Online classes?

Question

I am thinking about taking online/mail study courses to get a degree or atleast begin my study to become a nutritionist and fitness expert.

My question is have any of you have experience or know anything about these online couses? Are they logit? Do you recieve the credibility as you would if you had recieved your degree through any other school? And my main question is, are the degrees or any of the credits you may recieve from doing these online classes transferable? Like, if I chose to begin my study with online and then decided later to finish at a college, will any of that transfer to college, or would it be like starting from scratch?

Answer 1

On-Line universities are usually For Profit corporations that are not selective. Many are accredited locally but lack any kind of prestigious national accreditation. Many employers will not take a degree from an on-line university very seriously.

Their cost is usually less than Private Universities, but much more expensive than State Universities.

The best known on-line university is The University of Phoenix. They were recently charged a record $9.8MM fine by the department of education for sleazy recruiting practices. They are currently under investigation for padding their placement numbers. A recent NY Times Article discussed their many problems -- including the fact that companies like Intel have decided to refuse to pay for their employees to attend U of P because they feel that their standards are too low.

Go to a real school.

Answer 2

If you want to start online classes take them through a local college. Many community colleges or state colleges offer courses online. When you complete these they will most likely transfer. If you take them make sure you keep the syllabus and course description this will sometimes help you transfer credits to a school out of state.
I've taken online course through a community college and they did transfer to the state college I'm at now. Online course can be very easy because they allow you to spend as more or little time on a topic as you need. Just be aware that they do require self-motivation.