Are online college degrees as viable as actual classrooom college degrees ?

Question

In other words will an employer not take you seriously if you have an online degree as opposed to actually attending a college !

Answer 1

It depends upon the school. An online-only school or a school that is mostly online will probably not be as accepted as a traditional school. However, there are plenty of options to get a degree online that will be respected. Most of these programs will be associated with traditional schools. For example, Penn State has about 50 degree and certificate programs online. You can complete a degree from Harvard almost entirely online. University of Florida and Florida State both have several online degree programs. A benefit of these types of programs are the degree conferred is no different than the degree conferred to an on-campus student.

BTW, if an online course is setup right, it can be just as effective as a classroom. Assignments, interaction with the professor and other students, etc. all can be done online.

Stay away from education-search websites. They are advertising driven and usually direct people to expensive for-profit schools. Degrees from those types of schools may not be as well respected as a degree from a state university. Also, some education-search websites actually recommend unaccredited schools.

Here are a few schools to get you started on your search. These are all accredited schools that are respected.

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
http://worldcampus.psu.edu


When comparing tuition costs, you have to check if the school is on semester or quarter credit hours. To convert from quarter hours to semester hours, divide the tuition by 0.67. For example, if tuition is $180 per quarter credit hour, that is equal to $268.66 per semester credit hour.

When you choose a school, make sure it is at least regionally accredited. You can check accreditation at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/search.asp You can learn more about accreditation at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

There are a couple of forums online with members who have obtained their degrees online. Some have gone pretty far with their online degrees. The forums are free to join but you can read the forum without joining. You just won't be able to post. http://forums.degreeinfo.com and http://www.instantcertonline.com/forums

Finally, just because a few people don't think of online education as valid, doesn't mean it isn't. Here are a few articles about online education for you.

http://owli.org/home/node/793
http://owli.org/home/node/509
http://owli.org/home/node/10
http://owli.org/home/node/783
http://owli.org/home/node/647
http://owli.org/home/node/1498
http://owli.org/home/node/1230
http://owli.org/home/node/249

Good luck

Answer 2

Hey,

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As you asked; "In other words will an employer not take you seriously if you have an online degree as opposed to actually attending a college !" it might help you.

Good Luck :)

Answer 3

You might be best off taking the degrees in small steps. So check with the local community college and see what they have online. I took well over 70% of my last AA degree online (so start with the non-online classes, if you expect to be there a full semester). The real problems with for profit colleges are 1) they are really expensive and 2) they are not supportive of instructors dumping or flunking students who really deserve it. I have several friends who teach online a several institutions and they find the for profit schools often have the best services for the students, but you pay for them and you do not get the respect as a graduate.

Answer 4

For the most part, employers actually approve of online colleges because it is something you can work at while still being employed, similar to taking night classes. The flexibility an online college offers gives you a chance to work your schedule around to your benefit.

Answer 5

AVOID ONLINE COLLEGES!!!!

I was thinking of taking a few classes to finish up a degree. Since I work such exhaustive hours I thought, just as anyone, I'll do some online classes. All I got were a lot of SALES people calling me wanting me to fill out applications on the spot and apply for Financial Aid.

They didn't want me to take my time and compare schools, programs or teachers. It made me wonder, why do these "admission advisors" try so hard to get you to fill out all these applications "right now." If they truly cared they would want you to make an educated decision. If for nothing else, but to make sure that they have good quality students.

It turns out that they are all scams, just to turn a profit and not real employers acknowledge those degrees. Your best option is to find a REAL University that offers courses on a schedule you can maintain. If its late/early classes, weekend and yes large universities offer online classes as well.

AVOID ONLINE COLLEGES!!!!!!!

Answer 6

Depends on the college/university where your earn the degree. If its an on-line only school, I'd stay away. Most reputable schools require you to at least spend some time in a classroom or real-world learning environment.

Answer 7

Before you commit to one of those pretend schools, look at this web site http://www.aiutruth.com

& read this post. It is the most eloqent tirade that I have seen on the subject of pretend online schools
[you can find the original post here: [http://answers.yahoo.com/quest.............

The following was written by "PhD Seeking" (not me)

As someone who's responsible for hiring people at my fortune 100 company, I can honestly say that any resume sporting an on-line degree goes into the "circular file", regardless of their other qualifications.

I have my MBA from a traditional school, and shortly after I graduated and continually until this day, I have been solicited by the UoP to teach on-line business courses for them. While I have several years of work experience (which they didn't know), I was apparently qualified simply because they purchased a mailing list of graduates from my school and saw I had a degree. Not that PhD professors are better teachers, because some of mine really sucked as communicators, but asking people with limited work and educational experience to teach students shows a lack of concern about educational quality, and more about getting an instructor at a cheap price. If you don't believe me, check out the career section on the UoP site or other job boards and you'll see the low standards they set for educators. (see the ad below)

Getting a real degree tells me the applicant can make a long term commitment that requires sacrifice. On-line classes are the ultimate sign of laziness. With all real colleges offering part-time or evening classes, going the on-line route suggests you're looking for the easy way out. Most employers within reputable companies, including myself, won't take a chance.

Lastly, be prepared for the teasing, either publically, or more probably, behind your back, by your co-workers with real degrees

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Of course some historical better-known schools are more viable than some online programs, but a few online programs are also very respected.

Why don't you try ITT technical institute, they're one of those colleges that have physical campuses and online programs, and are very respected. I just signed up to get more information on their degree programs at http://www.ideal-info.com/ITTtechnicalinstitute.php

Good luck

Answer 10

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