Students can look forward to an influx of job opportunities in health care professions and some information technology and business fields, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By 2018, more than a million jobs will be available to students graduating with degrees in biomedical engineering, health care aid professions, information technology and accounting analysts, according to bureau statistics.

Dr. Arthur Garson, senior vice president for health policy and health systems at UT Health Science Center at Houston, said he noticed two kinds of health care jobs on the list. Some jobs are highly professional, such as medical researchers and doctors, while others require certification and training, such as medical assistants and athletic trainers.

He said all health care professionals are needed to meet the medical needs of an aging population, especially baby boomers.

According to UT Health Fact Book 2011, more than 4,000 students are currently enrolled at UT Health Science Center. Of the 4,000 students, 1,025 are enrolled in the medical school, 886 study nursing and 586 study biomedical sciences.

Garson said if funds are not available for research and training, current and future students will be deprived of the necessary skills needed to meet the demands of growing health care occupations in the future.

“In the professional arena, government funding for research overall is at risk,” Garson said.

Biomedical engineering junior Nishant Mehta said he is researching ways to develop methods to combat tumors. He said if the research funding is eliminated, it will have a global impact on the scientific and medical community.

“The research is global in a sense because most of the new discoveries come from academia,” Mehta said.

Business and accounting fields will also grow in the coming years, according to the list. More than 300 students graduate every year from the Master in Professional Accounting program at UT, said accounting Director James Franklin. The rigor of research and teaching quality at UT makes it possible for students to get the right kind of training necessary to achieve success after college, he said.

“Students have to have a solid understanding of accounting principles and the ability to examine books and records to determine if something is accurate,” Franklin said.

Most accounting jobs will be geared toward investigating documents and compliance reports to see if they meet the requirements set by law, according to the bureau statistics.

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UT students enrolled in fastest growing programs:

Business administration:
Undergraduate — Full time 3,876 Part time 167
Graduate — FT 1,048 PT 229

Engineering:
Undergraduate — FT 5196 PT 387
Graduate — FT 1,777 PT 302

Information:
Undergraduate data not available
Graduate — FT 221 PT 77

Natural sciences:
Undergraduate — FT 8216 PT: 843
Graduate — FT 1,263 PT 104

Nursing:
Undergraduate — FT 712 PT 65
Graduate — FT 226 PT 79

Pharmacy:
Undergraduate data not available
Graduate — FT 535 PT 45

Source: UT Statistical Handbook. All data is for the year 2010