management. You’ll study construction management and property management. You’ll learn about land development, real estate valuation, and marketing. Finance, accounting, and economics will be part of your studies as well. There are many different career options for Real Estate majors–consulting firms, insurance companies, and banks are just a few of the organizations that need Real Estate experts on their teams.
Preparation
For a major in Real Estate, your best preparation will be courses in business, math, English, and communications. Most of your coursework will be on material that high schools don’t offer, so the ability to organize and learn new information—as well as good reading and writing skills—will be the best tools to help you out. And it wouldn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with real estate ads (and all that slick marketing jargon they include), brochures, and the industry in general.
Recording Arts Technology
Recording Arts TechnologyIf you’re not cut out to be a rock star, you can still be the driving force behind one. Picture yourself as the boss in the booth who sits there shouting, “Cut!” “Again, from the top!” and finally, “Brilliant! That’s a wrap!” A major in recording arts technology is just what its title suggests—you’ll be learning about the art of recording, and all that goes along with it. Industry jargon; how to use basic equipment such as microphones, speakers, amplifiers, and equalizers; and the principles of acoustics, sound, and hearing—such as pitch, volume, timbre, and dynamics—will all be covered loud and clear. You’ll learn about analog and digital recording methods, when to use each, and how to make effective multitrack recordings. After you’re proficient in editing and mixing, you’ll learn how to make unique recordings that are truly your own. In a recording arts technology major, you’ll learn how to record and mix both music and audio for video projects. You’ll learn about audio for the Internet and other multimedia ventures, and how to reinforce live audio so that the sound is as effective as possible. Besides the technical aspects of recording arts technology, you’ll also learn the basics of the recording industry in general, including studio maintenance, copyright laws, and sales strategies. Hands-on learning is vital, as there’s a wide variety of equipment used in this field. Many programs offer opportunities for students to do an internship in a recording studio. Students may also have the chance to practice their recording skills with live musicians. By the end of your college studies, you’ll be well on your way to making professional audio recordings in the field of your choice.
Preparation
Any technical experience you can get in the field of recording arts technology will give you a great head start with your major. You might see what opportunities are available for recording experience through the band, orchestra, or drama club, or even in your local community. Experimenting with recording on your own can only help you when you begin your actual college studies. And, of course, you should take a well-rounded selection of math, science, and humanities courses to prepare you for the college-level work ahead.
Recreation Management
Recreation ManagementSounds simple enough, right? Your pleasure is someone else’s leisure. You provide diversion for other people, maybe by leading a game of volleyball, or officiating at a soccer game.
Oh, if only life, and this major, were that simple. Recreation Management, while it of course involves the study of recreation, also trains you to look at the business and structure of the recreation industry, from national parks to amusement parks, from forests to sport fishing. It is a combination of business and social science, where you have the opportunity to take courses like the psychology of sports alongside microeconomics and accounting. With the continuous demand for a break from hectic lives, Recreation Management majors could find it relatively easy to land a job in this lucrative industry. As more people explore national parks or vacation at posh resorts, you will find yourself poised to provide top-notch recreational options with the business and managerial skills necessary to making whatever activity you’re selling a financially worthwhile endeavor.
Preparation
Experience playing sports might be helpful, but don’t forget that you will also need strong math skills as well as solid footing in the humanities. Take statistics, calculus, and any business courses your school might offer. Take some challenging English classes as well.
Rehabilitation Services
Rehabilitation ServicesRehabilitation Services is a very professionally oriented major. If you decide to major in it, you’ll become a human services professional who vocationally rehabilitates adults with developmental and physical disabilities.While Rehabilitation Services has traditionally focused on restoring the well being of individuals who have physical disabilities, the field is growing to encompass a wider array of disabilities. Emotional disabilities, mental retardation, substance abuse, and continued patterns of criminal behavior are a few of the newer branches of Rehabilitation Services. Entry-level Rehabilitation Services majors can pursue careers in a variety of private and government-subsidized human service agencies. Many students who major in Rehabilitation Services eventually seek master and doctoral degrees.
Preparation
If you are thinking about majoring in Rehabilitation Services, concentrate your coursework in the basic sciences. Take biology, chemistry, and physics courses. Take lots of math, too. It’s a really good idea to try to gain some experience (by volunteering or working) at real, live rehabilitation services centers. It’s good experience, and they’ll appreciate having you. Such experience will also look great on your resume.
Religious Studies
Religious StudiesSome people mistakenly think the only reason you’d want to major in Religious Studies (or just Religion, as it’s called at some schools) is to have a career as a priest, minister, or rabbi. We hope you aren’t one of those people. It’s true that Religious Studies is a very good major for students who want to go on to seminaries for further training as religious professionals. Religious Studies is also, however, an excellent way to prepare for other professions, not least because most departments offer a low student-faculty ratio and a breadth of curriculum that few majors can equal. Religion is central to all aspects of human life and it profoundly shapes the thought and values of its adherents. If you major in Religious Studies, you’ll study the diverse myths, rituals, original texts, and moral systems of the world’s many different religious traditions. Religious Studies, like other liberal arts majors, provides an extraordinary opportunity to think about the core beliefs of civilizations past and present. Regarding the more practical problem of finding work after college, a Religious Studies major will significantly improve your critical thinking and writing skills. And it makes for an interesting topic during job interviews. Trust us on this one. Employers will invariably find the major fascinating when they see it on your resume, and they’ll ask about it, and you’ll get to impress them with your knowledge and insight about the world.
Preparation
There is no special additional high school preparation required for the major in Religious Studies. Try to take courses in literature, foreign languages, history, and anything else that will challenge you to develop your critical reading and writing skills.
Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory TherapyYou can live without water for a few days and without food for a few weeks. Without air, though, you’ll suffer brain damage within a few minutes and die after about ten minutes. Breathing, then, would be a pretty good thing about which to become an expert. The practice of respiratory care requires comprehensive knowledge of many technical and physiological concepts. Among a ton of other things, Respiratory Therapy programs will teach you about the therapeutic use of medical gases, oxygen-administering apparatuses, drugs and medications, ventilatory control, pulmonary rehabilitation, and home care. As a respiratory therapist, what you’ll probably do when you get out into the real world is treat people with breathing disorders (and, by the way, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a job). Respiratory therapists work in hospitals and intensive care units with (often critically ill) patients who have asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, and AIDS. They provide life-support for premature infants; perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and maintain life-support systems; and assist physicians with bronchoscopies, arterial cannula insertions, and heart catheterizations. In a nutshell, they save and perpetuate human lives on a daily basis.
Preparation
Take courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. Lots of them. Pay particular attention in math, as Respiratory Therapy involves a significant amount of basic mathematical problem-solving.
Risk Management
Risk ManagementThis is sort of what your mother used to do when she wouldn’t let you swing upside down over a pile of rocks, or when she refused to let you go on a date with that guy who had the pierced lip and a tattoo that read “Heartbreaker.” Though she was ruining your social life, she was, in her own way, also managing your risk. Unfortunately, unlike a sixth sense, you’re not born with Risk Management expertise. Risk Management is a science that helps businesses and individuals determine the potential outcomes of their actions. Should you invest in that undeveloped real estate in central Florida? Or what about that new dot-com? In these situations, and similar ones, Risk Management specialists help people understand the consequences of their endeavors. They are the personal trainers of the business world, helping their clients map out strategies that take into account their aspirations and liabilities. Risk management majors are in demand in just about every industry. From Fortune 500 corporations to a three-man skydiving company, a major in Risk Management will make you a valuable asset to almost any business.
Preparation
The best preparation for a major in Risk Management is to not do anything of which your parents wouldn’t approve. In addition to this, become a lover of statistics. You’ll be studying a lot of them in college and even generating them yourself. Solid understanding of calculus helps in predicting trends as well. To turn numbers into argument, take writing-intensive courses, like AP English.
Rural Sociology
Rural SociologySociology is the scientific study of groups of humans. So, Rural Sociology is the scientific study of groups of humans who live out in the country. At some schools, Rural Sociology is offered as a minor only and, at others, it is offered only to graduate students. Rural sociologists analyze the problems of rural people and their communities all over the world. It’s a good thing, too, because rural areas are pivotal in providing for national and international energy needs, national defense, agricultural production, and outdoor recreation. If you major in Sociology, you’ll learn about how groups, organizations, and societies are structured in rural communities. You’ll study crime and violence, sex and gender, families, health and illness, work and leisure, ethnic relations, religions and cultures, and social classes. You’ll also study the very fascinating ways in which perpetually increasing technology affects and transforms rural life.
Preparation
Sociology involves lots of writing, reading, analysis, and criticism. American history and English composition courses are probably the most similar subjects in high school. You’ll probably be required to take a college-level Statistics course, so some Math isn’t a bad idea, either. Knowledge of a foreign language is a big plus, too, because you will probably be required to take several foreign language classes as a Sociology major.
Russian
RussianThe dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 created many newly independent republics, and the United States has since been striving to strike or maintain political and economic bonds with them all. Knowledge of Russian history, culture, economics, and language is fundamental to the success of this endeavor. As a Russian major, you’ll spend most of your time becoming skilled in the Russian language, which will mean, among other things, learning a completely different alphabet (unless you already have experience with Russian). Many universities offer multimedia instruction for languages classes, so you’ll have a variety of means to explore your use and understanding of Russian. You’ll learn about Russian literature by studying great writers like Dostoevsky. You’ll study politics and economics. You’ll learn about what it means to be a Russian, and how the new republics define their places in the world. There is quite a bit to learn about the Russian culture, and the interdisciplinary nature of the major will give you the opportunity to explore many different fields. One of the benefits of majoring in a foreign language is the perspective you’ll gain on your own language and culture. Since our world is becoming increasingly integrated, a deep knowledge of another language and culture will be an asset no matter what career you choose to pursue.
Preparation
When you’re planning to major in a foreign language, the most valuable courses you can take are, drum roll, please…courses in other languages! See what your high school offers in French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, or others. Take a lot of courses in history, art, music, English, and political science; foreign language majors usually include a great deal about the culture of the mother country.