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Articles by NU Editorial Contributors
July 29, 2023Early Childhood Education vs. Elementary Education
Early childhood education (ECE) focuses on the holistic developmental growth of children from birth through age eight, with a strong emphasis on play-based, social-emotional, and sensory learning in settings such as daycares, preschools, and Head Start programs. Elementary education focuses on structured academic instruction in core subjects, reading, math, science, and social studies, for students in kindergarten through fifth or sixth grade within public and private school systems.
July 18, 2023How to Become a Human Resource Manager
A Human Resources (HR) Manager plans, coordinates, and directs an organization's workforce functions, serving as the bridge between executive leadership and employees by overseeing recruitment, compensation and benefits, employee relations, compliance with labor law, and workplace culture. HR managers held approximately 221,900 jobs in 2024 and typically require a bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field, along with several years of progressively responsible HR experience.
July 14, 2023Cybersecurity vs. Data Science
Cybersecurity and data science are both high-demand, high-paying technology fields, but they serve fundamentally different purposes. Data science extracts actionable insights from large datasets using mathematics, statistics, machine learning, and programming to drive business strategy and innovation. Cybersecurity protects digital systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, breaches, and attacks using networking, ethical hacking, encryption, and incident response skills.
July 5, 2023Public Health vs. Epidemiology
Epidemiology and public health are closely linked but serve distinct functions: epidemiology is the foundational science that studies the patterns, causes, and effects of disease in populations, while public health is the broader, applied field that translates that scientific evidence into community programs, policy, and prevention strategies. The CDC defines epidemiology as the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems, making it, at its core, the investigative science that identifies who is affected by disease, where, when, and why.
June 29, 2023What Is Marriage and Family Therapy?
Marriage and family therapy (MFT) is a branch of psychotherapy that addresses mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders within the context of relationships and family systems, treating individuals, couples, and families with the understanding that personal wellbeing is deeply shaped by interpersonal dynamics, communication patterns, and family structure. Unlike therapists who focus solely on individual symptoms, LMFTs view mental health within the broader context of family systems, recognizing how relationships both shape and are shaped by mental health challenges.
June 21, 2023Criminal Justice Careers
A criminal justice degree prepares graduates for diverse career paths across law enforcement, legal and court services, corrections and rehabilitation, and private sector security, with roles available at local, state, federal, and corporate levels depending on education level, specialization, and experience.
June 16, 2023What Is a Capstone Project?
A capstone project is a culminating academic assignment that typically takes place at the end of a course or degree program, allowing students to apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout their studies to a real-world problem or comprehensive research project. The goal is to integrate and apply knowledge, skills, and experiences from the entire degree program to solve a real-world problem or address a significant challenge in a given field, developing critical thinking, research, and problem-solving abilities while fostering collaboration and professional readiness.
June 12, 2023The Wedding Cake Model of Criminal Justice
The wedding cake model of criminal justice is a theoretical framework developed by criminologist Samuel Walker that illustrates how the justice system treats criminal cases differently based on their perceived seriousness, not uniformly as formal law might suggest. The model is a four-tiered pyramid that challenges the popular assumption that all defendants receive a full trial: the vast majority of cases are resolved quickly and informally through plea bargains and administrative procedures, while only a small fraction receive the extensive resources depicted in media coverage.
- May 30, 2023
Can You Get a Bachelor’s Degree Online?
Yes, accredited universities now offer 100% online bachelor's degree programs that result in the same diploma as an in-person degree, with most diplomas not specifying whether the degree was earned online or on campus.
May 29, 2023Criminology vs. Criminal Justice [Updated 2026]
Criminology and criminal justice address the same subject, crime, from two fundamentally different perspectives. Criminology is a social science that studies the causes, patterns, and consequences of criminal behavior, drawing on psychology, sociology, and biology to understand why people commit crimes and how societies respond. Criminal justice is the operational field that focuses on the institutions, policies, and processes through which society enforces the law and administers justice, encompassing policing, courts, and corrections.
May 19, 2023What is Computer Forensics?
Computer forensics, also called digital forensics, is the scientific process of identifying, preserving, recovering, and analyzing digital evidence from computers, smartphones, and networks in a manner that maintains its admissibility in legal proceedings. Forensic investigators follow a strict four-step protocol to guarantee evidence integrity: identification of where relevant data is stored; preservation through creating a bit-for-bit forensic image of the original drive so analysis occurs on a copy; analysis using specialized software to locate hidden files, recover deleted data, and decode encryption; and documentation and presentation of findings in court-admissible reports and expert testimony.
May 17, 2023Be the Whole You with National University: Asya
National University alumna Asya W. exudes confidence as she strides across stages as an international keynote speaker and expertly handles media interviews as the founder of Women of Project Management®. Seeing her today, it’s hard to imagine she was once shy, strove to please others at the cost of her own personal fulfillment, and pursued ...
- May 11, 2023
What Can You Do with a Computer Science Degree?
A computer science degree builds expertise in algorithms, software development, AI, and computer systems, available from associate to doctoral levels, with the bachelor's degree serving as the industry standard for most entry-to-mid level engineering roles requiring approximately 120 credits over four years.
May 8, 2023Mental Health Matters: National University’s Commitment to Student Well-being
Attending college can be stressful, from taking exams and managing heavy workloads to figuring out how to pay for tuition. Short-term stress can be healthy and even motivating, providing you that extra energy boost to raise a grade, polish an essay or pursue a new career opportunity. But the American Institute of Stress reports 4 ...
May 2, 2023What is Differential Reinforcement? Exploring Applications
Differential reinforcement is an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) strategy that rewards specific desired behaviors while withholding reinforcement for interfering behaviors, a positive, individualized, and evidence-based approach to shaping more functional responses. Rather than relying on punishment to suppress unwanted behavior, it works by removing the reinforcement that sustains that behavior while making the desired alternative more rewarding.
April 27, 2023What Is Qualitative vs. Quantitative Study?
A qualitative study explores experiences, meanings, and motivations using non-numerical data such as interviews, focus groups, observations, and open-ended responses. A quantitative study measures variables and tests hypotheses using numerical data collected through surveys, experiments, or structured observations. Qualitative research answers "why" and "how"; quantitative research answers "how many" and "how often."
April 25, 2023Can You Go to College With a GED?
A GED is accepted at nearly all U.S. colleges and universities. According to recent surveys, 98% of colleges accept applicants with a GED, treating it as equivalent to a high school diploma for admissions purposes. GED holders are eligible to apply for federal financial aid through FAFSA, and the application process generally follows the same steps as for any other applicant, though some schools may require additional documentation such as SAT or ACT scores, placement tests, or letters of recommendation.
April 20, 2023Top Data Science Interview Questions
Data science interviews blend machine learning concepts, statistics and probability, coding proficiency, and business problem-solving, with top companies testing candidates through structured case studies, applied SQL and Python questions, and behavioral scenarios that assess how candidates communicate technical findings to non-technical stakeholders.