Tips for Finding the Best Online College Degrees

Finding a good school to go to is difficult for any student. You have to consider location, degrees and majors offered, cost, reputation, and other details that concern you. Finding online college degrees is just as difficult as finding a program at a brick and mortar school, but there are some benefits. Many times online college degrees are cheaper, can be done quicker, and have the same quality as a traditional degree program. Here are some tips to use in order to find the best program for your needs.

Importance of Accreditation

When looking at online college degrees, it is very important to find a program that is accredited. Accreditation ensures your program follows the same standards and regulations as other programs, and is important for many reasons. First, if you ever find yourself needing to transfer, or wish to go on to graduate school, accreditation is a requirement. Your credits will not count for transfer if they come from an unaccredited school. Secondly, many employers will not hire you if your degree comes form an unaccredited school. Finally, if your profession requires a professional license of some sort, you will not be able to obtain it unless your program is accredited. There are multiple accreditation agencies to look out for, and the specifics depend on your state and your intended career.

Choose your major wisely

You will need to make a decision on the type of degree you wish to have (associates, bachelors, masters, doctorate, or certificate), as well as the type of program you are interested in (psychology, computer science, etc). Although there are hundreds of majors represented online, not everything will be available. Sometimes a major is available online but has the requirement that some classes will need to be taken in person, such as certain labs. It is best to figure out these details beforehand, so that it doesn't sneak up on you and cause you to be unable to finish your degree.

Reputation

You will want to research your online college in order to find out its reputation. You will want to attend a rigorous and high quality program. Think Harvard versus a community college - quality matters. You will want to research the professors, graduation rate, reviews, complaints, and the value you will be getting for your money.

Now you are well on your way to obtaining the advanced degree you've always wanted. This is a great way to advance your career and increase your earnings. Now all you need to do is apply, pass your classes, and graduate!

Private College Fights for Its Position with The Modern College Online

History does not stand still: We're all living in history whether we realise it or not, and the times are always changing whether there are songs on the radio telling us so or not. The endless change in society can be worrying for the older generations, used to the old ways, and exciting to the younger generation always looking for new things, but in the end the only constant in the universe is, in fact, change.

One aspect of the world currently learning this lesson are old-fashioned brick-and-mortar private colleges, which are suffering through a lengthy and seemingly permanent decline in enrolment as online colleges rise in popularity and gain credence - and accreditation.

The Cheaper College Online

The numbers are staggering:

1. A recent study predicted that 30% of all private colleges will close by 2023.
2. Enrolment of freshman students declined more than 10% from 2010 through 2012.
3. The cost of traditional college is immense - and growing. Room, board, Costs have risen 42% in recent years.

In a world where $23,500 often represents a person's entire income, this is increasingly placing college out of reach for many prospective students. And increasingly they are turning to the more affordable college online strategy to attain the much-needed degree.

Online Colleges: More Affordable

College online is more affordable in many ways:

1. Lower tuition in general; most online colleges tuition stands below $10,000 - often significantly below.
2. No associated room and board costs.
3. No transportation costs.
4. Frequently lower or non-existent materials cost (free software and course materials)

Private colleges are fighting back, but the effectiveness of their efforts remains to be seen. Some colleges are expanding their graduate programs to bring in more revenue from older students who are more comfortable with a physical experience. Some are offering scholarships simply for considering the college; for example, Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama now offers a $1,000 scholarship simply for touring the campus; the cost of a 4-year program at Spring Hill is currently $170,000.

However, as the old equation pitting the cost of a degree against the higher earnings of college graduates returns smaller and smaller numbers, the expectation is that private colleges will have to drop tuition costs to compete with online colleges or simply fade away. How many are left after a few decades will depend greatly on how effectively they can recreate themselves.

Avoid Diploma Mills on the Way to the Online College Degree

Someday working people realize they should go back to school to get better career chances. That means not only better wages but also more options available for switching jobs or gaining promotions. Online college degrees can save you time and money, and allow many people to get a degree who would have been unable to if they had to depend on traditional college environments. In order not to waste your time and money on an online college degrees , you should make sure you are not attending a diploma mill.

Purchasing a Degree

Diploma mills literally sell you a degree. That's so simple: pay for a degree and get one without having to take classes or do homework. By some institutions you can even pay for transcripts or graduation certificates. Sounds great, but the degree you will obtain won't be accepted for a job, and will not be accepted if your profession requires any type of licensure or accreditation. They are an expensive waste of time.

What do they say to the students?

Quite often you can hear that they are giving degrees based on your life experience, or based on academic standards that are well below that of legitimate universities. Even if you get a degree it will not help you when nobody will accept it. There are many legitimate online college degrees that are quicker and cheaper than brick and mortar schools.

Diploma Mill is useless when not illegal

Least, but not last, for many people, purchasing a degree from a diploma mill is a morally wrong decision. When people invest lots of time and efforts in earning their degrees, using a diploma mill is a way to try (although typically unsuccessfully) cheat the system. Even if your work experience alone would have qualified you for a job, many employers will turn you down due to a diploma mill degree. In many states, it is illegal to attempt to apply for a job using a diploma mill degree.

Use our recommendations to choose a reputable online college:

• 1. Get information from accreditation websites. The online university should be accredited by a legitimate accreditation agency. And this will be listed on the university website, as well as the accreditation agency website
• 2. Do a search for your school and read reviews and complaints
• 3. Check whether the syllabi compare them to syllabi at other schools
• 4. Make sure the degree requirements match what is typically expected for other similar programs

Should you be attentive and consistent in your search, you can be sure to find online college degrees that are reputable, legitimate, and will help you get farther in your career.