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Articles by NU Editorial Contributors
- August 6, 2025
Computer Science vs Information Technology
Computer science (CS) and information technology (IT) are closely related but serve different purposes in the technology ecosystem: CS focuses on creating technology, designing software, developing algorithms, and advancing computational theory, while IT focuses on implementing and managing that technology within organizations. CS professionals need strong programming, mathematics, and problem-solving skills to design systems from the ground up, while IT professionals apply network management, systems security, and data management skills to support day-to-day organizational operations.
August 4, 2025Probation Officers: Supervising and Supporting Rehabilitation
A probation officer is a criminal justice professional who supervises individuals sentenced to probation in lieu of incarceration, monitoring compliance with court-ordered conditions, connecting clients to rehabilitation resources, and reporting progress or violations to the courts. The role sits at the intersection of law enforcement and social work, requiring both the authority to enforce supervision conditions and the interpersonal skills to support successful reintegration. Core responsibilities include tracking compliance through drug testing, electronic monitoring, and curfews; conducting risk assessments and developing individualized supervision plans; connecting clients to mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, and employment services; and initiating violation proceedings when court-ordered terms are breached.
July 30, 2025How to Become a Digital Forensic Investigator
Becoming a digital forensic investigator requires a foundation in computer science, mastery of forensic methodologies, industry-recognized certifications, and hands-on experience, following a pathway that typically begins in IT before specializing in forensic investigation. The standard steps are: earning a bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, digital forensics, or criminal justice to build foundational knowledge in operating systems, networking, and programming; gaining entry-level IT experience as a support specialist, network analyst, or systems engineer to develop the system architecture knowledge forensic work requires; and obtaining industry certifications including the CFCE (Certified Forensic Computer Examiner), GCFE or GCFA (GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner/Analyst), or CHFI (Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator) to validate technical expertise to employers.
July 24, 2025How to Become a Software Engineer
Becoming a software engineer requires mastering foundational programming concepts, building a portfolio of working projects, and choosing an education pathway suited to your timeline and goals. The three main pathways are a bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering, the most consistently preferred route among top-tier employers, an accelerated coding bootcamp offering three to six months of intensive hands-on training, or structured self-study using platforms. Regardless of pathway, the non-negotiable steps are the same: learn a foundational language (Python or JavaScript are the most beginner-accessible), understand core concepts including data structures and algorithms, and build real projects hosted on GitHub that demonstrate applied skill.
- July 18, 2025
From High School Teacher to Community College Professor
Transitioning from high school teaching to a community college professorship offers increased academic autonomy, adult learners, and a shift in focus from behavior management to deep content engagement, but securing a position requires meeting specific education and experience benchmarks that differ from K–12 credentialing.
July 10, 2025Why Is Project Management Important?
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements, the discipline of planning, organizing, and executing the tasks needed to turn an idea into a tangible deliverable. It matters because it helps ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the expected quality of work, while identifying and mitigating risks, managing resources effectively, and keeping stakeholders aligned throughout the project lifecycle.
July 8, 2025What Does a Criminologist Do?
A criminologist is a social scientist who studies the causes, patterns, and consequences of criminal behavior, analyzing data about offenders, social conditions, and systemic factors to help reduce crime and inform public policy, rather than investigating individual cases. Core responsibilities include analyzing the behavior and methodology of criminals to predict or prevent additional crime, reviewing how law enforcement tactics affect crime rates, studying demographic data, and developing criminal profiles used by law enforcement agencies.
June 24, 202549 Adult Literacy Statistics and Facts for 2026
Adult literacy remains a foundational pillar for personal advancement and economic opportunity in the United States. While millions of adults continue to face challenges with basic reading and comprehension, improving literacy skills is closely linked to better employment prospects, higher earnings, and stronger family and community outcomes. A study from OECD showed literacy and numeracy ...
June 22, 2025What Can I Do with a Strategic Communication Degree? [Updated 2026]
A strategic communication degree is an interdisciplinary program combining public relations, advertising, marketing, and digital strategy, preparing graduates to craft purposeful messaging, engage target audiences, manage reputation, and measure communication outcomes across channels. The degree is a specializing standard communication training with a deeper emphasis on professional communications theory, business communication, and the applied skills needed for roles in corporate, government, nonprofit, and healthcare organizations.
June 16, 2025MPA vs. MPH: Which Degree Should You Choose?
A Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) are both graduate degrees oriented toward public service, but they address different problems with different tools. An MPA is operationally oriented, focused on how to run, finance, and govern the organizations that deliver public services, while an MPH is clinically oriented, centered on how to prevent disease, improve population health, and design health interventions at the community and systems level.
June 16, 2025What is Strategic Communications?
Strategic communication is the purposeful, goal-oriented use of messaging by an organization to fulfill its mission, aligning communication initiatives with business objectives so that targeted, consistent, and measurable messages reach specific audiences at the right time to influence perceptions and behaviors.
- June 8, 2025
Inside Info: Skills You Learn in Human Resources Courses
Human resources courses develop a blend of interpersonal and technical skills designed to build productive workforces, mediate conflicts, and navigate the legal and strategic dimensions of people management, with both soft and hard competencies essential for effective HR practice at every career level.
June 6, 2025What Do Special Education Teachers Do?
Special education teachers support students with learning, behavioral, physical, and cognitive disabilities, adapting curriculum, implementing legally mandated learning plans, and teaching academic and life skills to help each student access education and develop independence. Core responsibilities include developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that outline specific academic and behavioral goals, required accommodations, and support services; adapting or creating curriculum materials so students can access content at an appropriate level and pace; monitoring student progress and adjusting IEP goals and teaching strategies in response; collaborating with parents, general education teachers, speech therapists, counselors, and school psychologists; and integrating assistive technology and specialized software to support communication, reading, and writing.
May 23, 2025What Is a DHA Degree?
A Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) is a professional doctoral degree designed for experienced healthcare administrators seeking executive leadership, policy, or consulting roles. DHA programs prepare healthcare leaders to manage, streamline, and improve the performance of medical organizations, including hospitals, private clinics, and long-term care facilities, and are typically completed in four to five years, often in hybrid or fully online formats to accommodate working professionals.
May 10, 2025Dissertation Defense Guide: How to Present Your Research
A dissertation defense is a formal presentation in which doctoral candidates present their research findings to a faculty committee, an oral examination that assesses the candidate's ability to articulate their research, justify their methodology and results, and address committee questions with clarity and confidence. Most defenses are scheduled for approximately two hours and are open to the public, though formats, time limits, and protocols vary by institution and department.
April 26, 2025Careers in Health Informatics: Where Healthcare Meets Technology
Health informatics careers sit at the intersection of healthcare, data science, and information technology, with professionals managing electronic health records, analyzing patient data to improve outcomes, implementing health technology systems, and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations such as HIPAA.
April 12, 2025Information Security vs. Cybersecurity: What’s the Difference?
Information security (InfoSec) is the broader discipline protecting all organizational data assets, across physical, human, and digital domains, through policies, risk management, compliance frameworks, and physical controls. Cybersecurity is a specialized subset of InfoSec focused exclusively on defending digital systems, networks, and data from electronic threats including malware, phishing, ransomware, and unauthorized access. The relationship between the two is hierarchical: every cybersecurity decision is an information security decision, but not every information security decision is a cybersecurity decision, InfoSec sets the foundational rules and risk frameworks that govern how the organization protects all its information, while cybersecurity handles the technical implementation on the digital frontier.
April 2, 2025What Is Integrated Marketing Communications?
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is a strategic approach that coordinates all marketing channels and messages, advertising, public relations, social media, direct marketing, and sales promotion, to deliver a clear, consistent, and compelling brand message across every customer touchpoint. The IMC framework is grounded in consumer behavior and psychology and emphasizes the customer, not the product, as the central focus of all communication strategy.