Washington has a diverse economy; famous for lumber production, livestock, fisheries, and manufacturing industries. It is a leading lumber producer, and its rugged surface is full of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa, white pine, larch, spruce, and cedar. The state is also known for apples, lentils, cherries, pears, peppermint oil, and potatoes. Livestock is a key contributor to farm revenue, and commercial fishing also supports the state's economy. Manufacturing industries include shipbuilding, aircraft and missiles, lumber, food processing, chemicals, and machinery. It currently has more than one thousand dams built for the purpose of power, irrigation, flood control, and water storage. National parks and historic sites are also major points of interest in the state.
Washington Schools
A number of degree options are available for students to pursue at schools in Washington. Degrees are offered in fields such as accounting, animation, anthropology, art history, banking, biology, business administration, and chemistry. Students may also acquire degrees in fields like child studies, communication management, computer engineering, forensics, and construction management. Other degrees offered in the state include design, database management, economics, engineering, finance, and game development. Some other degrees students may choose to pursue include health science, interior design, journalism, marketing, nursing, public health, and retail management.
Degree Levels
Degrees in Washington are offered at different levels, so students may choose to pursue a degree that they may be eligible for based on their education and best suits their career objectives and personal requirements. The following are the common degree levels offered by colleges and universities in the state.
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Associate's degree
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Bachelor's degree
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Master's degree
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Doctorate degree
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Certificate/Diplomas
Accreditation
It is important for students to look for accredited institutions when choosing a school to attend. An accredited degree helps to make a difference in the quality of education they receive and their career. Institutes in Washington may be accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. The regional accrediting agency for Washington is the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The agency also provides accreditation to schools in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. The following are the national accrediting agencies for higher institutions:
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Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
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Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
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Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
Online Education
Students who are unable to attend classes on a campus due to their professional and personal commitments may look for an accredited online program. Accredited online programs provide the same quality of education as that of accredited campus based programs. A benefit of online programs is that they are quite convenient and flexible because they do not require students to follow a strict study schedule. Also, they could be cost effective as additional expenses for traveling, textbooks, and dorm rooms are not required. However, online programs demand a greater degree of self-management and discipline in order to successfully complete a degree program.
Career Options
A wide variety of career options are available for individuals in Washington. According to the Washington State Employment Security Department, some of the fastest growing occupations in the state include biomedical engineers, sales engineers, market research analysts, exercise physiologists, multimedia artists, software developers, and medical transcriptionists.