Patriotic Degrees: 4 Ways Your Education Can Serve Your Country

By Anica Oaks

Patriotic people who aspire to earning a college degree have numerous majors to choose from. The following four patriotic degrees are good options for serving the country and earning a great income.

Cybersecurity

The country faces constant threats from online attackers. Government agencies are at risk, of course, but so is the nation’s infrastructure. With a cybersecurity degree you can help protect the nation’s networks and the vehicles and machines that depend on them from terrorists and foreign governments. Degrees in a related field called information security and assurance are helpful in exactly the same way.

Even though cybersecurity is a hot field, there are likely to be plenty of opportunities. If you graduated this year, you would find 1 million cybersecurity job openings, according to a recent story in Forbes.

Military History

The study of military history is about far more than the battles and technologies involved. As a student working toward a master’s degree in American history, you learn about the cultural, economic, and political factors that lead to conflicts and affect their outcomes. As a military historian you can put your knowledge to use as a journalist or at a think tank involved in national security issues. You can also work for federal or state governments. If you have a background in one of the social sciences, that might work as well.

Public Administration

Earning a master’s in public administration opens up a wide range of jobs in civilian defense-related jobs. The military employs thousands of veterans and non-veterans with training in fields like public administration, political science, and management science.

Public administration degrees also prove useful in state and city government, in university administration, and at the executive level in many nonprofits. If you have government or military experience and a public administration degree you could also find your services in demand at consulting firms.

International Relations

A degree in international relations can be the entry point to a new career in government. The federal government employs people with training or experience in international relations as political analysts, foreign affairs officers, and more. An international relations degree would also serve you well in some international development organizations, such as the United States Agency for International Development (AID) or the Peace Corps. You might even secure a job in state or city government, though the opportunities are likely to be limited.

A bachelor’s or master’s degree in one of these four fields would offer patriotic job options for individuals with a variety of backgrounds and interests.