I have taken both online and on-campus classes at an accredited university (BU); and I can honestly state that in some cases, online classes required more effort than on-campus classes.
Every time I hear someone insult online learning, I instantly know that they have never actually taken online courses from an accredited university--if they had, they wouldn't have negative things to say.
Having said that, some courses that require hands-on training, such as many nursing courses, should be done on-campus.
Finally, it's important to realize that you get out of school what you put into it. In other words, it doesn't matter if you learn online or on-campus, if you read and study all the materials with a genuine effort to learn, you will succeed.
Mike R.of MA11:13PM March 24, 2012
Yared,
Your comments are very helpful--thank you!!
I agree that if already in a well-established career, a for-profit, online-only school is okay, but if not, a non-profit, bricks-and-mortar school should be sought out--preferably a top-tier school.
These non-profit schools offering online programs can be found by doing a google search (be sure to sure "non-profit"). However, not all programs are listed. For example, Indiana University offers an excellent B.G.S. degree online, but it wasn't listed on a major site I visited.
***Above all, make sure your college is "regionally accredited" by the USDE!!!!!!***
Janeof TX3:34PM March 09, 2012
To Rick Wingender:
You sound like a sore LOSER. If you want to trash University of Phoenix and brag about how smart you are, why don't you tell us which university you went to?
Also, it's STUPID for you to quit your full time job to get your MBA. MBA is for WORKING professionals. Without that component, getting an MBA is as meaningless as getting a liberal art degree.
You're just jealous that some U of P graduates get better job kills and better jobs than you.
You cannot even tell us which university you went to. It's probably not a good college LOL Also, considering the fact that you made such sacrifice to get your MBA, why don't you tell us what job you're doing??? LOSER.
Orange Countyof CA4:39AM January 30, 2012
I agree with T Griswold. I took one class through U of Phoenix and two through Strayer. They were all a joke; the "assignments" could have been completed easily by college football players at any SEC school, and the plagiarism was obvious and rampant. I got my MBA by quitting my full-time job and going back to school, on campus, full-time.
Rick Wingenderof TN4:53AM September 13, 2011
There is a big big big ...... difference between getting your degree at an online college & getting a respectable degree from a respected traditional 'non-profit' college via distance learning (online). There is nothing wrong with learning in a DL mode, or online. Infact, I got my MS in engineering from U of M, and got 65k starting salary. The only thing any prospective student should check, is whether the university is 'not-for-profit' OR 'for-profit'.
For-profit colleges like phoenix, capella, AIU, PennFoster, ....u name it are mostly for your $$, and suck your hard earned money for very little value. I am not saying you wouldn't get a job with this 'for-profit' college degree, it is just very hard to compete with the traditional ones. Also, from what i ve heard, this 'for-profit' degress are ideal for those who are already employed and career network established, and want to advance into management. In this case, the for-profit degree might not be scrutinized much.
But for all the traditional reasons of going to college (i.e. to get employed, start a career, licensed, etc.), do not even think about going to phoenix and the like.
ALso, you can check the regional accreditation and the professional licensure websites to see whether the college is worthy or not.
One more thing to add: Don't be misled by brick-and-mortar universities either. Most of these 'for-profit' colleges are buying buildings and (in some cases, names) of small traditional colleges which are in bad shape financially.
Overall, the single factor that separates a worthy school from the not-so-worthy
is being "not-for-profit". Other than that, whether classes are online or not, doesnt really matter. [u of phoenix has traditional campus in most cities now.]
Hope this helps.
yaredof OH1:09AM June 23, 2011
I agree with Brian. Online degrees are a boon to individuals who are actively seeking career growth. I believe that online learning is also a great option for parents who wish to pursue further education in order to meet their professional goals. Parents with full-time jobs are oftentimes in dire need of the flexibility and accessibility that online education provides. Websites like http://www.art-schools-online.com/ provide online opportunities for individuals seeking a suitable online education program that will enable them to obtain a degree in their chosen industry, such as a degree in nursing, video game design courses, or further graduate studies. Always be sure to verify an online school's accreditation with the state. It also helps to check with prospective employers to ensure that they accept the validity of your degree.
AmberLCof MI7:19AM November 11, 2010
I don't believe any of the Ivy League schools offer online degrees as a rule, except in very specialized programs with a large field research component that won't work for many people. The Harvard Extension School offers classes online, but all degree programs have some classroom requirement. There are certificate programs available at some schools (Berkeley Extension is a great one) and certainly, you can supplement your resume with those, or even with online classes from the likes of Harvard Extension but unless I'm missing something, I see no way to get an online degree from a top ten university. It is true, though, that many traditional universities offer extension and online programs, and sometimes you have to contact their distance learning offices directly as not everything is listed online. These are worth looking for, especially in your home state, as it is almost always a less expensive alternative to the giant for-profits. I'm sorry, but I've been a hiring executive for many years and the fact is if it's down to Phoenix or a traditional university grad (even if the program was online), all other things being equal, most hiring managers will take the traditional grad. That doesn't mean no one should go to Phoenix or Capella, but check out all of your options because they are expensive and, in my opinion, not a great value as far as furthering your resume. There is a lot of skepticism toward these for-proft schools, especially in light of the cost vs. salary debate of late. Just my two cents, for what it's worth. :)
Aof NV3:36PM October 09, 2010
I would like to add that I, too, used to be skeptical of online degrees because of my old fashioned mentality. Now I am on my last term with Kaplan University,(which was founded by Ivy league graduates) and I look forward to a better future. There will always be someone saying my school is better or this is better than that. But if Capella, Kaplan, Baruch College or any other public or private university has Accounting majors and you enroll in any of them, you WILL learn accounting; what changes is the delivery method.
The only difference I find between Baruch College and Kaplan, for example, besides one being brick and mortar and the other one online mostly, is that Kaplan is more expensive.
Online education is not going away, and it's a shame that traditional colleges and universities didn't come up with this learning method before.
Good luck.
franklin Obandoof NC3:19AM September 26, 2010
This article caught my attention being that I am looking into going back to school to get my Associates in Criminal Justice and it is nice to see that it is such a popular way to go. After doing some serching, it is also nice to see how well this will work in my schedule especially taking just 1 class every 8 weeks. Wish now I would have done this years ago.
Thomas Hartof CA1:01PM August 17, 2010
I have earned ALL my degrees 100% online from traditional 'Brick-and Mortar' universities:
*Associate of Arts in Letters, Arts, and Sciences from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State U)
**Bachelor of Liberal Arts from The University of Massachusetts @ Dartmouth (UMassD)
***Master of Science in General Studies from The University of Alabama (Roll Tide)
Now get this, the cost was cheaper than those popular 'for-profit’ schools, and it took about the same amount of time (5 ½ years). I truly don't see the value in choosing online schools such as Phoenix, Kaplan, Walden, AIU, Capella etc. There are TOO expensive, plus -- you take the chance of somebody in the HR dept looking down on your degree. In an interview, I actually had a HR Mgr tell me that he didn't respect nor would financially support someone getting a degree from an 'Online' college (i.e. Phoenix, Kaplan, Walden, AIU, Capella etc.). He went even further in telling me that if his son were to take that route, he would not help pay for it!
Reader Comments
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Mike R. of MA 11:13PM March 24, 2012
Jane of TX 3:34PM March 09, 2012
Orange County of CA 4:39AM January 30, 2012
Rick Wingender of TN 4:53AM September 13, 2011
yared of OH 1:09AM June 23, 2011
AmberLC of MI 7:19AM November 11, 2010
A of NV 3:36PM October 09, 2010
franklin Obando of NC 3:19AM September 26, 2010
Thomas Hart of CA 1:01PM August 17, 2010
Mark Brunner of SC 12:30PM August 17, 2010