Pursuing an Online Degree of Value

May 24th, 2008 • Filed Under

You’ve looked over this online degree idea and still have not convinced yourself that it is of good value. You have heard all of the stories about diploma mills, exam cheating, lack of accreditation, and money rip-offs. However for as many bad stories you have heard of, there are also the successful stories that give the online degree an image of value once more. You want to be careful that you are getting good value for your money because the online degree programs might have reduced costs but are still expensive. Here are a few suggestions to help you get the best value for your choice to earn an online degree:

Traditional colleges that offer resident classes as well as those for an online degree appear to have good value. Many of these will conduct their online classes via the cable television. When it is time to administer exams, the student will come in to a proctored location. The class itself is usually transferrable to other accredited institutions and degree programs. And, the good part about it is when you do finally get your degree, it will be from a traditional college with a long track record and no one will know that you did some or most of the coursework online.

Watch out for institutions having something to hide. One indication that the online degree program you are evaluating might have little value is in the professionalism of the institution. Just because it has a nice web site does not mean it is legit. Listen to your gut instinct on this one. If you send e-mails inquiring about their program and receive a slow response or if you try to phone them and they are never available or cannot take your calls then you should question the value of their education. Professional organizations have support conduits and responsive staff that will give you the information you need, quote you the price, have refund policies, and be available for support even after the sale.

Institutions having something to hide will place little value on accreditation. That’s because they could not even begin to pass an accreditation review. You can easily find information on unaccredited institutions and degree programs by using a Google search phrase like “unaccredited degree listings.”

The online institution seems to not require much work. What gives a degree value is not just the accreditation but the amount of work that goes into it. The unfortunate thing is that you will not be able to determine this until you are in the program. This is why a refund policy is important because you should have the option to back out if you see this degree may be of no value. If it seems like the facilitator (professor) for the online institution is just punching a ticket and requires little work then you should be suspicious.

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