What to Look for in an Online Degree Program
The most important thing that you have to look for in an online degree program is that the school that you are planning to take classes with is properly accredited. This means that it needs to be regionally accredited. There are six different regional accrediting agencies across the country and they are the gold standard when it comes to accreditation. There are lots of different types of accreditation that a school can have but the only one that really matters is regional.
Another important factor that you will need to look at when you are choosing an online degree program is how the courses are delivered. There can be a huge variation here, some will have a rigid schedule that requires you to watch lectures and submit assignments at specific times while others will allow you to work at your own pace. Some courses will require that you take part in online chats while others will have no interaction at all. It will be up to you to decide which structure you like best.
It is also important to think about how you are going to write exams for your courses. This is why it is often a good idea to take your courses through a local school as you can usually write your exams there. There are some schools that have exam centers across the country but these are rare. If there is no local exam center you will need to arrange for a proctor to administer your exams which can be a major hassle.
For most people cost is going to be a major factor in choosing an online degree program. Some schools can be very expensive while your local state university is likely going to represent a pretty good value. When it comes to online degrees there is not a lot of benefit to taking an expensive degree so your best bet is to go with a school that is relatively inexpensive.
One last consideration when looking at an online degree program is the reputation of the school. There aren’t really any online schools that have a top reputation like Harvard or Yale so this is not really something to look at. There are however some online schools with a reputation that is not particularly good, this mainly applies to the ones that are heavily advertised. In general you will find that the best option in this regard is a local state university as they are well respected even if they don’t have a big time reputation.
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