Online Education?

Question

What does everyone think about online education? Is it a joke? Do you think companies look at candidates who received their education online differently than those who attended traditional colleges? I'm looking at doing my masters degree solely online due to working full time, but I don't want to waste my money and time if companies are going to see it as a joke.

Answer 1

A Master's degree is just that... a master's degree. I did lots of post-university courses for teacher's qualifications and they are well regarded. I think it might also depend on what institution you choose.

Answer 2

They both have their perks -- Online colleges provide the convenience of earning a degree from home -- and usually run a little less per credit hour. There are many four year brick and mortar colleges and universities that now offer online Bachelor degrees. Most don't differentiate between a degree earned online or on-campus and many consider online students are regular students -- so you be allowed access to things like the campus library. On-campus education is fun and great in a different way -- at no other time in your life (as a new incoming Freshman student) will you have the opportunity to sample so many different options: from housing options to class choices, to extracurriculars and student groups. Online education is good for someone who is balancing work and/or family yet wants a college education. You need to be independent, self motivated, and organized. Online education is a little bit fast paced and there is no one looking over your shoulder or reminding you about upcoming due dates. As long as you go with a brick and mortar four year college or university with an online program, you will still receive a quality education and a worthwhile diploma!

Answer 3

Masters degrees online are a different matter than bachelors. Make sure that your degree is accredited (ex... University of Phoenix MBAs are not accredited by the AACSB... main accrediting body for business schools), and will satisfy the requirements that any state professional board would set out. If you are going for a CPA and your licensing board does not acknowledge the program, then you are wasting your time and money.



Check with others in your field, and if you need to choose, pick an online degree offered by a brick and mortar school over for-profit online schools. Better programs will require a residency week, yeah, you will use vacation time for this, but it is a good sign of their academic program. The best thing you can do is to ask someone in hiring position (your head of HR, for example), what THEY think of the program. Independent opinions are always good... online schools will ALWAYS tell you that their program is comperable, but that is not the case.

Answer 4

It depends. A school that is mostly online and for-profit like University of Phoenix would probably not be looked at favorably by a portion of potential employers. However, there have been many people who have received these degrees that were accepted.



I recommend that you avoid the for-profit schools because of cost. Schools like University of Phoenix overcharge by large amounts. I believe the current tuition at UoP for graduate coursework is close to $800 per semester credit hour. Why would you pay that if graduate coursework at a state university is only $300 to $500 per semester credit hour?



There are plenty of programs at state universities. You just have to look for them. The best place to start looking is at your state university. If I knew what state you were in, I could provide you a direct link to the distance education program at a university in your state. However, here are some other schools to get you started.



http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/

http://www.peru.edu/offuttafb/degreeprograms/onlinelearning.htm

http://outreach.uwyo.edu/ocp/

http://www.distance.msstate.edu/

http://www.distancelearning.ufl.edu/degrees.aspx

http://www.apu.apus.edu/index.htm

http://www.online.uillinois.edu/

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ode/CollegeOverview.asp



There is a forum with people who have received their degrees by attending online. http://forums.degreeinfo.com The forum is free to join, but if you just want to read posts, you don't have to join.



Good luck,

Answer 5

That depends. There are regular state funded institutions that allow one to earn a degree entirely online these days. These schools do not discriminate online vs brick and mortar students, so they have the same standards established as far as admissions, grading, following accreditation standards, etc. Upon admission, you can do the whole program at campus, do half/half, or full time online, or whatever combination you want. When you graduate, your diploma wont have 'online' or anything that would correlate your degree to having been earned online; including transcripts.

Answer 6

Online education is just as good as going to a college for hours a week. The good thing about online education is that you can work on your schoolwork anytime during the day or night. I personally have gotten many college credits online and find the online experience quite rewarding. Now let me say one thing though you must be motivated because there's not a teacher to keep pushing you along. But if you are motivated then I say go for it! Good luck

Answer 7

Recruiter may not give you same weightage as any other regular student. I understand your point, i am also working full time and doing my MBA, but i have opted for part time executive MBA. It's more interactive than online course. But i have doe few online courses and they are as good as any others, but you need motivation to complete them.