Indiana Trade Schools and Colleges

Do you live in the state of Indiana and you are looking to continue your education by attending a local college or university? Are you unsure of what your best options are, even though you have an end goal in mind? Look no further; in this article you will find some basic employment projections for the state of Indiana along with some statistical information about a few of the collegiate choices you can choose from. In the state of Indiana only about 8-10% of the available jobs will be fitting for individuals who have not completed the requirements necessary to earn their high school diploma. On the opposite end of that employment spectrum, within this state there will be about 49-58% of opportunities that will require individuals to hold some level of a post secondary degree.

You will want to keep in mind that while a two year associate's level degree may adequately qualify you for some of these jobs, your rate of pay will surely be lower than that of an individual who has completed a four year bachelor's level degree or perhaps even a graduate level degree program. If your interest is piqued by these statistics, then you will certainly want to take a few minutes out of your day to continue reading the information provided below with regards to some of the more popular educational choices that are present in this state.

Let's begin with the most selective college in Indiana Notre Dame. Operated as a private Catholic university, this school recently reported an enrollment of about 12,000 students. While students will have the option to pursue a graduate level degree at this facility, it is important to note that the majority of individuals who are enrolled here are working to obtain an undergraduate degree. As one of the top universities in our country, Notre Dame is recognized for its strong liberal arts and science programs. Notre Dame is proud to report an extremely high graduation rate and their students typically receive excellent graduate school placement, should they decide to further their level of education. While you work on obtaining the degree program of your choosing, you can enjoy the beautiful 1,250 acre campus that Notre Dame is situated on.

Purdue University, which is located in West Lafayette, is another well recognized university in our country. This public research based university reports a current enrollment of about 41,000 students. At this learning institution you will have the opportunity to work on an undergraduate degree program or a graduate level degree program, as both are offered. In fact, Purdue is proud to offer its students over two hundred academic programs to choose from. While this university is well recognized for its programs in the areas of research, liberal arts, and sciences, there are definitely many other viable choices that will yield students great results.

Another great option in this state is Indiana Wesleyan University, which is located in Marion. This private university that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church has shown a significant amount of growth in the past few years. In fact, a recent statistic shows that there are about 15,000 students enrolled at this facility. Although this university is well known for its professional programs in areas like nursing and business, there are many other great professional programs, undergraduate degree programs, and graduate level degree programs for prospective students to choose from. If a smaller college environment is more of what you had in mind, then perhaps you should consider Butler University. Located in Indianapolis, this private university currently has about 4,500 students enrolled.

It is important to note that despite the small size of this university, you will have the option to pursue an undergraduate or a graduate level degree program. No matter what type of degree program you are working to complete, at this university you can expect to have an average class size of twenty students and a student to faculty ratio of eleven to one. As an interesting tidbit, this small scale university is proud of the fact that their student body is comprised of individuals from 43 different states and 52 different countries, making this a quite diverse crowd.

It is important to note that while these are the more popular collegiate options within this state, there are definitely many others you may want to check out. In fact, a large number of other options are religiously affiliated from several different denominations.

Top Schools in Indiana

One of the great things are the education system in Indiana is the choices that one has when it comes to choosing a college to attend. Indiana has schools that are both private for-profit as well as private not-for-profit and public. Schools range from research universities to specifically focused schools that offer Associate’s or Bachelor’s degrees. Accreditation for these schools include: NCA, ATSCA, AHES, ACICS, TCATE and others depending on the programs they offer.

Ivy Tech Community College – The large CC in Indian who’s enrollment is over 100,000. Many enroll here first and then transfer over to any of the 50 other state colleges and schools to choose from.

Indiana University – The largest public university in the state is Indiana University which is a research university with enrollments over 50,000.

Other universities include: Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ball State University in Muncie, Vincennes University in Vincennes, Butler University in Indianapolis and Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion.

 

Why Choose an Online School

One of the things the state has started to see over the last few years is the high number of individuals that are attending colleges out of state. Every state would like those who graduated from high school to state in-state and attend school but graduating seniors are facing high tuition costs at many of the state schools. Online schools give students the option of taking classes from anywhere in the world. Many of the larger online universities not currently with campus locations in Indiana are marketing to students and enrolling them into their schools.

 

Occupations that Pay the Most

In most state those in the medical field have the highest annual wage and Indiana is no exception. General surgeons can make $252,000 per year and up. Outside of the medical industry Economists make $179,220, Petroleum Engineers are at $133,020 and Pharmacists are making on average $115,000. Computer programmers and Marketing Managers are pretty even making $108,000. Almost all of these positions require you to have an advanced degree of an MBA in business or attend medical school. For those careers that require only a 4 year degree you can look into becoming a nurse, teachers, broadcaster or even a production manager.

 

Top Trade School Programs by Sector

The growth of what are known as trade programs are never more apparent than in Indiana as many high school kids want to graduate and instantly start earning money. Below are the top 5 sectors in terms of vocational related programs and the growth of many of the positions within the sector.

Healthcare Related – Healthcare and the medical field has continued to be a bright shining point for the state with a healthy job pool and openings. Some of the more desired areas and growth are in Dental Assisting. Dental Assistants make up 5700 jobs in the state and is expected to increase by another 2000 positions over the next 7-10 years. The average salary according to the Department of Workforce Development is $35,220 which runs close with the national average. Medical Assisting is also a popular career path for those who wish to enter the medical field. There are approx. 7000 medical assisting professionals in the state. Other career paths one can look into include: Medical Billing and Coding, Nursing, Phlebotomy and Surgical Technology.

 

Hospitality – One of the top industries in Indiana is hospitality. With first class resorts investing millions in renovations and conference centers it is a great time for those who wish to enter the field. Hospitality schools will teach you about front office management and the tourism and trade industry. If you are interested in becoming a chef or cook then many of the schools offer certificate programs in the culinary arts.

 

Trades – For those looking to change up their career but don’t wish to go back to school to earn a degree can choose to attend a trade school. The state has plenty of schools that offer lots of different training programs. These programs are designed to get you working in a short period of time and without $1000’s of dollars in student debt. Some of the more popular programs including electrical, welding, HVAC, real estate CDL truck driving and auto mechanics.

 

Business – Most business related programs that we found took under 2 years in length to complete unless you decide to earn a degree. Several of the schools have specific training in: Accounting, HR, Marketing, Management and even Project Management.

 

Computer Technology – One of the more recently trends in the IT world has focused on training programs that can be completed in less than 6 months. These express courses offer the user a chance to learn how to code, become a network administration or provide computer support that is based on specific outcomes. Companies have been working specifically with these new schools to set-up curriculum that is so specific that some schools have a 95% or higher placement rate. This can be reached because the schools are training specifically on what the computer companies want and not having the students take courses that are irrelevant to their duties.

 

Indiana Education Data

What once was a farming state has continued to expand into new areas of growth thanks to the education system in the state. More and more highly qualified individuals are coming to the state that has college education and more graduating seniors are staying in the state to continue with their education. Based on the last US Census 34% of the working class in the state earned an AA or BA degree. This is 1 percent higher than 10 years ago so even though the numbers are higher it is still below the national average of 3% for the same time period. One of the reasons why major companies have decided not to open up or move to the state is the lack of technology and population that hold graduate level degrees. Only 8.5% of the 3.3 million hold a Master’s level degree or higher. Of that Caucasians that have a degree are at 35% where the Asian population has over 60% that hold a degree. Hamilton County has the highest percentage of its population with a degree followed by Boone, Hendricks, Warrick, Tippecanoe, Hancock and Monroe.

 

Indiana Resources

http://www.stats.indiana.edu/
http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_in.htm