Anyone get their degree online?

[RangerPooh]

From RangerPooh's DH:

Hi there,
I am a PhD student as well as staff at a public university in Washington State. I help in the admissions process and look at academic records to evaluate for transfer credit. I also work with employers (from the career center on campus) to see what it is they are looking for in order to communicate that back to the respective departments. First, with regards to University of Phoenix and other such private online schools....They can claim that they are "accredited" because accredited is a loose term. For instance, they are not accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This is considered the "real" accreditation. They can claim they are accredited because some other entity accredited them. For example, you can take any product and call it "certified" when in reality, the certification means that they hired some guy to stand on the line and put a sticker on it. It is simply a marketing tool. At my university, when we recieve transcripts from UoP, we simply throw them into the file and do not look at them for GPA (tend to be inflated), course content, or credits. UoP is a good option for those that simply have no other choice as it is better than nothing. It is important to note however that that academic world does not recognize degrees from UoP or other schools like it. The corp. world also views it very cautiously. My advice is that you find a public university offering an online degree program and go from there. You will get a MUCH higher quality education, for about the same if not less cost, that is respected wherever you go.
With regards to your old credits/units... some schools will still give you credit for the old units, but in pretty much every case you will be required to meet new catalog requirements. WHat I mean by that is that while they will look at your transcripts course by course (giving you credit 1:1 for a math course or a history) any progress you made toward what used to be graduation requirements will no longer count. You will now be required to meet the requirements that new incomming freshman must meet. But it is well worth it!

Good luck!

 

[mommyintn]

From RangerPooh's DH:

Hi there,
I am a PhD student as well as staff at a public university in Washington State. I help in the admissions process and look at academic records to evaluate for transfer credit. I also work with employers (from the career center on campus) to see what it is they are looking for in order to communicate that back to the respective departments. First, with regards to University of Phoenix and other such private online schools....They can claim that they are "accredited" because accredited is a loose term. For instance, they are not accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This is considered the "real" accreditation. They can claim they are accredited because some other entity accredited them. For example, you can take any product and call it "certified" when in reality, the certification means that they hired some guy to stand on the line and put a sticker on it. It is simply a marketing tool. At my university, when we recieve transcripts from UoP, we simply throw them into the file and do not look at them for GPA (tend to be inflated), course content, or credits. UoP is a good option for those that simply have no other choice as it is better than nothing. It is important to note however that that academic world does not recognize degrees from UoP or other schools like it. The corp. world also views it very cautiously. My advice is that you find a public university offering an online degree program and go from there. You will get a MUCH higher quality education, for about the same if not less cost, that is respected wherever you go.
With regards to your old credits/units... some schools will still give you credit for the old units, but in pretty much every case you will be required to meet new catalog requirements. WHat I mean by that is that while they will look at your transcripts course by course (giving you credit 1:1 for a math course or a history) any progress you made toward what used to be graduation requirements will no longer count. You will now be required to meet the requirements that new incomming freshman must meet. But it is well worth it!

Good luck!

Thanks so much for that! I started searching public universities that have online degree programs and have found some that fit what kind of degree I'm seeking. Schools like University of Phoenix wouldn't work for me anyway because it seems more geared towards those already in the work force and I am a stay at home mom. Thanks for the words of wisdom!

 

[RangerPooh]

Oh, looked it up.....
UoP is accredited through the Western Association of Private Technical Schools......so they hold the same accreditation as ITT tech and Devry.... Not completely empty, but still not beginning to scratch the surface of quality/depth of education or respectability that a public (or private school with real accreditation) university will provide... BTW, I am a fan of the online education process..... but accreditation is still important.

 

[RangerPooh]

What type of degree are you seeking? What do you want to do with it?

 

[mommyintn]

I want either a communications degree or something that concentrates on writing, maybe journalism. I like to write and would eventually like to be able to do freelance writing but at present I have no experience that is needed and no degree to go behind it. I would love to be able to go to work part-time even when my youngest (who just turned 3) starts school.

 

[horseshowmom]

I am almost finished completing my MS program (in Communication Disorders) thru California State University, Northridge. It is a great program, but very demanding. Look at local universities to see if they offer distance learning programs. Good luck!

I noticed that you're from Texas, and the program is in California. Is it completely online?

I ask because I have a niece who just got her B.S. in this and is taking some time off to work (financial considerations). The downside to that is that you just about HAVE to have the Master's to work in the field (she's doing something else right now), so she's not able to use her B.S. at this point. The program you did might work for her.

I got my M.S. online, and it was all online except for the final two field courses (which got pretty expensive since one was a 10 day meteorological storm chase and the other was a 10 day geological survey in Arizona).

I tried looking at their webpage but didn't see anything about distance learning. Do you have a web address for that program?

Thanks!

 

[ead79]

Just as an FYI, many companies do not look favorably on online-only degree programs. I’m not saying this is right or wrong (as I do not have personal experience with them), but I just wanted to bring that to your attention. It would probably be worthwhile to look into degrees offered online via traditional brick-and-mortar universities. I think Ranger Pooh’s DH explained it very well.

 

[rhanditresmom]

I noticed that you're from Texas, and the program is in California. Is it completely online?

I ask because I have a niece who just got her B.S. in this and is taking some time off to work (financial considerations). The downside to that is that you just about HAVE to have the Master's to work in the field (she's doing something else right now), so she's not able to use her B.S. at this point. The program you did might work for her.

I got my M.S. online, and it was all online except for the final two field courses (which got pretty expensive since one was a 10 day meteorological storm chase and the other was a 10 day geological survey in Arizona).

I tried looking at their webpage but didn't see anything about distance learning. Do you have a web address for that program?

Thanks!

I sent you a PM!

 

[KAMommy]

I finished my MBA online just recently. I chose to go through a Tennessee University that has been doing completely online degrees for about four years. The selling point for me was the structure of the program. I did not want an MBA that gave me "points" for having been in the business world for years, nor did I want any short cuts. The program I completed observed no real differences than the on-campus program. In fact, a lot of on-campus students would take the distance section of a course if they had schedule conflicts. All requirements, classes, tests, everything - were exactly the same. The payoff is that my degree does not have any qualifier. It is a straight MBA.

I will say that anyone who did take on-campus and distance sections always said the distance sections are harder. You have to be very disciplined and the coursework is more intense simply because you are responsible for all of it.

Good luck!