Should I acknowledge that there is discrimination in the marketplace for people with a B.A.?

Question

for people with a B.A. from an online university despite it being regionally accredited? What are your thoughts, would you discriminate on this basis?

Answer 1

clarification re: Jeffer above -- regional accreditation (RA) is higher than national accreditation (NA). Princeton, Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc... are regionally accredited. University of Phoenix is also regionally accredited as are all of the state universities.
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The academic research over the past couple years shows that discrimination based on the delivery method of the degree has declined to almost equal to that based on whether your school is "top" or not.

The decision has moved beyond whether it was delivered online but instead by who. Say you're considering two applicants, one has an MA from Harvard and the other from Univ of Phoenix. We're considering that all other factors are equal.

Now who do you hire in each circumstance?

Harvard MA was online - UoP was online
Harvard MA was traditional - UoP was traditional
Harvard MA was traditional - UoP was online
Harvard MA was online - UoP was traditional

In this example, did the delivery method make a difference to you? Did you hire the traditional UoP over the Harvard online because traditional is better?

Consider now a step down in universities. For Harvard above insert University of Massachusetts. Same conclusions?

Step down one more time. For Harvard above insert Peru State University. Same conclusions?

Do the same mental experiment now and with each of the scenario above but for University of Phoenix insert University of Florida (or your favorite state university). Same conclusions? These may well be different - did you pick U. Florida online degree over Peru State traditional? Why?

The hypothesis here is that reputation of the university issuing the degree is more the deciding factor than how the degree was delivered. And this assumes that the hiring body even knows how the degree was delivered - the diploma and transcripts rarely say so.

Now, another hypothesis: does the delivery method matter when the school is identical.

Harvard online or Harvard traditional
UMass online or UMass traditional
Peru State online or Peru State traditional
Florida State online or Florida State traditional
etc...

This will likely show that the delivery method does indeed make a difference when selecting a candidate if all other things are equal.

How about the "better than nothing" hypothesis:

University of Phoenix online BA or High School Diploma
UMass online MBA or local state U traditional BA (assuming business hiring)
Ashworth U. diploma in hotel management or a GED (assuming hotel hiring)

It should be clear that something is better than nothing.

It's an interesting study and one that will become more important over the next couple of years. Some very highly placed universities are offering degrees wholly online and there is generally no question that their online graduates are better prepared than those of the lower tier school's traditional programs.

note: in every online class I've been in, students were required to interact electronically on a weekly if not daily basis. These interactions were written and stored and became the partial basis of a grade. In contrast, I can't count the number of classes I spent time in where there was no student interaction at all. We simply went to class, sat very quietly taking notes (or napping), and left. It is a myth that traditional classes have a greater interaction, it's simply not universally true.

What you do miss in online classes is the distraction of "the college experience" -- that same distraction that causes many students to fail out in the first two years... I'm not buying the interaction argument unless you're hiring people to tap a keg, play beer pong, or chase each other naked all night. just my opinion.

Answer 2

I wouldn't consider it discriminating but chances are that yeah I would hire someone who got their degree from college/university instead of from an online university. Yes it may be accredited but they're still relatively new and also it doesn't provide you with the same type of experience as traditional schooling does. There is a big different between hands on learning and the ability to interact with a teacher and students while online classes are just a display of knowledge and not necessarily experience. I'm not saying that i don't think people with online degrees are capable I'm just saying that I would prefer someone with a traditional degree.

Answer 3

Depends on what kind of job you are trying to get and if the region you are applying in is the same region as your school is accredited. If you are attempting to get a job as a geologist, a BA may not be what the folks are looking for. My thoughts are the college is a fly-by-night operation that didn't have enough $$ or chutzpah to become nationally accredited. I would seriously look at the curriculum from your degree program, as well as other applicants degree programs, and then pick the person with the best interpersonal skills.

Answer 4

There actually is discrimination against men.I've noticed it many times.For ex.when a guy is sensitive he is made fun of by both males and females.I find such a thing pretty cruel,cause sensitivity has nothing to do with genders,it's got to do with being a human being above all.I think sensitivity can be used in favor of most,like he could become an artist.

Answer 5

I had thought about completing my undergrad this way but rejected the idea for exactly this reason. It simply does not carry the same weight with perspective employers as a degree from a brick and mortar school.

Oh, and I suggest the pursuit of a graduate degree from a B & M school. It'll add more credibility.

Answer 6

I would have to know more about the schools testing method. If you have to go to a testing area for mid-term and final exams then I would not discriminate against you. But if all the test were all on-line then I might think you used an open book to take the test and that you did not really know the material for the degree.

Answer 7

It is all up to the person who is doing the hiring. Some employers could care less and others are picky.