How Respectable Is an Online Degree

How Respectable Is An Online Degree From An Accredited University?

The trend of employers hiring only those with degrees or advanced training is here to stay. Unskilled workers have little choice but to get more education if they want to be competitive in the job market. Earning a degree online has become a popular way for working adults to get a degree while maintaining a job and family obligations because of the built-in flexibility of online courses.

Yet some prospective students may hesitate before taking online courses because they are unsure of how employers view an online degree. Will future employers respect the degree you receive through an online education program? Let’s explore that question.

Even though online degrees have moved from a fad to a legitimate way of achieving a degree, some employers remain skeptical of degrees earned online. These employers will probably remain of that opinion as long as there are college campuses to attend. Nothing will change their opinion that a campus degree is more legitimate than any online college degree.

This attitude may be a carry-over from the days of correspondence courses when students would receive a degree from a non-accredited instructional program that required few academic achievements other than having a high school diploma and making the monthly payments on time. Some online courses started out the same way. This is a reason some employers still prefer a degree that has been earned on a college campus.

However, now that major colleges and universities have retained their college campuses and have added online courses to their catalogs more employers recognize an online degree from a college or university that is accredited by an agency. Employers have access to information to determine if the degree you have is from an accredited college or university, so it is important to look for accreditation when considering an online degree.

Accreditation and reputation are the two key factors in determining the legitimacy of a college, university or trade school for online coursework. These reputable institutions of higher learning recognize the need for some adults to earn a degree without the commute to and from campus and without the need to attend classes at certain times.

Reputable courses taken online are not easier than courses taken on campus. In fact, many students taking online and on-campus courses simultaneously feel there is little to no difference in the amount of effort needed to complete a course. The benefit of online courses is flexibility. The challenge is to be disciplined enough to use the flexibility to one’s advantage.

The price of online courses is not always cheaper than campus courses. Prices vary widely and are usually charged per credit hour just as campus courses. Students use the same textbooks and pay other fees. The online student, howver, saves on parking and transportation fees (unless there are labs and special lectures on campus), does not have to be concerned with paying for meals on campus, and may find fewer physical materials (notebooks, pens, etc.) are necessary for their studies.

As long as a student chooses an accredited and reputable college, university or trade school to obtain an online degree s/he should have no problem with future employers questioning the legitimacy of the degree. It is the student’s duty to thoroughly research every offer to earn a degree online. This must be done to avoid spending hard-earned money and precious time on a degree that will not be recognized by future employers.

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