Many occupations in the Professional and Financial Services sector require a bachelor’s degree or higher, which are offered at Baylor University and at the McLennan Community College University Center.
The University Center is a partnership with Tarleton State University, the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston), Midwestern State University, Texas Tech University (Lubbock) and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
The Baylor Law School and Hankamer Business School, ranked No. 6 in the United States for entrepreneurship by the Princeton Review, also support the professional and financial sector. Waco’s McLennan Community College and Texas State Technical College Waco also boost the workforce with their health care, design, technical and many other programs.
In Waco we are focused on developing services in the architectural and engineering; advertising; specialized design; and management and technical consulting subsectors. Professional services firms are typically small operations by nature, which strengthens the local economy through diversification.
Waco has representation in each of the sub-sectors, but all areas have tremendous potential for quality job growth, which suggests supporting the expansion of existing firms and creating a structure to support professionals interested in starting their business. Professional services with the strongest projected growth for the Heart of Texas region are tax examiners, collectors and revenue agents; engineering managers; administrative services managers; and payroll and time-keeping clerks, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
Occupations with higher degree requirements with strong projected growth include financial managers; lawyers; and accountants and auditors.