What is the best online colleges for getting a degree?

Question

Hi all,

At the ripe old age of 43, I have decided to go back to school and try to get my Assoc. degree in hopes of entering the Adult Probation Officer field.

First... has anyone gotten a degree from an online University and are they reputable?

Secondly, I have been contacted by AIU, CTU and a couple of others. I have also looked at Phoenix? (they ring the phone off of the wall daily), which drives me insane!

Can anyone make any recommendations here?

I need to do this online due to work and family issues, but I want to make sure I choose the school that is going to give me the best advantage.

Any help/direction would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,
-R

Answer 1

Call down to your local PD or Sheriff's office (non-emergency number) and ask for the training officer. Tell the TO what you're thinking of and get his opinion.

He will know where people in that location have gotten their education. It's very possible that more than a few were online degrees.

The academic field of criminal justice and CJ administration is wide open right now with new programs being added all the time.

A few regionally accredited that have an AA/AS/AAS in Criminal Justice are Liberty, Iowa Central, Rasmussen, Fisher, Stonecliffe (Colorado Tech), Keiser U. Post has an AS online in Legal Studies.

Any of the social sciences should be acceptable for that profession as well though I'd suspect they'd rather see applicants with a BA/BS.

Don't stop your search for a good school at the heavily advertised for-profits (UoP, Kaplan, etc...) but remember, they are regionally accredited too.

Nationally accredited (such as ACICS or DETC) schools are legit and valid but will cause you a transfer problem later if you want to further your studies at a regionally accredited school.

Before you make your final decision - be certain the school has the level of accreditation you need. Ask here or on http://www.degreeinfo.com or http://www.degreediscussion.com

Answer 2

Most community colleges and universities have online programs now. I don't think I'd recommend University of Phoenix, simply because I think employers may look down on a degree from there. On the other hand, some employers will look at it as at least you made the effort and got a degree from SOMEWHERE. I just think I'd check with community colleges to see if they have online programs or look into online programs from some state university systems first.

Answer 3

try to contact the state university such as" university of XXX or XXX tech". they have online class now. also you can be a part time student of the college!