College majors are now more skills-oriented and hands-on than ever.

Programs also are becoming increasingly nontraditional, with online options and dual enrollment credit through high school courses and job experience.

The most job openings between 2008 and 2018 will be in highly technically and hands-on fields, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the associate degree level, this will include almost 2 million new jobs in the health care field for registered nurses, nursing aides and vocational nurses.

At the bachelor's degree level, many jobs will go to accountants, computer software engineers and other fields involving technology.

At the master's degree level, doctors, pharmacists and lawyers will pull the highest numbers.

The traditional liberal arts degree isn't dead, but trends show students are becoming more interested in preparing for the job world.

Here is how this trend is being reflected at local colleges:

Gainesville State College

Geographical Information Systems applies analysis to a broad range of geography and statistics and reaches across disciplines. Some middle school and high school students in Hall County have started to learn the basics through partnerships with Gainesville State College in Oakwood.

"It can be sort of broad, and the analysis goes in different directions depending on the business," said Joseph Bliss, a GIS major who works full-time for a company that studies pipeline data. "It's a very popular major right now, and there's a really huge community that keeps grown with it. It's a very specific degree, too. Sometimes you can get a four-year degree but not work in what you studied, but that's not the case here."

Bliss uses machines that inspect pipelines and graphs them geographically and spatially to surrounding businesses, homes or landmarks. He focuses on the informational technology side of the major.

"In the past, courses (have) been primarily geared toward environmental studies, but information technology is rapidly growing. We live in the information era," he said. "The major is also great because it gives basic computer and software skills. It's not just about making maps."

James Fitzgerald, who earned a degree in anthropology and worked for an archaeology company and then a soil science company for several years, came back to Gainesville State for the environmental technology part of the GIS degree.

"It's amazing now the amount of data you can gather from satellite imagery, and it's amazing what you can get your hands on to analyze environmental models or census data models," he said. "What I didn't think about in high school or college was focusing on science and mathematics, but that's very important, and that's why I'm going back for a science degree."

Lanier Technical College

Technical colleges are especially seeing a rise in enrollment due to the economy. Those who were recently laid off are coming back to school, and many are seeking specific job skills.

"Health care is absolutely the hottest group of programs we have," said Linda Barrow, vice president for instruction at Lanier Tech in Oakwood. "People are under the impression that health care is recession-proof, which isn't necessarily true, but everyone wants to go into health care."

Lanier Tech boasts degrees in dental hygiene, surgical technology, radiologic technology, practical nursing, health care management and medical assisting.

"We're the people in the operating room who assist during surgery and are the only other ones beside the surgeon standing at the operating table," said Mark Wiese, surgical technology program director. "In just the last couple of years, we've gone from just being able to fill the spaces in our classroom to instituting a competitive admissions policy and turning down 40 to 50 students every quarter."

Most of the students aren't coming right out of high school, he said. Many are being laid off and are looking for a new job industry.

"People have the perception that health care is a more stable work environment, which is probably true right now," he said.

North Georgia Technical College

The welding and joining classes remain packed and stay at maximum capacity year-round at North Georgia Tech in Clarkesville. Current classes have pulled in the highest summer enrollment ever, and welding and joining instructor Ronnie Ayers predicts the highest recorded enrollment this fall. As the program continues to grow, Ayers and college administrators are planning for new space.

"Our major focus at this program is on pipe welding instead of structural welding, and I believe that is one of the things that has helped our program grow because more jobs are available right now to pipe welders," Ayers said. "It also pays better and presents more options. Students work at a variety of places, especially if they travel out of state, with Duke Energy nuclear power plant in South Carolina, some in Charlotte, N.C., and one of our students even works for a civilian contractor in Iraq."

The trend continues to ring clear - popular majors are focused on job-ready skills and practical application in the classroom.

"The majority of our classes are 90 percent lab and about 10 percent classroom environment. It's not the typical college setting," he said. "If a student is willing to go to work, travel and do construction type of work, there's money to be made."

Environmental technology is also a popular program, especially now that instructor Craig Thurmond is updating courses with more digital components. This fall, students will be able to learn computer-aided design as well as traditional drawing techniques.

"We're taking a major step with that software. Everything is technical these days," said Hilary Adams, who joined the program because of her fascination with nature and horticultural therapy. "It's cool to learn how to combine technology with nature."

Thurmond, who owns a landscape business, is also teaching sustainability, conservation and management practices.
"It's a very diverse industry, and the options allow you to be flexible," Thurmond said. "You can specialize, such as golf course landscaping or the greenhouse setting, and you can do a lot of training in classroom as well as outside in the real world."

Brenau University

A few nontraditional, and very unique, professional programs are stealing the spotlight at Brenau in Gainesville.

"In this economy, people are concerned and want to make sure they are employable," said Scott Briell, senior vice president for enrollment. "We're making changes to certain programs and being market responsive in terms of adding more master's degrees and changing our business program. We still have a strong commitment to the liberal arts, but we've invested in professional programs for years."

A number of majors are strictly available online, such as the master of applied gerontology program. Brock Crane, who works for Starbucks corporate in Seattle, is completing his final semester online. Crane decided to pursue the program after he talked to Bonnie Kim, the program's creator and his former psychology professor at Georgia State University.

"I didn't know about the online setting, which almost prevented me from going into the program, but I know it's up and coming and more schools are focusing on it," Crane said. "The cool thing is that you interact more, and everyone is required to put their 2 cents in and give in-depth responses."

After earning his bachelor's degree in psychology, Crane said he didn't know what to do next but started investigating employment options in geriatrics.

"You can work in hospital administration, nursing, many different careers," he said. "Now we have more of a need than ever. This is the prime time to be in the field."

Under the occupational therapy program - also a popular health care major - students can obtain a combined bachelor's and master's degree in five years of study. By 2012 or 2013, Brenau plans to offer a doctoral degree that can be obtained in an additional year.

"OT is essentially creatively helping people or children do the things they need, want or have to do," said Brittany Fox, a student enrolled in the combined degree program. "I love it. It's really flexible with hours, and if I get bored, I can switch from working in a hospital to working with the elderly to mental health. I hear job satisfaction is 95 percent because you do what you want."

Fox also enjoys the small program and working closely with professors. She recently traveled to Nicaragua with two professors and helped chidden with disabilities in an orphanage.

"High school students need to think about dual enrollment. I found out junior year I wanted to do this and started taking classes," said Fox, who entered Brenau with 21 credits. "I was able to lighten my load and do better in school. When anyone asks me for advice, I tell them to get college experience as soon as possible."

Other popular Brenau programs are brand new. Nadine Poliard is starting the first class of the master in fine arts program in interior design. It's the first doctoral-level program at Brenau, and it's geared toward professionals in the field who want to gain certification to teach. Poliard first heard about the program when she applied to work at Brenau but discovered professors must have a master's degree.

"It'll show us how to put together lesson plans and do research, which is great because I've never taught before. I'm glad it'll be specific," she said. "I've learned that interior design is specialized, and once you get in, it's difficult to get out or get into varied areas of it, such as sales. In today's times with the economy, options are more limited. I got laid off after I enrolled in the program, and I've found it's important to have a wider range of what you're able to do."

North Georgia College & State University

The health care demand also remains the most popular at NGCSU, and the nursing program often turns away students when it reaches capacity.

With degrees at the associate, bachelor's and master's levels, nursing students often obtain a degree, move into the job world and then come back for more.

"This is my third time at North Georgia with an associate's, bachelor's and master's degree," said Juli Dyer, who is enrolled in the master's family nurse practitioner program. "They treat you like family here. The instructors are understanding and willing to work with you when family situations arise, which is what happened with me."

Dyer decided to enter the nursing world because several of her family members have health problems and she enjoyed being a caretaker.

"I wanted to continue helping people and taking care of people," she said. "It's about helping people, bettering myself and being able to provide for my family in a way that my parents couldn't provide for me."

Dyer also liked the appeal of job opportunity and variety.
"If you get burned out in one area, you can change from being a bedside nurse to a hospital manager to a teacher and still be helping people," she said. "You don't have to feel like you're stuck."

Classmate Carrie Sisk, who also has obtained her associate, bachelor's and master's nursing degrees from NGSCU, came back to school to spend more time with her family. She hopes to move from her position as a labor and delivery nurse to a family practitioner after she earns the diploma.

"I started out wanting to be an accounting major but started working and realized I didn't like it," she said. "I applied to the nursing program simply because the deadline hadn't passed yet and luckily (I) got accepted. I feel like nursing chose me."

Sisk also has noticed the high demand for nursing majors, citing the downed economy and job stability.

"You're always going to have a job. People will always have babies or need surgery or get sick," she said. "We're always in need of medical workers."