Maine Top Colleges and Universities: the University of Maine system, the University of Southern Maine, and Bowdoin College
Maine Top Industries: timber and paper products, agriculture, and marine fishing and commerce
Maine Top Employers: Georgia-Pacific, Idexx Laboratories, and Bath Iron Works
Although Maine is a geographically small state, it is home to over 50 colleges, universities and technical schools. Nationally-recognized for their conventional programs and charming campus surroundings, many of Maine’s post secondary institutions also feature comprehensive online course options and degree programs. Maine is home to top colleges like the University of Maine system, which comprises seven state university campus locations and eight regional outreach centers and is highly-ranked among top national colleges by USNews.com. In addition to the noteworthy campus programs, the University of Maine system, along with the University of Southern Maine and Bowdoin College, offer accredited online PhD programs and online PhD degrees as part of their extensive online learning initiatives. To satisfy the need to provide education opportunities to the majority of Maine residents seeking a higher education, the Maine Compact for Higher Education aims to prepare students for college, make college tuition affordable, and increase retention rates by offering flexible course work. To this end, the CHE has developed an action plan, in which employers allow time off for employees who are pursuing a higher education online.
Your Online PhD in Maine
There are many lucrative career possibilities for students pursuing an online PhD program through Maine’s higher education system. Maine is a world leader in the timber products industry, as evidenced by the world-renowned Georgia-Pacific company, based in Augusta, which supplies much of the rest of the world with paper products, lumber, resins, and construction materials, just to name a few. Students interested in a management-level position at this global manufacturing company may want to pursue an online PhD program in international business or finance. Or, for those interested in the production behind the business, or a more hands-on approach, employers like Georgia-Pacific and Idexx Laboratories, a technology-based products and services company specializing in veterinary, food and environmental products, often require the highest level of education, such as an online PhD in crop soil and environmental sciences or food science, for a career in this field.
Bath Iron Works, also among Maine’s top employers, are the premier designers and builders of technologically advanced naval ships in the U.S. Considering that Maine also leads the nation in fishing and marine commerce, it is no surprise that Bath Iron Works is headquartered in this state. Students aspiring to a career in this industry may be wise to pursue an online doctoral program in engineering science from one of Maine’s top colleges, which may provide students with the experience needed to go on to a lucrative career in industrial manufacturing. Top-level jobs in these industries often require completion of a doctoral degree program, or the highest possible level of education. In most industries, students may find the advantages of a more universal online PhD in business management, economics, or leadership to be helpful in securing executive or administrative management positions.
PHD in Economics, Associate Professor, Department of Business Process Management, Faculty of Market Technologies IOM