are online degrees worth anything??

[lacrosse_lady72]

I think the good news is that negative attitudes towards online degrees may eventually change as the younger crowd gets into the workforce. I know a few students attending brick & mortar schools that take online classes and they say they are harder than their in-classroom ones.

Some people have this idea that with an online degree you just pay a fee and get the degree. They have no clue how much work it actually is.

I go to a brick and mortar school most of the time but I chose to take two of my writing, one math and a food & nutrition classes online through the school's online system.

The writing classes were a breeze but I think they're the exception since a lot of writing is self-taught. As in, you're given the information and you need to make something of it. This was WR 121 and WR 122.

However, the math was very difficult. And this is coming from someone who is very good at math. But, this also had something to do with the instructor. Food & nutrition also wasn't easy. In both classes, I felt like I had to sift through a lot of useless information to get what I needed while in class, I could have just asked the professor. Also, something that would have just been told to you in one sentence, if in person, had to be found on my own.

After that I vowed to never take another online class unless it was writing. But the rest of my classes are in Biology or French, and I can't take those online anyway.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Huh, this thread has inspired me to go review a link I've had saved for over a year for an on-line program to get a master's or a PhD in Archaeology. . .it's definitely something to think about, even if it's for my PhD and not my master's. (I will possibly be able to at least get my master's from the local university.)

 

[december]

I'm finishing up my masters in school counseling through UWA (University of West Alabama) online in a few weeks. I graduate May 8, and I am so ready. It is a ton of work, but much better than leaving my 3 kids, after being away from them all day while at work, to drive an hour to the closest college. It has taken me two years (and I've had a baby in the middle of it), but I'm glad I took the plunge and did it. I actually found out about the program through another disser-Vettechick (maybe spelled wrong?).

When I told the counselor at my old school what I was doing, she laughed and said there was nothing to online classes. She didn't have a clue. Sadly, many people have this misconception. Luckily, my degree will not have ONLINE anywhere on it.

It isn't easy teaching yourself. You have to be disciplined. I have never stepped foot on UWA's campus, but I have had to do some things out of the house. I attended AA meetings (ended the week before the baby was born) for a group counseling class. And attended Catholic Church services over several weeks (I'm Methodist) for a multicultural class. I take my tests online at home, with something called a remote proctor hooked up to the computer. It is a webcam/fingerprint scanner that serves as a test proctor.

I checked with the MS Dept of Ed before I started to make sure I would be a certified school counselor in MS after completing this program. And I get masters level pay next year even if I continue teaching math. Definitely do your homework before you spend the time and money with an online program!

 

[bicker]

What matters is not the manner in which the education is provided (i.e., online, on-campus, by correspondence, etc.), but rather whether or not the degree is granted by an accredited university, through one of its accredited programs.

Accreditation is the difference between a degree that is worth something and a degree that is worth practically nothing.

 

[lspst8]

My DH took a few computer programming classes online thru our local community college. He said they were much harder than he expected them to be, mainly because it was so hard to get in contact with the teacher. He even made an appointment to meet him to get one-on-one help, and the professor never showed!

 

[LoraJ]

What matters is not the manner in which the education is provided (i.e., online, on-campus, by correspondence, etc.), but rather whether or not the degree is granted by an accredited university, through one of its accredited programs.

Accreditation is the difference between a degree that is worth something and a degree that is worth practically nothing.

That should be the case, but as you see it does not seem to matter to some companies, they deem a school as an online school based on ads on TV and throw away the resumes. They do not bother to check accreditation.

It is very good advice though to check the accreditation of the school. My employer pays for my education as long as it is an accredited school.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

We won't hire from the "buy a degree" schools. Taking some courses on line through an accredited school is much different.

 

[jenlynn0808]

Think it depends on where you go. I received my Masters Degree in Education online, from Mich State University. My employer was fine with it.

 

[rgf207]

Our company will not hire anyone from an all-online school either. Strayer and University of Pheonix are some examples. I have had very bad experiences from Kaplan University. I won't hire anyone from there either.

 

[lovesmurfs]

As indicated by other posters, online degree programs are fine, as long as it's an accredited program. In addition to the regional accrediting consortiums, the Distance Education Training Council (DETC - www.detc.org) accredits online programs.

I took one online course, and it was miles harder than any in-person class I ever took. I didn't realize how much body language/non-verbal cues I took from the professor or classmates in person, that I missed online -- I wouldn't ever take another online course if I can help it (that, and I was so OCD about checking Blackboard postings every 1/2 hour or more!).

Many local colleges/universities offer adult education track degree programs with a cohort model -- you take one class at a time, for 6 weeks or so (one 4 hour class per week), with the same group of people for the whole degree program. I was very successful with this model, and you might want to look into it. Best wishes.

 

[NikitaZee]

Our company will not hire anyone from an all-online school either. Strayer and University of Pheonix are some examples. I have had very bad experiences from Kaplan University. I won't hire anyone from there either.

I'm interested in the process that's behind this - when you see a resume that has one of the online colleges listed, what happens from there? Is the resume just skipped over, or is there verification to see whether the school is accredited?

 

[rgf207]

I'm interested in the process that's behind this - when you see a resume that has one of the online colleges listed, what happens from there? Is the resume just skipped over, or is there verification to see whether the school is accredited?

We are contractors for the federal gov't. They have guidelines regarding what the position entails and what types of degrees are acceptable.

We have not had good experience, whether it be with resumes, interviews or previous hires with certain schools. The ones in my post were examples but there are other examples from schools that are not online only. I just used those examples as that is what this thread is about.

There are times where the recruiters will do research especially if they haven't heard of the university or program. They have databases for that here.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

My financial institution will not consider a degree from University of Phoenix (or one like it) as a true degree. Any online university that is not part of an accredited brick and mortar school is not considered a true degree program for us. So if a position requires a degree and the candidates degree is from U of P they will not be considered.

I am currently finishing a degree myself and I can tell you that online learning at a legitimate school is harder than traditional class attendance. The bulk of responsibility falls on the learner and you cannot survive without discipline and outstanding time management.

 

[Tiana]

.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I'm interested in the process that's behind this - when you see a resume that has one of the online colleges listed, what happens from there? Is the resume just skipped over, or is there verification to see whether the school is accredited?

We get 110 qualified well educated people for every position we need to fill. They are put in the trash pile. Why pick one of them when the cream of the crop is available?

 

[rgf207]

That's funny, b/c DH is federal government and we are veterans. Practically all our friends/co-workers that are gov. workers/military have on-line degrees, either in part of full. DH has NO college degree.

Yep. People without degrees are Grandfathered in. It's a new requirement and it mainly affecting contractors. We also have employees with no degrees and that's not a problem because they are grandfathered in also. All new candidates have to have degrees or have equivilent years of experience. Most of the time, degrees are easier since the equivilent years of experience are like 15+

I'm also not saying that all online degrees are bad or do not come from accredited schools. I was referring to Strayer and University of Phoenix. I was also referring to Kaplan which is Brick and Mortar.

 

[tiff211]

I go to JIU and its accedited. Seems to me that if you can get federal funding to go, it should be recognized at a legit educaton. My ex got his masters from Walden (he's a teacher) and was able to use that to get recertified and now gets paid a little more.....a little

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Legit education comes from an institution with the goal to educate rather than easy funding from gullible people.

 

[tiff211]

Legit education comes from an institution with the goal to educate rather than easy funding from gullible people.

ITA, the funding I am refering to recognizes that and is not easy to get.

 

[MyManGoofy!]

Steer away from the all online Universities even if they say they are accredited. More often than not, the credits/program will not transfer to others schools or are not acceptable to meet state standards for various certifications.

The are a couple of reasons for this. Most online schools do not offer a very well rounded degree - very little science because they cannot offer a lab component. Also, U of P, Strayer, Kaplan do not proctor their exams or really do anything to verify who is submitting the work.

If you need to take online courses, do so through a brick and mortar school. You may have to sometimes go in somewhere to have an exam proctored or to complete a lab but at least you would have a valid degree.