Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Degrees
Today’s lifestyle is quite busy for everybody and hence for reasons like promotion, career advancement, and for learning purpose all of us are in search of online education. Many students are choosing online education for pursuing their degrees. Almost 60 percent of the students complete their courses successfully and that is because they are aware of the advantages of online degrees. Any university that is accredited, awards online degrees to students on various fields. Online degrees are offered for almost all the subjects like Political Science, Finance, Business Administration, Law, Engineering, Accounting, Economics, Mathematics, Graphic Designing, History and Medicine too.
The only difference from an online degree and the traditional degree is the way of teaching. As an online degree student, you will attend classes, will work on projects, will ask questions and discuss with the professors and will also appear for examinations, but only through a virtual environment. Your classroom will have bulletin boards and text chats and at times you may have virtual workgroup for problem solving. Depending on your online degree program, you will have synchronous and asynchronous sessions.
Enrolment for online degrees can be done by filling the online admission forms. You will have the choice to select the cost effective university and the university with more online degree programs.
The main advantage of earning an online degree is the learning environment. Wherever you are, as long as you are connected to the Internet, your online degree follows with you. If you can properly mange your time then your online degree sessions will fit in your busy schedule. Your degree program can also be completed with your pace of study. Online degree offers you the benefit to attend classes from your home or any convenient location of yours. You can also apply to any university of any country that offers online degree programs. With these online degree programs available nobody can use excuses like unable to pursue education. Most of the online degree courses can be completed within the stipulated period or shorter than this when compared with the similar types of degree programs that are campus-based. Only you can delay your course completion, if you did not do time management properly. Even monetarily you can save a lot by opting online degree like the tuition fee will be lesser than campus-based degree and the credit hours will also be comparatively less. Most of your learning materials will be of downloading format and so you can save lot of time and money by studying online degree courses.
There are disadvantages of online education if you don’t fit as a right candidate for the online degree. You have to properly manage your time with family, work and study. Your planning for the sessions are very important and so studying on your pace will increase the duration of online degree completion. Since the learning materials will be in text and downloadable format, you should be comfortable with reading and if your choice is listening, then you have to reconsider the decision of obtaining online degree. Your discussion forums and chats are very important for communication and knowledge of using it is very essential. As the online education’s key channel of communication is Internet, it will be disadvantage to you if you don’t know its usage. You should understand the advantages of online degrees and the important factors that affect your decision in pursuing online degrees.
Do Employers Look Down on Online Degree?
Online education has become a trend and popular channel for many students and working adults to earn their degree. Online education creates a flexible and convenient environment for students to earn their degree while maintaining their preferred living style. But, many still doubt about the value of online degree, you may concern on how your potential employer will look at you during the job interview if you degree is earned through online education. Do employers look down on online degree? You may ask. This is an important question that needs to be answered because you need to ensure that your degree you going to earn through online will helps you to start your career smoothly after graduation.
According to Market Data Retrieval, a Connecticut-based firm that supplies education marketing information and services shows currently there are more than 4,700 accredited higher education institutions nationwide and nearly half of these schools offer an accredited degree, with the majority putting courses online. In fact, more and more prestige and reputable traditional universities offering online degree program that enable their students to attend online classes from remote locations. This is a good indication that online degree programs are widely acceptable in the job market else the online education will not grow so tremendously.
In fact, employers are more concern about “fake degree”. If you are earning a degree through online degree program from a reputable and properly accredited online university, your online degree has no different than those earned from “brick & mortar” universities. There are many online degree scams, most commonly known as diploma mills offering fast-track degree through their “fake” online degree programs where you can earn your degree extremely fast, some are within a few days. The degree earned from diploma mills is totally unacceptable in the job market. If you apply a job position using degree issued by diploma mills and is found out by the employer, the employer will definitely look down on your degree in concern to the “fake degree” instead of online degree.
If you have decided to pursue your degree through an online degree program, you need to spend some time to search for a right online university. There are many online universities offering the degree of you choice. What you need to do is get as many program information as you can from those online universities, then review each and every one carefully, eliminate those online degree programs that are not meeting your requirement AND those sound suspicious to be “fake” degrees. Once your short listed the degree programs that at the first glance are recognized and properly accredited, your next step is to confirm the accreditation of those online universities with the accreditation database from CHEA.org. Those legitimate and accredited online universities are listed in this database. As long as you are getting online degree from properly accredited by a recognized accreditation agency, you shouldn’t face any problem when you use this degree to start your career later.
Summary
Online degrees is compatible with on-campus degrees and it’s accepted by most of employers if your online degree is earned through a reputable online university that is properly accredited by an accredited agency that is recognized by U.S Department of Education.
Online Bachelor’s Degree
Today, the world has become very competitive and so as the importances of education. So there are many reasons why people are seeking for online bachelor’s degree. They have found that a bachelor’s degree gives them an edge over the competition and can sometimes sway a promotion or potential employer to swing their way. The online bachelor degree is making it easier than ever to obtain your degree while working or handling everyday life.
A bachelor’s degree is an undergraduate academic degree. The name bachelor was given to the degree because of the English word bachelor, meaning “young apprentice.” A bachelor’s degree is the first degree a student can receive in his or her academic career, with the exception of the associate’s degree. The bachelor’s degree is sometimes awarded after earning an associate’s degree, though it is often the first degree that is earned. Whether or not an associate’s degree can be earned first depends upon the area of study. A master’s is generally the degree that can be earned following a bachelor’s degree, which can then be followed by a doctorate degree.
One of the aspects of online education that people do not understand is how you get the hands on training that many fields require. While you may or may not need this in the bachelor-degrees that you plan to get, you will find that information about this is easy to find at the online university’s websites.
There are many programs that are offered through online bachelor-degrees. If you would like to know if any of the programs or classes that you need to take are available to you on the web, all you need to do is to log onto any of the various online schools and find out. This level of education that the bachelor-degree is one that is advanced and will require much learning.
Well, in many cases online bachelor degrees are being offered by accredited colleges that are not only online but have a physical campus as well. However, there are a growing number of institutions that are strictly online.
A bachelor’s degree is an investment in your future. While most on-campus bachelor’s degree programs take a minimum of four years, many online schools also offer accelerated studies. An education through an online university is one of the best ways to learn and to stay on the cutting-edge of technology.
The cost of obtaining an online bachelor degree is comparable to obtaining a regular bachelor degree. Though many people will find the cost of higher education outside of their budgets, online bachelor degree programs offer financial assistance.
When choosing an online bachelor degree program you want to find one that matches your needs. Make sure that the institution is accredited in your state to ensure that you degree will be valid to all future employers. The area of study and method of learning, whether obtaining an online bachelor degree or earning it in a traditional classroom, are all personal choices that must fit with your professional and personal goals, schedule and budget.
Manage Careers with UK MBA and Online Degree
The dynamic attitude of the present-day market has proved beneficial in more ways than one however it’s this very dynamicity has at times proved to be detrimental to the aspiring individuals. The reason for this hamper is that the existing system of the work culture is something that they had been trained for however; the sudden up gradations can lead to a temporary stagnation to their career, as they do not possess the training that is required to tackle the current scenario at hand. The hibernating phase of their careers are not long lasting though as the market has also been thoughtful enough to provide them with the alternatives of online degree and UK MBA. Once the professional acquires the management degree the frown on their faces would soon become a history.
The option of online degree being provided in the field of management has in reality proved very feasible and viable for the working individuals. The very obvious reason for it being so is that the option of UK MBA has enabled them to continue both their profession as well as education simultaneously. The aspirants from various spheres of life who wish to broaden their career prospects have found their desired opening through this online mode of education. The flexibility of time and the freedom of mobility is something that most individuals will seek in this era of multitasking.
The UK MBA has become a very lucrative career opportunity for most career aspirants. The problem of going all the way to UK to be a part of this prestigious course had till date been a major deterrent however with the online degree facility that problem too has been taken care of. Once the course has been decided there are a few things that the aspirants opting for this must keep in mind are namely the accreditation of the course provided. The course should be well accredited to ensure that one is making the correct choice.
The next thing that the individual aspirant must also go through is that of the curriculum followed. The aspirant must be interested in the subjects that he or she will study. Therefore the selection of the course is very important and should be done with due care. The individual must also find out the way the education is imparted. The aspirant must make an informative choice as this selection will reflect on the kind of future the individual is going to have. Therefore the online degree will prove to be beneficial only if it is done in wise manner. So is the case with the UK MBA. The choice of the correct stream is very important.
The specializations that the UK MBA will provide are namely human resources, finance, marketing, management and accounting. The online degree will be available with a further flexibility that is pertaining to the course available, as in it will give one the opportunity to either specialize in a single field or opt for a broader study. This facility allows the aspirant to pursue his or her calling.
Online Learning: An Excellent Cure for the Dorm GPA Drag

Paula sits down to begin studying in her dorm room. Noise from the hallway makes it difficult for her to focus on her term paper. Paula slumps in defeat, thinking she will be up half the night trying to complete her paper. Across town, Tim sits down at his computer, logs into his online school site and spends a productive evening studying and learning in the peace and quiet of his own home. What Are the Study Benefits of Online Schools?
As illustrated above, using online learning through one of the various online programs to get your degree can help avoid some of the common distractions faced by serious students. Dormitory life can be exciting and demanding, particularly for freshmen students. Distractions such as pressure to participate in dorm events or socialize can adversely affect your grades. By pursuing an online degree, these temptations can be tempered. What Am I Missing in Pursuing an Online Degree?
There is no need for you to miss anything by using distance learning to attain your online degree. Most colleges provide numerous services to their online learning students. For example, instant messaging programs allow for the formulation of study groups online. Imagine the time you could save by not having to bus across town to make your next study group meeting. In addition, consider the possible luxury of having more access to your instructor and the convenience of submitting assignments and papers via email. Online schools have taken distance learning to a very high level of quality and efficiency. These are important factors to consider when choosing between an online school and an on-campus program to earn your degree. About the Author
Craig Friesen is a freelance writer living in Abbotsford, British Columbia. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from University of Manitoba and a Master of Divinity degree from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana.
4 Tips to Students Considering Online Education
Many students choose to pursue online degree without evaluating their learning style and personality whether they will be successful as online students. Survey results show that many online students failed to complete their degree program mainly due to student’s personality issues. Earning a degree through online education may not be a right decision for all students. Here are 4 important tips to evaluate yourself to ensure you are a right candidate to success with online learning style.
Evaluation #1: Are your education success mainly depend on face-to-face interaction with instructors and classmates?
In online learning environment, most learning materials and communications are in text format, you need to adapt yourself to this type of learning environment if you want to success in this type of study. Many students who failed in their online study find themselves learn better in the courses that conducted in classroom-based. They prefer direct interaction with lecturer and face-to-face communication with their classmates.
If you education success or failure really depend of how the courses being conducted and you are not ready to change your learning style, then considering online education may not be your best option.
Evaluation #2: Do you often get things done ahead of time or you prefer to wait until the last minutes?
Self-motivation is very important in online learning because most of the courses and assignments are in self-paced form. You plan your own time that best fit into your schedule to logon to classes, do and submit your assignments. If you are the kind of person who always put on-hold your tasks to last minutes of dead line, then online education may not be your best choice.
Evaluation #3: Do you always need assistance when you are given written directions for an assignment by an instructor?
If you do, then you might have problem to understand instruction in text format. Most communications for online education such chatting, discussion board, email and downloadable materials are in text format. Although there are helps available if you need any assistance, most of your questions will be answered in email or posted text on the online discussion board. Hence, you need to be able to under text instructions if you want to benefits from the advantages of online education.
Evaluation #4: Are you good in time management & able to divide your time between your work, family and online study?
If you are a working individual who want to get a degree online without giving up your career, online education is good choice because the benefits in term of flexibility and self-paced learning style enable you to achieve both your career and education goal. But, for people who are not good in time management, they tend to lose their focus on their study if they are too busy with their career and family. That’s why many online students who are not able to allocate their time for study tend to quit without completing their online study program.
If the results of the above evaluation reveal a strong self-motivation and preference for a more independent learning environment, you may be an ideal candidate to take your degree online.
Steve Jobs: The Brains behind Apple’s Comeback

If you want to learn how to succeed in business and entrepreneurship, pay attention to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. In a recent interview, Steve Jobs says, “My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better, coming up with more aggressive visions of how it could be.” If you are interested in a career in business, entrepreneurship or marketing, examine Jobs’ impressive resume. Jobs’s Key to Business Success: Smart Innovation
As CEO, Jobs introduced a line of innovations that raised the value of Apple’s stock from a paltry $3.30 a share in 1997 to $94 a share just ten years later. Among these innovations:
- iTunes: Network television and music are now available online
- iPod: The portable music player made stocks sky-rocket
- The Mac Store: Combining computer sales with one-on-one interaction has lead to more than $1 billion in sales
- MacBook: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Die-hard PC users are converted by the thousands when the MacBook incorporated the Pentium processor
Staging a Revolution: Marketing the Mac Image
Jobs emphasized the importance of aesthetics when marketing a product to the public. Robert Cringely, writing for Inc.com on America’s 25 most fascinating entrepreneurs, noted Jobs’s skill in product design: “He has the best taste in product design and the greatest skill at making the rest of us want to buy stuff we don’t strictly need of any American industrialist, ever.” Could You Be the Next Steve Jobs? Try an Online degree in Business or Marketing
If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, an online degree in business or marketing can help you get the skills you need. Online degree programs in business typically cover economics, administration and project management. If you think you have the charisma to be the next Steve Jobs, many online degrees offer specializations in business and information technology. If you want to learn more about the technical side of business, look at the many computer courses offered by technician schools.
About the Author
Elizabeth Buckner is a freelance writer and current Fulbright grantee to Morocco, where she is conducting research on language education and the growth of English. She holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Education from Swarthmore College.
How are Online MBA Programs Different From Traditional MBA Programs?
MBA programs are a popular choice for many mid-career professionals who want to earn a credential in management level to prepare for their career advancement. Nowadays, with the available of online education programs, you have a choice to earn your MBA degree from traditional MBA program offered by a campus-based university or through an online MBA program. What are the differences between the online and traditional campus-based type of MBA programs? Knowing the basics will help you to decide whether or not these programs are right for you.
In term of educational goal, both online learning and traditional MBA programs general share the same goal of preparing the students for many fields, functions, and industries to help them progress toward a specific career goal. Both online and traditional MBA can be considered equally difficult and have a similar type of curriculum. Both MBA learning types are able to help you achieve your career goal, but instead of spending hours in class as in traditional MBA program, online MBA students are expected to dedicate their time to study independently.
Traditional MBA program will have a time table which you need to follow to attend the classes on time. If you decide to pursue your degree through campus-based MBA program and at the same time maintaining your current employment, you may need to adjust your working schedule to fit the time table of your MBA courses. Most working individuals who sign up for traditional MBA program will normally enroll into evening classes or time after work. They also need to commute to and from school and they might miss the classes if they need to stay after work due to important assignment or project. For those working individuals who are frequently travel on job assignment, they may have difficulties to fit their time to the fixed time table of the MBA courses.
Online MBA programs solve the above problems with the features of flexibility, self-pace and convenient of attending classes from any location as long as the location has internet connection for the student to login into the online classes. The online students who pursue their MBA online can attend the classes, downloading their training materials and assignments, submitting their courses from their comfort location through internet connection. The flexibility time tables of online learning allow students to plan their own study time based on their learning pace and convenient schedule. The features best fit for most working individuals who have busy working schedule. The frequent travelers are able to take advantages of studying anywhere and at anytime with online MBA program.
While traditional MBA courses require you to attend the physical lectures and work with your physical peers on group assignments, online curriculum generally consist of lectures, reading, assignments which are all in text, multimedia and audio format which you need to login to the school’s online system to view or download the materials. Most of time you are using online channels such as online discussion board, online chatting, email and sometime phone calls to communicate with the lecturers and online classmates.
In general, online MBA and traditional MBA programs are similar in term of curriculums but different in term of the learning media. Online MBA programs require the students to be more self-motivation and self-discipline to make progress to complete on their degree program.
How Online Degrees Affect your Financial Aid Eligibility
Whether you are looking for an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, or just want to take a few online courses to improve your chances for promotion, online colleges and universities provide the flexibility you need.
Despite these advantages, the cost of tuition, both online and at traditional brick-and-mortar institutions, is on the rise. Knowing this, online learners generally depend on financial aid to finance their education. If you are considering pursuing a degree online and need financial aid, there are a few things you should consider to ensure that you will qualify.
Minimum eligibility requirements
1. U.S. citizen, or eligible non-citizens
2. Possess a valid Social Security number
3. Selective Service registration, if you are male
4. High school diploma or GED
5. Cannot have certain drug convictions
Accreditation
The college or university must be an approved, degree-granting institution. There are plenty of institutions on the internet who come up with fancy sounding names, but they are not accredited by one of the six regional accreditors. Without this accreditation, you will not be eligible for financial aid, and in most cases, your college credits will not transfer to regionally accredited universities. If you are uncertain of your college’s accreditation, ask.
Program of study
You must be pursuing a degree or certificate to be eligible for financial aid. Even if you are unsure of your desired major when you enroll, you will need to select a major, or at the very least, enroll in an eligible certificate program. You can always change your mind later.
Term length
Ensure that your online courses have a definite start and end date. In most cases, this is not an issue. The exception will be courses deemed “correspondence” where a student has the option of taking up to eighteen months or more to complete the course. Most online colleges operate on a semester schedule. If your college does not, you will need to contact your college’s financial aid office to ensure that you will be eligible to receive federal aid.
Enrollment
To be eligible for Federal financial aid, you must be enrolled at least half-time. In most cases, this means taking a minimum of six credit hours per semester. Colleges vary in what they deem half-time, so check with your online college’s financial aid office to be certain.
Applying for financial aid
Once you have verified that your university and program of study meet these criteria, you may begin the financial aid process. For more information and a free step-by-step financial aid guide, visit http://www.online-college-blog.com.
The Value of an Accredited Online Degree in the 21st Century
The Internet is more than a simple information source these days. It is a forum for nearly every language, worldview, and potential market on the planet. A place where people can buy groceries, watch the news, check their bank accounts, and talk with friends 4000 miles away. It is the ultimate medium and now, more than ever before, people are taking to the Internet to complete their educations with accredited online degree programs.
There is a newfound respect for accredited online degrees. They are more valuable now than they were even just five years ago. The range of degrees available is vaster, including programs in business administration, criminal justice, health services management, network management and private sector accounting, just to name a few.
High school students who are stricken with illness in their latter years of school are taking advantage of these resources as well, obtaining their high school degrees online and going on to colleges around the country that provide highly respected educations.
These degrees, which only a short while ago were an experimental foray into distance learning have proven so successful with hundreds of thousands of people having now obtained a degree online that major universities are instituting their own distance learning programs.
Because an online degree requires fewer resources and is a remotely accessible option, it saves these individuals money while not interfering with their lives. The essential problem with a traditional college education is that it requires a substantial investment, both from the student and the school. Online courses utilize fewer instructors, automated grading systems and require no classroom space. The cost-saving benefits are clear.
People are busy these days. Everyone has a job, or sometimes two jobs. They have families and crowded schedules. If an individual cannot afford to return to college and has been putting it off for years, these degree programs offer the chance to cheaply take classes at the student’s preferred pace.
Major universities have many rules about minimum credit requirements, frequency of enrollment, and attendance. Online programs are much more flexible, allowing students to decide when and how they learn.
When an individual acquires an accredited online degree, they are not limited by the job offers that they immediately receive. There are a wide variety of potential future career paths they can take that will result in further opportunities down the line.
Consider the possibility of taking a degree obtained online and putting it toward a graduate program in a large, well known college, when it is more affordable to do so. With good grades and the quality references an online degree provides, this situation is becoming much more common, in the same way that community colleges are now stepping stones to major universities.
You may already have a degree and feel that you did not learn as much as you would have liked or that your current career requires more schooling. Unfortunately, it is not financially or socially viable to quit your job and return to college. Luckily, online degree programs allow individuals the freedom needed to take extra classes at night after getting off work. This can increase the value of an employee at work, while allowing an individual to expand their horizons.
An accredited online degree could never have been so valuable in the 1990s, if only because it was such a new concept. It allowed certain people to take a chance and finish a degree or extend their learning while it has helped others get their foot in the door of booming job market.