Online Telecommunications Degrees: Curriculum & Program Info
The North American Industry Classification System places telecommunications careers in the "information sector." The information sector also comprises establishments engaged in the producing and distributing information and cultural products, providing the means to transmit or distribute these products as well as data or communications, and processing data.
Telecommunications professionals can be found in publishing industries, including software publishing and both print and online publishing. They also work in the:
- Motion picture and sound recording industries
- Badcasting industries
- Telecommunications industries
- Web search portals
- ata processing industries
- Information services industries
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 954,500 telecommunications professionals engage in operating, and/or providing access to facilities for the transmission of voice, data, text, sound, and video. Transmission facilities may be based on a single technology or a combination of technologies.
Telecommunications professionals include:
- Customer service representatives
- Electronics engineers, except computer
- First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers
- Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installersTelecommunications line installers and repairers
- Telephone operators
Depending on the occupation and level, aspiring telecommunications professionals may enter the field with as little as a certificate from a vocational school or an associate degree. Higher paying positions in engineering and management, and some installation and repair positions require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Master’s degree holders account for 2.2% of all telecommunications professionals, bachelor’s degree holders account for 16.4% and associate degree holders account for 22.2%. 30% of all telecommunications professionals hold a certificate.
Telecommunications certificate and degree programs are readily available through many on-campus technical schools, vocational schools, community colleges, and 4-year colleges. Many on-campus schools have made telecommunications and related degree programs available online. In addition, there are hundreds of online technical schools and colleges that now offer telecommunications degrees and other related degrees through innovative distance learning formats.
When searching for a suitable telecommunications degree program, it is important to pay close attention to accreditation, admission requirements, and curriculum. Accredited online technical schools and other schools will require test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose to apply.
The information in the next section can be used as a valuable tool to compare accredited online and on-campus program curriculums to other schools' curriculums.
On-campus and Online Telecommunications Degrees Curriculum
An accredited telecommunications degree program will require a minimum number of credits/coursework in the areas of technology (usually 15 credit hours), economics and business (6 credit hours), policy and law (5 credit hours), and programming (3 credit hours).
Required courses include:
- Data Communications
- Network Finance and Economics
- Principles of Telecom Policy
- Telecom Systems
- Telecommunications Semina
Other courses must be selected from each coursework area in the number of credits required for each. The list of course options is extensive. Just a few course options from each area include:
- Antitrust Law
- Applied Java Programming
- Computer Crime
- Digital Business Strategies
- International Telecommunications
- Internet Economics
- Intro to Optical Fiber Communications
- Introduction to Economics and Policy
- Law & Economics of Utility Regulation
- Law and Regulation
- Leadership and Management
- Multimedia Networking
- Network Design and Optimization
- Network Economics and Finance
- Network Management and Operations
- Network Programming
- Privacy, Security and Digital Rights Management
- Signaling Protocols
- Telecommunications Business Strategy
- VoIP Network Design
- Wireless and Cellular Communications
- Wireless LANs
Finding Online Telecommunications Degree Programs
To locate top accredited telecommunications programs students may explore offerings at on-campus technical schools, search through comprehensive online directories such as Top Online Colleges or utilize well-known search engines such as Bing, Ask or Google. Each online degree program will offer information on accreditation. The accrediting agency must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Tip: Median earnings for telecommunications professionals vary greatly by occupation. Electronics engineers average $80,800, telecommunications equipment installers and repairers average $57,400, and first-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers average $55,800. Telecommunications line installers and repairers average $55,220, telephone operators average $40,810, and customer service representatives average $32,780.
