Earning a degree in workplace environment and development trains you to help train and teach people so they remain skilled and competitive in the workplace. You can earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree, and even a workforce education and development Ph.D. in the field. Most schools offer this program as an offshoot of workforce education programs.

What is an educational program in Workplace Environment?

The field of workplace environment is broad and includes jobs in technical education or vocational instruction, human resources, business, industry and government. By earning your degree, you learn how to help other people learn the skills they need to excel in the workplace.

You can do this by becoming a teacher or working in career development. Many people who earn degrees in workplace education and development work at vocational schools, where they help people learn skills specific to a certain job or career.

What does an educational program in Workplace Environment cover?

• Bachelor’s Degrees

Most schools let you tailor your coursework to your interests. For example, the program at Southern Illinois University offers courses that focus on the role technology plays in workplace environment as well as how you need to tailor education and training programs to your audience and the area where you live.

The program at the Ohio State College of Education and Human Ecology offers four workforce environment and education programs, including career and technical education, family and consumer sciences education, integrated business education, corporate training and development, and also a general studies associate of arts degree.

• Master’s Degree/Ph.D. Programs

Schools with workplace education and development programs often offer students the chance to earn advanced degrees. For example, through the Department of Workforce Education and Development program at Southern Illinois University, you can earn a Master of Science in Education and a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Before the school will let you enroll in its Master’s program, you must have at least two years of related experience. Earning a Master’s degree or Ph.D. qualifies you to work at a college and to train people who work in fields like industrial technology, aviation management and automotive technology. Senior research positions and university teaching jobs require a Ph.D.

What types of jobs are available for Workplace Environment graduates?

Although you may not be planning to work in a K-12 school setting, as a specialist, your primary job role is to teach workers the skills they need for their careers. Education can be an acceptable major for aspiring training and development specialists, but it is important to choose a program that will be relevant to your career interests. Education degree programs routinely require students to choose a grade level, such as early childhood education, elementary education, middle school education or high school education. Since these programs are tailored toward the educational needs of children and adolescents, much of what they convey may not be useful or appropriate for an audience of working adults.

If you choose the education degree route to prepare to work in training and development, a program that focuses on adult education is likely to be your best option. Coursework is likely to include the fundamentals of learning styles, adult learning theory, instructional design strategies and process, learning assessments and instructional methods used in face-to-face and electronic learning environments.