Education is America’s second-largest industry, and the career tracks are as varied as the students. Those who enter the education field as professionals tend to have a passion for helping young people, a passion for the subject area they teach, and/or a belief in the transformative power of education.

No matter the function, roles within this cluster seek to apply business acumen to the art and science of offering a product or service to clients and customers. Career paths within this cluster include consulting, finance, operational roles and entrepreneurship.

The Arts, Communication and Design cluster is a broad category that contains lots of different career paths including the visual and performing arts, writing, publishing, film, TV, marketing, PR, advertising, and the ever-evolving fields of design, multi- and immersive media, just to name a few. While diverse in nature, all these roles require a creative bent, attention to detail and can be found in just about every sector and across industries. 

Careers within the Agriculture, Environment and Sustainability cluster are diverse and offer lots of variety, often intersecting, and can be niche and specialized in focus. 

What is a gap year?

Whether you are not quite ready to commit to your career or graduate school, or simply seek to try something new and gain new skills, there are a variety of "gap year", short-term options, available for you to consider.  A gap year is typically a short-term job, internship, volunteer or other learning opportunity. It could be in another country or in the United States and it could be paid, offer a stipend or require you to pay an application fee. Despite the name, a gap year can be shorter or longer than a year in duration.

We understand it can be confusing to know which direction you’re headed when you haven’t even been exposed to different fields and industries. Our Center helps students of ALL majors observe varied industries through many programs throughout the semesters. We also have programs to allow you to connect with UMD alumni working in your field(s) of interest. 

Check our events calendar for upcoming events featuring employers who are providing more information about their industries, organizations, roles, career paths, and more!

Experiential learning through research opportunities will introduce you to a field of study and to the rewards of scholarly research. You may have the chance to work closely with a faculty member on their own research area and learn what it means to be at a premiere, cutting-edge research institution.

There are many reasons people choose to switch careers. You may be looking to grow, feel that you have advanced as much as you can in your current job or feel burned out.

Unsure where you’re heading with choosing a major or career options post-graduation? Students and alumni have free access to several platforms that offer career assessments to help you explore your interests, values, personality, skills and more. Take a look below to explore your options!

Doctoral students and postdocs are encouraged to access ImaginePhD.