Researching The Pros And Cons Of Getting Your Degree Online
By Dan Allen, Sat Dec 10th

Are you considering getting your bachelor's or master's orother degree online? It's a growing field that is receivingacceptance and approval for all types of career and educationgoals.

The biggest advantage to online degree education is that it is acomplete college degree program that is delivered via theInternet. All classes, materials, tests and lectures aredelivered online. This process allows the student to "attend"class from anywhere at any time that is convenient to them.

According to educators from Cornell University, “the webprovides significant new functionality in transmittinginformation to the student and providing forums for exchange.The web is revolutionizing some areas of study through increasedopportunities for learning and alternative formats forinformation.” (Dwyer, Barbieri, and Doerr, 1995).

One of the ways it has done this is through enhancedstudent-to-student and faculty-to-student communication.Students and faculty can both benefit from using thecommunication and assessment tools that are made available viaonline learning.

The technology also enables students to exercise moreflexibility in their approach to education, depending on whatbest suits their personal learning styles and busy schedules.

In addition, the class material and program is continuouslyupdated for up to the minute, real world application. Thisallows the student to immediately begin applying their newknowledge to their existing work environment.

There are many different types of programs available. Studentscan receive a bachelor's or master's degree in many areas suchas accounting, marketing, human resources, e-business,information technology, nursing and even elementary education.

The typical online program takes three years to complete. Amaster's degree program may take up to four years depending onthe type of degree sought and the prior education of thestudent.

Most programs are accredited and they usually

accept thetransfer of prior credits from other accredited universities.Some of them are also well-known off-line schools such as Duke,Stanford, Jones International, and Capella.

While enrolled, a student typically takes just one class at atime for a five to six week period. This allows the student toconcentrate solely on that material before moving on to the nextmodule of information.

The price of an online degree education program is comparable tothat of a regular college degree. Plus, many students areeligible for financing in the way of a student loan. Sometimesemployer education programs can even reimburse a student'stuition fees.

Keep in mind though, that you may have to be a little moreorganized and self-motivated for this type of education and youwill have to manage time demands in other areas of your life.Because you won't have set class times, it will be up to you tothe time into your schedule.

Another potential disadvantage is that some employers stillprefer that their employees have degrees from traditionalcolleges. However, these views are rapidly changing.

A recent survey of 1,300 graduates and 80 employers askedsupervisors to rate the value of the degree earned by theiremployee compared to a resident school degree in the same field.Sixty-nine percent of the supervisors rated the online degree"just as valuable" or "more valuable" than traditional degrees.This means that one out of three supervisors need to beconvinced that an online degree offers the same quality andcontent as a traditional degree.

Plus, traditional brick and mortar universities who offer onlinecourses often make no separation between their programs and thetype of degree awarded. And transcripts do not indicate whethera course was done at a distance or on campus.

About the author:Dan Allen http://www.aboutonlinedegrees.info

Dan is the founder of www.aboutonlinedegrees.info, a sitededicated to providing a wide array of information and resourcesfor those thinking of getting their degree online.