DENVER - Every single person on the Auraria Campus will eventually be looking for a job. But there's two fields at the University of Colorado Denver that are growing even during a recession.
"If you look around this room, you'll notice it is quite full. More and more students are enrolling in engineering classes, particularly in the field of sustainability," Dr. Anu Ramaswami said.
Ramaswami is with UCD's Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems. She says students are interested in expanding wind power, solar energy, and water management systems.
"The other big thing is our infrastructure is aging. It's very, very, very old and all of our infrastructure is due for replacement and this is the perfect time," Ramaswami said.
Ramaswami says students are beginning to realize more jobs are available in these fields. That's why Zeljko Spiric got his masters degree in urban and regional planning.
"The way it is set up, it allows students to branch out to different disciplines," Spiric said.
People out there might have guesses green engineering is growing, but that is not the only popular field. And that is why Nora Scanlon's classes are also full.
"Criminal justice is such a huge field. There are so many different positions to have. It's not just being a lawyer or police officer," Scanlon said.
Criminal justice is booming at UCD.
"I really felt like it was an area that I can make a change in," Scanlon said.
"I think there's a lot of television that focuses on the criminal justice system. So, kids are growing up seeing it. Seeing the difference they can make in society," UCD Professor Callie Rennison said.
Rennison says it is essentially a recession proof industry.
"There's always a need for people in the criminal justice system," she said.
"You can go federal and federal agencies are hiring. You can go to the state level. State's hiring, local's hiring, nonprofits are hiring. The public and private sector, they are hiring," Scanlon said.
So, for those students who will be looking for jobs, there is hope, especially if you are in one these growing fields.
Right now, there are more than 200 students seeking their bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice at UCD. The numbers are still being tallied for the engineering graduate programs, but university officials say it is higher than in previous years.
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