by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
For working professionals and for people who need to work while pursuing their degree, online degrees are a great way to go. Choosing an online school can be a tricky business, since there are plenty of diploma mills and scams on the Internet. Here are a few tips and things you’ll want to look for in an online school:
The first thing you’ll want to check on is accreditation; otherwise you might be stuck with a useless piece of paper after spending time and money. An outside agency reviews the school’s programs to see if it meets certain criteria that determine the school’s legitimacy. Schools that meet the criteria are granted accreditation. This is meant to protect students from schools that give them a diploma without providing them with the knowledge that’s generally expected as a result of that degree.
Unfortunately, anyone can claim to grant accreditation. You’ll want to look for an agency that’s backed by the NEA. In Florida, the site you want to search is sacscoc.org, the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges. You’ll want to type in the address yourself rather than linking to it, since dummy sites that look similar are sometimes linked to pseudo-schools that hope you’ll mistake it for the real thing.
Some online schools aren’t based in this region. If you aren’t sure where a school is based or if it isn’t based in Florida, go to ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.asp, the search page on the US department of Education. Use the menus to select the kind of school you’re looking for. They will tell you if a school is accredited, for how long, and if they’ve had any problems with accreditation.
Even if your school is accredited, you might not want to choose one that doesn’t yet have any kind of track record. If a school has several crops of graduates out there, it makes it easier to investigate things like rate of employment, customer/student satisfaction and rate of graduation. These are all things you’ll want to look at before you sign up.
It’s a bad sign if the only address or contact info on a site is an email address and a P.O. box. Technical glitches do happen, and it’s important that you’ll be able to contact the university by phone, if need be. Check to see that the teachers employed by the school are at least a little web/tech savvy, though not all instructors will be. The best online schools will assign you an advisor who will work with you throughout your schooling.
While distance learning and online degrees still suffer from a bit of stigma in the working world, getting a degree is still a great way to boost your resume. That being said, you aren’t required to announce to a potential employer that you got your degree online. Avoid institutions with the word “online” in the name. Ask to see a sample copy of transcripts to make sure that information isn’t plastered prominently all over the transcripts. You’ll also want to make sure that the school in question actually has a physical address with real, live people answering the phones in case your potential employer calls or wants transcripts.
· The school claims you can earn a Ph.D. in “30 days or less!!”
· The school’s name or acronym is suspiciously close to a famous legitimate school, ie. USF (University of Southern Floridians) or Harverd University.
· They claim that the “school of life” is more important than actual school and will give you a diploma based on your “life experiences” or jobs you’ve held.
Despite all these dire warnings, online learning has really become a useful tool, especially for those who have experience but are looking to be employed at the next level; something a degree can give them. Whether your reasons for seeking an online school are the flexibility of the schedule, a better job or a way to work at your own pace, it’s become an excellent option for higher education.
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