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Articles by NU Editorial Contributors
March 13, 2025How to Become a Penetration Tester
Penetration testers are ethical hackers hired to simulate cyberattacks on an organization's computer systems, networks, and web applications, identifying security vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them using the same tools, tactics, and techniques as real-world attackers.
March 6, 2025How to Become a Nurse Anesthetist
Becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) requires seven to ten years of education and clinical practice: four years for a BSN, one to three years of critical care experience as an RN, and approximately three years in an accredited doctoral nurse anesthesia program (DNP or DNAP). ICU experience is not optional, most nurse anesthesia programs require a minimum of one to three years in a high-acuity critical care setting, and competitive applicants typically have three or more years, often supplemented by the CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse) certification.
February 24, 2025Criminal Psychology vs. Forensic Psychology: What’s the Difference?
Criminal psychology focuses on analyzing patterns in criminal behavior, identifying the social and environmental factors behind crime, and developing theories that explain why certain individuals commit offenses, with the primary goal of understanding, predicting, and preventing criminal acts. Forensic psychology, by contrast, applies psychological principles broadly across the legal system, ensuring that psychological factors are appropriately considered in legal decision-making processes.
February 20, 2025Demand for University Credit Transfer on the Rise
A new study by National University reveals that interest in credit transfer has been on an upward trajectory since 2021. This variation not only reflects changing student behaviors but also signals a broader shift in how students approach their educational journeys. Key Takeaways Seasonal Patterns Over the study period, average yearly search interest demonstrated a ...
February 17, 2025Clinical and Non-clinical Psychology PhD Programs: What’s the Difference?
Clinical and non-clinical psychology PhD programs both represent doctoral-level training in psychology, but they prepare graduates for fundamentally different careers. A clinical psychology PhD integrates scientific research with direct patient care, requiring supervised clinical practicum hours, a year-long APA-accredited predoctoral internship, and a dissertation, and leads to state licensure as a psychologist, qualifying graduates to diagnose mental health conditions, provide psychotherapy, and conduct clinical research. A non-clinical psychology PhD focuses exclusively on research, theory, and experimental investigation in areas such as cognitive, social, developmental, or industrial-organizational psychology, without clinical training or APA clinical accreditation requirements, and prepares graduates for careers in academia, behavioral research, data science, or organizational consulting.
February 14, 2025What Is Health Informatics? A Comprehensive Guide
Health informatics is an interdisciplinary field combining healthcare, information technology, and data science to manage, analyze, and apply medical data, optimizing patient care, streamlining clinical workflows, and supporting evidence-based decision-making across health systems. Core applications include electronic health records (EHR) management, health data analytics for improving treatment outcomes and reducing operational costs, telemedicine integration, and clinical decision support systems that use algorithms and AI to assist clinicians in diagnosis and treatment planning.
February 13, 2025What is Cybersecurity and Its Importance to Business
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting networks, systems, devices, and data from unauthorized access, digital attacks, and damage, encompassing the tools, processes, and human decisions that defend the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information across every sector. Common threats include phishing, ransomware, malware, and increasingly AI-powered attacks that automate vulnerability scanning and social engineering at scale. According to the WEF Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, 73% of respondents reported that they or someone in their professional or personal network had been affected by cyber-enabled fraud over the course of 2025, with CEOs now ranking cyber-enabled fraud as their top concern.
February 6, 2025What is an MEd Degree? Understanding the Master of Education [Updated 2026]
A Master of Education (MEd) is a professional graduate degree designed for educators and education professionals seeking to deepen their expertise, advance into leadership roles, or specialize in areas such as curriculum and instruction, educational technology, special education, or school counseling. Programs typically take one to two years full-time, or two to four years part-time, and are available in flexible formats including fully online, making them accessible to working teachers. The average total cost of an MEd degree is approximately $44,640, and most programs are structured around practical application rather than original research, distinguishing them from more research-oriented degrees like the MA in Education or EdD.
February 4, 2025What Are the Types of Forensic Science? [Updated 2026]
Forensic science is the application of scientific principles to legal investigations, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting physical, biological, chemical, and digital evidence to support the justice system. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) organizes the field into recognized sections, with major branches spanning pathology/biology, criminalistics, toxicology, questioned documents, digital and multimedia sciences, anthropology, odontology, and forensic psychiatry and behavioral science.
January 31, 2025PhD in Education vs. EdD: How to Choose
Nurses are organized into credential levels based on education and licensure, from Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) who assist with basic daily living activities after a brief state-approved training program, to Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs/LVNs) who perform clinical tasks after approximately one year of schooling, to Registered Nurses (RNs) who coordinate care and administer complex treatments after completing an ADN or BSN, to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), including Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Certified Nurse Midwives, and Clinical Nurse Specialists, who hold master's or doctoral degrees and can diagnose, order tests, and in most states prescribe medication.
January 30, 2025How to Become a Psychiatrist
Becoming a psychiatrist takes approximately 12 years after high school and follows a structured path: four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school to earn an MD or DO degree, and a four-year psychiatry residency. The American Psychiatric Association defines a psychiatrist as a medical doctor who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders, a designation that sets psychiatrists apart from psychologists and therapists, as psychiatrists are licensed to prescribe medication.
January 24, 2025Certification Programs in Psychology: Your Complete Guide
Psychology certification programs span four broad tiers, each serving a different career stage and education level. At the entry level, certifications such as Mental Health First Aid and the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) credential open roles for bachelor's-level graduates, in 2024, 144,500 psychiatric technicians were employed in the U.S., and social and human service assistant roles are among the most accessible entry points for psychology undergraduates with targeted certifications.
January 8, 2025School Psychologist vs. School Counselor: What’s the Difference?
School counselors and school psychologists both support student wellbeing, but they differ significantly in scope, specialization, and training. School counselors serve the entire student population, advising on academic planning, career guidance, college preparation, and social-emotional development, while school psychologists provide more intensive, specialized services for students with complex mental health, behavioral, or learning needs, including psychological assessment, IEP development, and crisis intervention. BLS May 2024 data shows school psychologists earn a median of $91,990 annually compared to $65,140 for school counselors, a 41% salary premium that reflects the additional education and clinical training the school psychology path requires.
January 3, 2025How to Become a School Counselor: A Step-by-Step Guide
Becoming a school counselor is a multi-stage process that typically takes six to eight years after high school: four years for a bachelor's degree in any field, followed by a master's degree in school counseling requiring 48 to 60 credit hours and 600 to 1,000 hours of supervised practicum and internship experience in K–12 settings. Most states require candidates to complete a CACREP-accredited master's program, pass a state background check, and obtain state-specific certification or licensure before practicing, with California, for example, requiring the Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential.
December 27, 2024Digital Media Careers: What Can You Do with a Digital Media Degree?
A digital media degree prepares graduates for careers at the intersection of communication, technology, and design, spanning roles in social media management, UX/UI design, graphic design, web development, video production, content strategy, digital marketing, and multimedia animation. According to BLS projections, employment in digital design and multimedia art is expected to grow 13% through 2032, faster than the average for all occupations, while employment across media and communication occupations overall is projected to grow 7%, reflecting steady demand for professionals who can combine creative and technical skills.
December 11, 2024Information Technology vs. Information Systems: Which Path to Choose?
Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) are closely related but serve distinct functions in organizations: IT focuses on the design, implementation, and maintenance of the technical infrastructure, hardware, software, networks, and cybersecurity, while IS integrates that technology with people, processes, and business strategy to help organizations collect, manage, and act on information effectively. A practical distinction: IT professionals tend to focus on solving technical problems and keeping systems running, while IS professionals apply both technical and business acumen to analyze how technology can improve organizational decision-making and operations.
December 4, 2024What Can You Do with a Master’s in Marketing?
A Master's in Marketing, offered as an MS in Marketing, MBA with a marketing concentration, or specialized MS in digital marketing or marketing analytics, prepares graduates for leadership and specialized roles in brand management, consumer insights, marketing analytics, digital strategy, and product management. The degree provides a competitive advantage for roles that require both creative and quantitative fluency: marketing analytics, data-driven campaign strategy, and consumer behavior research are among the fastest-growing specializations, reflecting the increasing demand for marketers who can translate data into business decisions.
November 16, 2024What Can You Do With a Master’s in English? [Updated]
A Master's in English is a versatile graduate degree that sharpens critical thinking, advanced research, and persuasive communication skills, typically preparing graduates for careers in teaching, publishing, technical writing, content strategy, law, and corporate communications, or serving as the primary stepping stone toward a PhD in English or related humanities fields.