Online Universities
 

So, I'm deciding I need to do something with my life. My big problem is that I work 30 miles away from home, so going to actual class would be difficult. I need something on my own time.

Has anyone obtained a degree from an online university? I already have my Bachelors in PR but that did nothing for me. I'm unhappy in my current job and I need something else. Suggestions?

I'm doing my Masters at Webster, and they have a lot of online programs. My program isn't online, but I can choose online classes when I want them. They are fully accredited and are a brick and mortar school. I'm very wary of schools that are online only or that have weak accreditation. Webster is well known in the St. Louis community. The classes aren't nearly as expensive as my husband's were at Florida Tech-- but to be fair I'm getting a huge discount because I'm taking them on a military base (although neither of us have a military affiliation.) You might want to check it out. :) http://www.webster.edu :)

Don't even consider a for-profit online university. I don't care if they're accredited. They have a high number of defaults on their student loans. So much so that the administration is looking at cutting off some of these schools' access to FAFSA, which would in turn kill the school making proving you have a degree probably problematic. They're also a lot more expensive.

I'd look into your public state schools first. You could probably get a much cheaper education with a recognizable name. Here in Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma has entire degree programs online. I believe the University of Alabama does as well (at least I heard they offered an entirely online LLM [Masters in Law], so they probably have other programs as well).

Kevin is right. The quality of education from the for-profit schools is questionable.

Many state schools are running on-line degree programs now. I know University of Illinois has one and there are lots of others.

Good luck!

A lot of well-known universities offer these programs. And since you're not tied to geography, I would definitely shop them for price.

But back to the degree you have... you should consider your degree a blank slate that allows you to paint in the picture. My Journalism degree felt like a HUGE waste of time when I was in my 20's, but I love my job now (travel agent) and my ability to write helps it in innumerable ways. I almost always end up rewriting professional flyers the cruise lines and tour operators design for ease of use because they are bland. A PR degree seems like a similar, hard to get a job specifically in the field kind of degree, but awesome as you use it as a background for something else. Look for the crappy job in a field you'd like to move into, and then maybe go back to school. I believe I've heard Suze Orman say going back to school for another degree in order to make more money isn't a good investment.

I got my masters from Georgia Southern University and it was mostly online. I liked it because I was taught by actual professors who teach at the university and had access to all of the university's resources. Georgia has tons of degrees and programs offered online through the state university system. Because of all the choices, it really baffles my mind why people continue to choose for-profit schools (well, except perhaps for the lowered admission standards of the for-profit schools. But that's a whole other issue!) Check out your state university system for online or cohort programs. You might be surprised by all of the options!

I received my Masters in Education from Lamar University, a state school in Texas that offers 100% online Masters programs. I never thought I'd be able to earn my Master's because I teach and have a family but this was the perfect solution. It was very reading and writing intensive but worth it.

I agree you should avoid the for profit schools because there are so many state schools that offer online programs now that are cheaper (and the school is more reputable). Good luck!

You'd likely be surprised by the quality programs one can find online. I agree with those above who say stay away from for profit places. Go with brick and mortar who are also doing online. It is much more likely that those programs have the rigor and quality you need.

I'll do a shameless plug: http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/

There's no out of state tuition - just etuition. Doesn't matter where you live.

What field are you going into? I think that hiring mangers in some fields are much more accepting of online degrees than others, so that's something to consider.

Boston University also has online degree programs.

I echo the others in suggesting that you avoid for-profit institutions and to try for a brick-and-mortar university which offers online programs.


I may be out of touch with current hiring trends; but, I don't think it's a requirement to specifically state on one's resume that a degree was earned online, is it?

I wouldn't think so, but certain schools would be known just by their advertising. I'm all but certain an online degree from the University of Illinois (as an example) says UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, no asterisk or qualification. They wouldn't risk their reputation if the online degree couldn't compete with the brick and mortar version.

Right. There is a definite process that is in place with most universities that have brick and mortar/online programs to ensure that the degrees are comparable and have same expectations.

For sure! DoctorD and Xidelt are right, Kennesaw and Georgia Southern have fantastic online programs. The universities of the state of Georgia have this wonderful online education system (www.usgs.edu? Something like that) through which you can get a solid and high quality degree.

Carnation, there used to be a site called Georgia on my line that had all of the info for the online degrees offered through the state universities. It's a great site. You can easily search programs by degree, institution, etc.

I used to work for a very popular for-profit institution. I stopped working there because of policy changes that were seriously starting to weird me out about their commitment to education over profits. I would say when I started the focus was education, but then they started advising us to "step up our game" because profits were down 10% etc.

While the accreditation was that same as that of ASU, UMichigan, UArizona among others-I quickly learned the credits did not transfer to traditional institutions the same once I began working in a SACS-accredited institution's transfer/evaluation office. The reason for this was the format of the classes-particularly the online courses. So basically they are worthless in transfer.

But my overall opinion of the student's and the work was that everyone was working on making the courses relavent to work Also we did have entrance requirements, but those were mostly for people who didn't speak English, didn't have a legitimate HS diploma, or a legitimate AA or transfer credits. It wasn't a cake walk. We had to turn a lot of people away. And it truly was efficient for people with years of experience who needed accelerated degrees in order to get promoted or explore new job options. Also this institution has MANY campuses in local communities that are brick and mortar. Many of the other for-profits do.

No, but when you get a resume from someone in Alaska who lists U of Illinois, you are probably going to ask.

I'm thinking about Health Information Technology or Human Resources. Before I started this job, i had enrolled in Baker College which I believe is just in Michigan. They advertise that they are great for those already working full time jobs and that they are so flexible, yet the HIT program classes were during the day. You had to take a semester of in house classes before you could do anything online. My co-worker is doing their Occupational Therapy program and she had to go down to part time because her classes were only offered T/Th during the day. It's frustrating.

My niece got her Master's from Georgia Southern.

A sorority sister just registered for a Masters in Journalism from U Florida (and she plans to wear red and black when signed on. ;) _

Don't forget low graduation rates. Last time I checked, my school was at 36%.http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/icons/icon13.gif

I work for a regionally-accredited university that has a traditional century-old campus, about 80 satellite campuses around the world, and online programs as well. Our school will not let professors teach online until they have taught at least a year in the classroom. The university is very diligent to ensure learning objectives and continuity outcomes are the same for each section whether it is taught traditionally over a full semester at the main campus or during an accelerated term here in DC or our overseas campuses or online delivery.

The satellite campuses in my area have classes on evenings and weekends, thus appealing to a working adult about 35-45 on average. When our classes are full, some students will opt for the online format. Unfortunately many students who perform quite well in the classroom do NOT do well in an online setting. It's not so much not knowing the technology, it seems to be an oral vs. written method of synthesizing information.

Central Michigan has an online program for a graduate certificate in HR.. check this one out:
http://global.cmich.edu/programs/deg...c=GCERT&cc=568

Definitely choose a reputable campus-based university that has online programs. As others have been saying, many colleges and universities are developing online programs. I teach for a small, private college, and most of the online classes are taught by the same professors as the on-campus sections.

The University of Minnesota - Crookston offers 100% online bachelors degrees in Health Management, Business Management, Applied Health and Information Technology Management, among others. It's a great school. It's like attending a private school, but you get a big-name university degree. Got to www.umcrookston.edu

This is a HUGE problem at my school also. If I knew then what I know now, I would have avoided the place altogether. I've taken classes mostly on campus but some online classes too and hated them. I can't learn that way but some folks can.

I don't know if Arizona State is an option for you PM_Mama00 because they've recently been advertising their online program here in the bay area. Might be worth looking into.
http://asuonline.asu.edu/

I think that has a lot to do with the majority of students who tend to be attracted to a for-profit institution. Many are bright and motivated, but they have a number of factors stacked against them: first generation college student, working concurrently with school, poor advisement because the only ones in their peer group going to school, and low standards for admission. Some for-profit schools don't require standardized tests scores like the GMAT for admission, so they are lowering the bar whereas those exams might have otherwise weeded or discouraged people who aren't well-suited to the rigors of those programs. Generally, the easier it is to get in, the harder it will be to stay in.

Nail-->head

This.

I went to what we could safely class as an "inner city" public high school in a major metro area. We constantly (as in two to three times a year) had hour long free info-mercial style presentations, in class, only from for-profit institutions. The reps went on and on about how traditional colleges "waste your time" with classes you don't need.

It annoyed me then, and it infuriates me now. Traditional colleges got a table in the library, no announcements of their presence, and no hall passes to go and talk to them.

What sort of message are we sending to those students? The message I got as a 17/18 year old was "You're not bright enough for real college" or "This is your only option" or "They'll never accept you". Despite the fact that a number of my peers went to Northwestern, the Air Force Academy, Gonzaga, Pitt, PSU, and a slew of other great SLACs...we only were able to do that by doing our own research, no advising help (Advisers were always available to send you to the military recruiters though.)

Ugh. Sorry. Major thread hijack.

Wow. Take a bow, PPS. That's hideous. I hope they've stopped that in light of all the shadiness that's been brought to the forefront about these schools.

I was going to recommend ASU as well. They are offering ALOT more programs online now then when I graduated 10 years ago (obviously).

Meh. Suze...she bugs me. And it really depends on what you go to school for. If I go back to school for nursing, I CAN make more money than I do now...more, in fact, than I currently make with two jobs. The investment will be about 8k. Not a bad investment, considering most people spend 2-3x that on a car that will be value-less in 10 years.

For profit schools are a scam, basically. Check out the Frontline PBS site for some info. "Educating Sergeant Panske" is one episode on there that deals with the issue; there are others as well.

Word! And...she's from Pittsburgh :)

These schools are notorious for preying on the poor. Just call off work one day and watch all the commercials on daytime TV. Get your Associates for only $40,000 and enter the workforce making $9/hr.

/hijack

It is truly hideous. None of my friends who went to suburban schools had this experience. I was lucky- my parents pushed my brother and I to go to college (as in: non-negotiable since we were in diapers) despite not having gone themselves. But not every kid had parents around riding their butts to turn in forms and essays and applications and show up on time to their SAT's and ACTs with calculators (hello, classmate, I'm looking at you and you're welcome for my spare calculator that I happened to have on ACT morning), and the school certainly wasn't there to guide anyone along the way.

I'm thinking about investigating becoming a Pittsburgh Promise mentor to see if I can help kids take more of a risk in getting in to college...broader horizons than Allegheny county and seeing that they truly can do well in a challenging environment, if they take the leap.

It just kills me, because I know so many kids I went to school with are resourceful, intelligent, hardworking people who never were offered the option of four-year college, where they would have done well. We were almost universally "for profit" or "community college then transfer!" or "try to get in to a satellite school first" tracked- never pushed to go for honors colleges, Ivy League, SLAC's, or other opportunities.

Slightly off subject, but wouldn't it fix a lot of problems with for-profit schools if they had to underwrite their own student loans or at least find some private entity to do so on their behalf? I have a big problem with these things leaching off of federally backed, non bankruptable loans.

Yes, it would. But I'm guessing some sort of law would have to be passed that doesn't exist at the present. One more instance (sort of) where legality hasn't caught up with technology.

Agreed.

There is an effort to pass laws to protect GI Bill recipients. Once you burn through your GI Bill, that's all you get. One year at a school like that will do it...That's the thing... In this Economy most will only get one chance to go to college, so if it's wasted on dropping out of an expensive school, that person may never get the chance to go back...

Basically they want them in the door, cash the check and then if they fail out, it's on them. The support is nothing like what is available on a traditional campus.

These schools can receive up to 90% of their funding from the government- grants and loans. So, basically, the government is subsidizing them and they are for-profit organizations pocketing millions.

I found this while searching for graduation rates, by the way, my schools rate is 29.2%

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...84764453_n.jpg

The table below shows the overall rank of the top 10 online schools.
http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/...ges/for-profit

Wow.