NU Editorial Contributors
National University Editorial Contributors include writers, editors, and academic professionals who are experts in creating high-quality educational content that is timely, accurate, informative, and easy to understand. All contributors who develop content for National University follow strict guidelines to ensure they provide credible and authoritative information that is independent, free from advertiser influence, and aligns with the high standards our readers and students expect from National University.
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Articles by NU Editorial Contributors
March 28, 2024Checklist: How Do I Go Back to School?
Going back to school as an adult requires four sequential steps: defining your educational goals to identify the right credential type, researching accredited programs that fit your schedule and learning preferences, securing financial aid before committing, and completing the application process with transcripts and prior credit evaluation.
March 22, 2024What Does STEM Stand for in Education?
STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through hands-on, problem-based instruction, connecting classroom content to real-world challenges rather than treating each subject in isolation. Applied across K-12 schools, higher education, and workforce development programs, STEM emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, and inquiry-based learning to prepare students for a technology-driven economy.
March 7, 2024A Tour of Student Wellness Resources: Flourishing at NU
Attending college can be an exciting time of your life as you gain new knowledge, master new skills, and make connections as you prepare for your dream career. However, the American Psychiatric Association warns attending college can also be overwhelming and stressful, placing students at risk for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance ...
February 8, 2024Education for Working Adults
The pathways most accessible to working adults include professional certificates and Google Career Certificates that build job-ready skills in weeks or months without requiring a full degree commitment; associate and bachelor's degree completion programs that allow adults with existing college credits to finish faster than starting from scratch; accelerated online formats that compress coursework into shorter terms and allow students to take one focused course at a time; and employer tuition assistance programs that many adults underutilize despite having access. National University's programs are designed specifically for working adults with a four-week course format, rolling admissions year-round, and no application fee, allow students to advance their education without pausing their careers or waiting for a semester start date.
January 27, 2024Why does Mathematics Possess Remarkable Utility?
Mathematics possesses remarkable utility because it serves as the foundational language through which the physical world's consistent, stable relationships can be precisely described, modeled, and predicted, a phenomenon physicist Eugene Wigner famously called "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics."
January 18, 2024Challenges of Distance Learning for Students
Distance learning offers genuine benefits, flexibility, accessibility, and affordability, but research consistently identifies a cluster of challenges that affect student outcomes and wellbeing. Time management is among the most documented: research confirms that effective time management is associated with greater academic performance and lower anxiety, but many students find it difficult to balance studies with daily life, and ineffective time management is linked to poor sleep patterns and increased stress, challenges amplified in distance settings where peer accountability is reduced.
January 10, 2024What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s in Biology?
A bachelor's in biology is one of the more flexible STEM degrees, opening pathways across healthcare, biotechnology, environmental science, research, pharmaceuticals, and science communication. BLS projects life sciences occupations to grow 5% through 2032.
January 3, 2024San Diego MBA Programs: Your Path to Business Leadership
San Diego offers a strong range of MBA programs for 2026, from AACSB-accredited full-time programs at major research universities to flexible part-time and hybrid options designed for working professionals who need to balance career advancement with continued employment.
December 15, 2023What Can You Do With a Masters In Education?
A Master's in Education is a graduate degree that advances educators into specialized or leadership roles, available in three primary formats: the MEd, which focuses on professional practice, instructional leadership, and administration for current teachers seeking to become principals or curriculum specialists; the MA in Education, which emphasizes research, theory, and policy and is better suited for those considering doctoral study; and the MAT, which builds subject-area expertise for teachers looking to deepen or expand their teaching specialty. Programs typically take one to two years to complete. Common specializations include educational leadership and administration, curriculum and instruction, special education, higher education and student affairs, and international and comparative education, with most states requiring or financially incentivizing a master's degree for principal licensure and advanced salary schedules.
November 22, 2023How to Get a Computer Engineering Degree Online
Earning a computer engineering degree online is achievable through ABET-accredited bachelor's programs offered by distance-learning universities, typically requiring 120 to 128 credits, taking four years to complete, and covering hardware design, software engineering, embedded systems, and advanced mathematics. ABET accreditation is the essential quality signal: it is required for professional engineer (PE) licensure eligibility and is the standard that major engineering employers use to evaluate degree credentials, making it the most important factor to verify before enrolling in any online engineering program.
- November 21, 2023
Online Learning: College on Your Schedule
Online learning makes education accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a goal, offering academic degrees, career certifications, and professional skill development on a schedule that fits around existing work and life commitments rather than requiring students to reorganize their lives around a fixed class schedule.
November 15, 2023Supporting Veteran Students: Keys to Success
According to Student Veterans of America (SVA), military Veterans account for somewhere between 3% and 4% of U.S. college students. Almost half (47%) come from Army backgrounds, with smaller percentages coming from the Air Force (21%), Navy (18%), or Marine Corps (12%). Considering the significant number of Veterans and servicemembers who are pursuing post-secondary degrees, ...
November 8, 2023How Long Does It Take to Become a Nurse? [Updated 2026]
The time required to become a nurse depends on the credential you pursue, from 12 to 18 months for a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to two years for an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) to three to four years for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Each pathway concludes with a licensing examination: LPNs sit for the NCLEX-PN, while RNs at both the ADN and BSN levels sit for the NCLEX-RN before practicing independently.
October 27, 2023What Can You Do With a Master’s in Criminal Justice
When considering the pursuit of a Master’s in Criminal Justice, one embarks on a journey to deepen their understanding of the laws that govern society and the complex systems that enforce them. This advanced degree serves as a beacon in the competitive job market, illuminating a path for ambitious individuals aiming to elevate their careers ...
October 23, 2023What Can You Do With a Public Health Degree?
A public health degree focuses on improving community and population health rather than individual patient care, with graduates designing disease prevention programs, analyzing health policy, combating health inequities, and working across government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare networks, and research institutions.
October 18, 2023What is a Homeland Security Degree: A Detailed Guide
A homeland security degree is an interdisciplinary academic program that prepares students to protect people, infrastructure, and institutions from threats including terrorism, cyberattacks, natural disasters, and public health emergencies, drawing on criminal justice, emergency management, intelligence analysis, and public policy. Programs are available at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, and master's levels, with bachelor's and graduate programs building toward management and policy roles in government and the private sector.
September 25, 2023Bachelor of Science vs. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
A BA and BS in Psychology share the same core curriculum and both qualify graduates for entry-level roles and graduate school admission, the primary difference is in elective coursework and academic emphasis. A BA in Psychology requires additional coursework in humanities, social sciences, and often a foreign language, developing communication and critical thinking skills suited to careers in counseling, social work, human resources, law, and education. A BS in Psychology replaces those electives with additional coursework in mathematics, statistics, neuroscience, and research methods, building quantitative and scientific skills suited to research, clinical, and data-intensive careers.
September 20, 2023Equity in Education: Understanding Equity in the Classroom
Equity in education means that schools and education systems provide equal learning opportunities to all students, with the goal that differences in outcomes are unrelated to students' backgrounds or to economic and social circumstances over which they have no control, not that all students achieve identical outcomes, but that background stops being predictive of achievement. This distinguishes equity from equality: equality distributes the same resources to everyone; equity allocates resources based on individual need so that every student has a genuine opportunity to succeed.