Monday, 21 February 2011

An Online Degree Has Never Been Easier to Obtain

Online education is steadily gaining acceptance in the academic world and more people than ever are completing courses online, working toward a degree. Online education at the higher level is no longer looked down on by the rest of the academic world and more colleges and universities are offering online programs every day. In fact, there are now so many resources available to someone interested in earning a college degree online that they can be hard to keep track of. There are, however, a number of web sites that have been designed to provide something of a resource center for those interested in pursuing online education. The site http://www.get-online-degree.com is one of these and serves as a fantastic resource.
When searching for any online education program, of course, the prospective student will want to make sure that the school is properly accredited. Earning a degree from a school with a poor reputation or from a non-accredited university may not win you any points from prospective employers later in life. Web sites like http://www.get-online-degree.com help students by providing information about online degree opportunities and developments via posted articles, monthly E-zines, and other such methods designed to keep you informed.
Many schools already offer online degrees in several fields and it seems that more are always on the way. Some degrees that will probably never be attainable online (it would be impossible to complete all the required work for a medical degree online, for example) offer the opportunity to have at least some of its courses completed online.
Online degrees are going to become more common as time goes on. Online education will become easier to facilitate, is already less costly than running traditional classes, and will show a student's drive and initiative better than any other modern method of education, correspondence courses included. The world of online collegiate education is brave and new, evolving at a steady pace, as any relatively new concept will. Sites like http://www.get-online-degree.com help keep you informed of the changes that could affect you and your ability to earn your degree online.
Students today may be the first generation of those able to obtain their degrees online, but they will be looked back on as trailblazers. Thirty, fifty, even one hundred years from now when online education has evolved to the point where it is commonplace, perhaps required, those students will be afforded the chance to look back at the students of today and marvel at the differences in the educational system. They'll do this in the same way that today's students look at education in the fifties and sixties and can't believe how far we've come. And, of course, those attending school in the fifties and sixties looked back at the changes from the twenties and thirties.... And so on.

An Online Degree: Is It Worth Pursuing?

The online degree has grown in popularity and provides people with an option to continue their education while taking into consideration their personal life which might otherwise prevent them from completing a degree.
As a recruiter I have seen where non-post secondary graduates have suffered when compared to their counterparts who hold a college or university degree.
I have worked with companies who won't hire people who don't hold a university degree so not having one can certainly hold you back.
The rise of the Internet has of course opened up many new options for people and online education is just one of them.
I've read statistics that show that college and university graduates earn an average of 75% more income than high school graduates so certainly the value of a degree is obvious but what about a degree earned online?
I know a job searcher who I helped place in a large multinational corporation and she completed an online degree - a Masters in Business Administration - something she wouldn't have been able to do through a regular university because of her busy life.
As a single mother who was working she simply wouldn't have had the time to complete a regular degree during daytime hours so the online option worked for her.
Her example shows how pursuing an online degree can provide flexibility that a traditional university degree might not.
Since the degree that she ended up getting actually helped her get her next job, it was certainly something that paid immediate dividends and is something that will continue to pay her dividends into the future.
Here are some considerations regarding the online degree option that you might think about when deciding whether or not to pursue one:
Are you motivated enough?
People that pursue an online education must be self-motivated because you're not attending classes and do your work from home over the Internet. You don't have a professor or fellow classmates pushing you so you need to motivate yourself. Can you do this?
What is the quality of the school and program you're interested in?
The online degree option has a bit of a stigma attached because they are a relatively new learning option and many people might not fully understand how they are delivered. Plus, if you've ever received a spam email advertising an online degree (I received two such emails this week alone) you might be turned off by a product that advertises by spamming.
Like anything else in life, there are good and bad options so the key is to find a school and program that is well-regarded. Long-distance education isn't new but delivering it over the Internet is.
Long-distance education is simply just a different option for people to consider and an online degree is simply using the latest technology to deliver it.
Do you require flexibility in order to complete a degree?
If you have a family, attending classes during the day or evening might not be an option for you. Therefore, the flexibility that an online education offers you could be the option you need to continue your education but still keep the other parts of your life organized.
Are you already working and can't take the time off to complete a degree?
If you are already working and can't quit your job, the option of an online degree can be very tempting since you can often structure things so that you continue working as usual but complete your degree in your own time. You can't beat that!
Are you happy to work at your own pace?
One of the benefits that an online degree affords is something that will be very attractive to people that prefer to work to their own timetable and don't like the structure that traditional classroom learning dictates.
Some people might prefer to work to deadlines set by other people to keep them motivated and on track but pursuing an online degree enables you to finish your work at your own pace for the most part.
One of the things that people often complain about - especially after they've left school - is the rigidity of traditional educational outlets ie. going to classes at certain times, completing assignments by certain dates, traveling to and from school, etc.
Some people simply get used to working to more flexible schedules once they get into the work world and find that the thought of going back to school to pursue a traditional education defined by schedules that they didn't set up is difficult to imagine. For these and other people, an online degree is certainly an option that is worth at least looking at.
Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter. Carl has helped many job searchers find their dream career and would like to help clear up some of the job search myths that exist while helping job searchers avoid common job search mistakes that cost them jobs.
Visit Carl's website to find your dream career: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com
Ezine editors/Webmasters: Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website. Please don’t change any of the content and please ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URL. If you would like me to address any specific career topics in future articles, please let me know.

How Valuable Are Online Degrees?

This article looks at the current level of acceptance of online degrees by employers, and advises prospective students on comparing those available from the traditional institutions with those from the newer providers who offer only online degrees.
There are a wide range of benefits to be gained from undertaking online degrees. Because of this, the number of students enrolling in courses leading to online degrees has risen tremendously since the mid-1990s. The make-up of the student groups is as diverse and varied as for any site-based degree program you could wish to name.
Considering the traditional learning institutions, over two-thirds of them now offer online degrees, at either bachelor or master's level. So, how do employers' view those who have gained online degrees, whether at a graduate or a post-graduate level? And which type of institution is best suited to provide your qualification?
Realistically, the fundamental response to these questions is actually rather simple: in order to ensure that prospective employers take their online degrees seriously, those looking to enrol in them do need to carefully research their chosen field of study, and the institutions offering them, before starting on the lengthy (and, in some cases, costly) process of completing online degrees.
Sadly, this preliminary step of researching the institutions offering online degrees needs to be done because, though some of them do offer valuable accredited online degrees, others merely provide a poor substitute for more traditional study programs.
Studies reveal that three-quarters of employers' today view online degrees gained from established universities as being more valuable than those from universities that cater only for online degrees. Whether or not it is fair for them to make such sweeping judgements is debatable but is nevertheless a fact that has to be faced. Whether we care for it or not, employers are far more likely to know the name of an existing, traditional learning institute than that of a new learning institute established to provide only for online degrees.
The good news is that employers' recognition of online degrees obtained from the newer learning institutes is increasing as the profiles of these learning centers - and the online degrees they offer - rises.
Further evidence of this fact can be seen in the number of companies who are now offering their employees incentive schemes to undertake post-graduate online degrees. This may take the form of paying for their tuition fees and providing time-off for study, in much the same manner as has previously been provided for more traditional types of post-graduate programs.
The best news of all is that a recent survey shows 85% of employers saying that they would be willing to employ someone with an online degree. With this high level of acceptance the way is clear to making an online degree your next move.

What are the Price Considerations of Online Degrees?

In this article, we will discuss why considering online degree prices are so important and how you can benefit from this information.
Considering a degree online? If so, it makes sense to relate the pricing of degrees at the schools offered. Some online schools give you honest details of price of courses, while others are unrelenting. Those schools that withhold tuition fees are cynical, because it will make you question what the school is concealing.
For example, to receive a bachelor degree at CTU-Colorado Tech University in Criminal Justice you will shell out around $15,000 give or take. The university helps you find student loans, normally the Stafford loans, Sally Mae, or other associating loans. One of the difficulties I noticed with this university is they are hesitant to help you find Pell grants and/or scholars. They may send out pieces of information, but as far as the financial staff go into with prudence. Of course, you should advance with caution while considering degrees in all areas.
Still, paying the fee for a bachelors differ because some online schools offer associates, which are priced around $1000. Still, the cost is more reasonably priced and an associate degree will land you a career working with the criminal justice system and courts. You can also work in the police management area or law enforcement. Additionally, the degree will land you a status in police study and psychology, security and criminal prevention, or also the juvenile department systems.
A Bachelors degree will bring the same appeal or job positions nevertheless you can work in other areas of the law where you may not be able to work in with merely an Associates degree.
Few universities and online schools are costly. The programs are equivalent to familiar colleges; however, the schools may not help to get you government or federal grants, which could assist you and your family while attending school. Therefore, thinking about online degree pricing is necessary to save money and land the career you want.
We hope that you have gained a little more knowledge concerning the pricing of online degrees presented in the first half of this article. The next part of the article should make online degrees more apparent.
At Colorado Tech you can learn skills and expertise in correctional solutions, official aspects of criminal justice divisions, administration of policymaking, law enforcement and community, laws of evidence in criminal courts, courts in Juvenile divisions, history of law and crime, criminal American procedures, white-collar criminal acts, breakdown of crime scenes, forensic behavior analytical skills and crimes investigated. Students can also take the benefit of the certificates which help you move ahead in education and guiding you nearer to your online degree. The certificates presented include lawful studies and court processing, correctional technician, crime scene examination, and law enforcement proficiency.
As you can see the degree verses the rest present a bit more yet Penn criminal justice degrees have a different scheme. A number of the supplies presented at the schools include textbooks, guides, and supplements. CTU online presents tools for increasing study time, such as Microsoft Works 2000 Professional software and other tools to manage your curriculums.
At any rate, earning a degree in criminal justice may produce rewards in some areas but for the most part working in the law division will only reward you around $26,000 per year. Thinking about that, you are paying around $15,000 for a bachelor degree. You may want to compare the cost to decide if the degree is worth your valuable time.
Other degrees online include healthcare, business and technology. The three listed degrees present a successful outlook because all three industries are on the rise. The new revolutionized developments coming into play make it doable to earn far more than $26, 000 annually. In addition, the careers achieved with these degrees poses less risks. Law enforcement is likely to get into the field of protect and serve but after working for a while, they turn over to control and empower. How thankless this can be for these people with selfish gain in mind.
Therefore, not only is cost a factor when thinking about online degrees, self-esteem, humanity, confidence, dignity, and other aspects are essential as well.
The industries are rising in numerous areas, thus if you are thinking about online degrees, do not only think about pricing rather think about what the degrees can reward you with in the end. Again technology, healthcare and trade are on the increase, which will payoff any school fees quickly and establish overhead.
As they say, knowledge equals power, so continue to read information on this topic until you feel you are adequately educated on the pricing of online degrees.

Learn About Earning an Online Degree and the Advantages

After reading this article concerning online degrees, you should be able to make a wise decision on whether an online degree is for you. You should be able to help your friends with the amount of knowledge you will have gained on this online degree information.
Online degrees show the way to many rewards because students can use the training toward a career. Online universities allow students to earn a degree selecting from more than a hundred of degrees online, consisting of Certificates, Six Sigma Cert, Masters, Bachelors, Doctrines, PhD, and Diplomas. The advance online education universities facilitate students to choose at what time they will take curriculums and where they want to take the classes. Students can earn degrees in three years or less. In addition online universities propose flexible schedules and pay plans making online degrees more to your development. The universities facilitate students to choose their own time for learning and to go to classes.
Institution of higher online education schools has a tendency to be less trying, operating around schedules and pay plans. From time to time if the student is behind schedule on assignments, the schools allow grants for extra time.
Added online degrees comprise of commerce, healthcare and information technology. The degrees offer a flourishing prospect, because all three businesses are rising. The new-fangled renew growths near-term make it capable to earn a wealth of money annually. What's more, the vocations completed with the degrees pose the possibility of losing.
Going through the rest part of this article, you will be able to see just how important the online degrees can be too many people.
The manufacturing areas in many fields are growing, for that cause if you are taking into consideration online degrees take into account which degrees can reward you. Once more, healthcare, technology and business are on the rise which will promptly pay quiet money to any schooling costs. Considering the outcome of earning a degree online as greatly so as considering about the kind of degree you want to achieve.
Think about; criminal justice degrees are obtainable at the online educational programs. Thinking about this degree, we see the choices of studying about law, courts, juvenile courts, politics, government, correctional justice, regulations, society and ethnics, moral, history of law, crime and other areas of learning come together while earning a degree in this field.
You pay around $15,000 at few online universities to earn a degree in this field. At some online schools, you can get away with an associate degree which offers comparable qualifications in the workplace, paying only a thousand for the degree. Nevertheless, once you complete the degree and choose to work in the law enforcement, most times, you will earn fewer than $30,000 per year, and be in danger at all times.
In comparison, you can imagine that it will take you longer overall to repay your school costs, yet it will occur. On the other hand, you can choose a degree in the healthcare industry. You can shell out about $15,000 for a bachelor's in healthcare management. On the other hand, perhaps somewhere an online school is proposing healthcare management courses for less, say around $2000. Throughout the course of earning your degree somewhere in between, you can establish work in the healthcare industry. You may begin as an intern, but slowly work into a specialist in the healthcare industry.
During your first year as an intern, you may make around $30,000 or more annually. During your first specialist year in the workplace, you may earn more than $60,000 annually. After you move ahead, you will begin making more in the industry. As you can see in the first year, you paid for your degree twice and made no income expenses. However, after the next year of work after the IRS finishes getting their cut, you have more than doubled your money and paid for the time you used up going to online universities.
Thus, what is the gain of earning a degree in a field where your earnings seldom increases? Sure, you can land a paying job in particular fields that propose better wages, but still is the time really worth it? Is your life really worth it?
As you can see, what is inside you factors into earning a degree on or offline? If you want to become a law official then the low annual gross earnings won't concern you. On the other hand, if you want to earn big cash at your work, then certain online degrees are more to your benefit than other online degrees have to offer.

Online Degree Programs is The Easiest Way to Earn a Bachelor Degree

The extensive development and enhancement of internet technology leads to the rapid growth of online education. Today, when you want to pursue a bachelor degree, you can do it easily through internet or online. Internet is an excellent mode to reach out to more and more people seeking bachelor's degree.
Online degree programs are increasing in popularity and creditability, more and more prestigious colleges and universities offer complete online degree programs taught by the same faculty who teach in their classrooms. Subject areas range from business to nursing, degrees from Bachelor to MBAs and Ph.Ds.
Online degree programs are designed with busy individuals
Before the introduction of online degree programs, if you are a working individual who want to pursue a bachelor degree, you need to on hold your current life and resign from your current job for 1 to 2 years in order to earn your bachelor degree from college or university. But now, not any more, the availability of online degree program has enabled you to earn your bachelor degree online while continue or maintain with your current life style. The online degree program provides you with self-paced, guided and independent study degree courses and can help you continue with studies in spite of you being busy with your jobs.
It is further beneficial to married women who need to tend to their household and take care of their children. Bachelor degree can be attained in the privacy and comfort of your home and can be done along with taking care of your kids.
Among the top online universities
There are many universities and colleges offer online degree program, among the top prestigious online universities which you can consider to pursue your online bachelor degree are:
  • University of Phoenix
  • AIU Online
  • Baker Online
  • Capella University Online
  • Colorado Technical University Online
  • ITT Technical Institute Online
  • Westwood College Online
One of the important factors to be considered before enrolling for an online degree program is accreditation. Only colleges or universities licensed by state provide accredited online degree programs. Remember, a bachelor degree from an established, accredited or state licensed university can increase your remuneration as well as make you a more qualified applicant for any employer.
Summary
The internet has changed human life style; it also enables a busy people like you and me an easiest way to earn our degree online. The online degree program has farfetched benefits like getting promotions at work. And it is also beneficial to the employers as they are able to fill top positions of their company with candidates who have been working with them over a period of time and who now have advanced their educations.

Do You Know These CRITICAL Signs of Online Degree Frauds?

Very few people would disagree that online education is now becoming a very lucrative business. As it continues to grow scammers are not having a field day cheating honest and desperate folks out of their hard-earned money.
If you are interested in online degree you should be careful so as not to fall for these many online type of degree scams. The scammers that sell fake online kind of degree programs and degrees send millions of emails and even pay good money to advertise their dubious offers.
Many people have fallen victims of these kinds of online degree scams and have lost thousands of dollars in the process. Apart from the thousands of dollars they have also wasted their time, only to find out months or even years later that they had been scammed.
If you want to prevent falling for such scams, below are some of the common signs of such degree scams:
- Be wary of any online type degree site that allow you to negotiate your GPA and tuition fees.
- Be wary of any online kind of degree site that also allows you to pay for honors designation, such as all flavors of cum laude).
- Be wary of any online degree site that require payment or a resume listing work experience, without any coursework.
- Be wary of any online or internet degree site that charge you tuition on a per-degree basis.
- Be wary of any online type of degree site that have names that are knock-offs of well-known colleges and universities.
Such fraudulent online degree awarding sites have sold fake degrees and diplomas to thousands of people. According to a recent article on MSN, "The biggest, by far, is called the 'San Moritz Group' since 'University of San Moritz' was the first of the 12 names they have used (others: Harrington, Shelbourne, Glencullen, Palmers Green, Kingsfield)," says Bear, who, from 1979 to 1990, was also a consultant to an FBI task force on degree mills.
"I have reliable information (from a person who works there) that they have sold 70,000 diplomas, including medical, in four years, with revenues of more than $150 million." The group churns out 5 million to 10 million e-mails a week and has sold about 70,000 degrees over the last four years, he says.
Don't fall for such online degree scams. Any time you receive an email spam promising you "University Diplomas/Bachelor degree in 30 days or less" simply delete the email because it is nothing more than an online or internet degree scam!
Follow the above tips and use your common sense before enrolling for or paying for any online degree program or online degree.

Do You Know the Answer to This Critical Online Degree Question?

In this article I will cover a very important concern that has been raised by those who are doing or interested in doing an online degree.
The question I have always heard asked is-
"Will one be at a disadvantage when the time comes for applying for a graduate program or job... after one has he completed his or her online degree program?"
It will not be enough to just say YES or NO. In this article I will go deeper and tell you what you need to know regarding whether or not your online degree will be accepted. To give more credence to my answer, I will use real-life statistics to support it.
In a recent article I read that:
John Bear, co-author of "The Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning," surveyed 1,200 randomly selected registrars across the country to help answer part of this question. (He picked them all from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers member list.) Of the 330 useful replies, 92% accepted online-only degrees (compared with 100% acceptance for traditional 4-year offline degrees).
Of the 8% who indicated they may not accept online degrees, most said they'd review the online program on a case-by-case basis. "Almost no one said they absolutely wouldn't accept them," Bear says.
Most importantly, many of the online colleges or universities offering online degrees do not state on the degrees or transcripts whether it is an online degree or offline degree. In other words, they do not 'distinguish' between the degrees earned online and those earned offline. To them, all the degrees are the same!
To authenticate this, listen to what a spokesman for the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business said- "Someone with an undergraduate degree from an online program would be treated the same as other applicants... Online degrees are not seen as a 'flag' on someone's application.
This goes to show you that you should have no fear about the acceptance of your online degree... if you got it from an accredited online university or college.
In short, no one will know whether you got the online degree from an online university or from an offline university.
Even employers have no problem with online degrees, so far as they are gotten from accredited online colleges and universities. In a recent article, I discovered that Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart Stores and Intel Corp. all indicated that they would accept online degrees... so long as they were from accredited institutions!
Going further the article said, "Wal-Mart also indicated that it uses online learning for in-house training. Intel, in fact, has partnered with Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., to offer an online MBA program tailored just to Intel employees".
So, you should have absolutely no fear about whether your online degree will be accepted by employers or by other educational institutions.
It will be accepted so long as you got it from accredited online universities and colleges.
But note that it is not enough for the university or college to be accredited. You also need to carefully check and verify that the accrediting agency is recognized by either the U.S. Dept of Education or Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

A Guide To Online Degrees - Advantages of Earning A Degree Online

The online degree's unique features have made it a popular learning mode for busy professions to earn their degree for career advancement. The online degree programs are growth rapidly and is a today's learning trends and the best alternatives for traditional class-based learning. What are these features that bring the advantages that made online degree program a choice for many online students?
Let review some key advantages of earning a degree online:
1. Study Anywhere

The online degree programs allow the student to study from home or any place they like as long as they have access to internet. This is the key advantages that many online students see it and decide to go for online degree program than the traditional college program.
Many people after starting their working life have many commitments to take care: job, family, children education, home mortgage, car loan repayment & etc. It gets harder to go back to school to get our University degrees as quitting our current job is almost impossible and holding your current life style just to go ahead with a college degree is another "No-No" decision. Online degree programs which enable us to study from anywhere match perfectly with our need of getting a degree without giving up our job and lifestyle. That's why many busy people like us choose to pursue our degree online.
2. Flexibility
Your busy working schedule sometimes makes you hard to fit a regular schedule for certain routine. In addition, your job may require you to frequently travel to other locations or countries. This means attending regular classes like what is needed in traditional college learning will be your road block to stop you from go ahead with your degree earning. Flexibility of online degree program that allow you to plan your learning schedule at your own pace is one of key decision for busy working people to go for knowledge enhancement and getting their degree for career advancement.
3. Saving Money

You have the ability to study from home and you don't have to commute. Since you don't have to commute you save money on gas, which is become a huge issue now that gas prices are soaring. Most of learning materials are supplied in electronic texts which will save you some money needed to buy the printed text books. Comparatively, online degree program's tuition fees are lower as compare to traditional degree courses.
4. Earn More Than One Degree At The Same Time

If you can manage your time properly, you can earn more than one degree offer by difference universities through their online degree programs. If you have a degree on your career related field, you are at a better position when goes for career advancement or job promotion as compare to your other colleagues. And if you have more than one degree on the related knowledge that needed for your moves, you will have a better chance to success when come to educational background assessment by the employers or bosses.
In summary, study online gives your many advantages over a traditional college program and it is designed especially for busy working professions to earn their degrees using the enhance internet technology. But, the fact is, not all online students successfully complete their online degree program. There are some characteristics that you need to have in order to success in online study. Check out whether an online degree program is right for you in our next article, "A Guide To Online Degrees - How to be A Success Online Student"

A Guide To Online Degrees - Considering Online Degree Pricing

The same online degree program offered by different online universities may vary in pricing; the difference may due to a few factors, among these are the types of curriculum and total credit hours to complete the program. If you are considering in earning your degree online, it's make sense for you to compare the pricing of degrees at the schools offered and select the best online degree program that meet your education goal and targeted budget. This article will outline a few factors to consider when you compare the price of the same online degree program offered by different schools. Let review them one by one:
Tuition Fee
Tuition fee is the amount the school charges to take a course. At some programs tuition is the only cost. Other programs add technology and other miscellaneous costs. When getting the price of an online degree programs. You need to check with the admission department on their tuition fees, are the fees purely the cost of the courses or it includes other costs and any other hidden cost that may incur other than the said costs. After know all the details of the courses' prices, you can compare the price of the online degree program offered by different online universities.
Campus Residencies
The same online degree program from different online universities may have different course requirement. Some online degree programs are offered 100% online, whereas, others require campus residencies. Factor in the cost of attending these physical residencies to your total cost of your selected online degree program before making your pricing comparison.
Financial Aid Package

The online university may charge slightly higher fee on their tuition but it comes with an attractive financial aid package. Some online universities may help you find student loans, generally the Stafford loans, Sally Mae, or other relating loans; or help you to apply for Pell grants and/or other scholars. You may factor in these points when you considering your online degree pricing.
Marketable Degree

If you purpose of earning an online degree is for career switch or get a job promotion, then your must consider the marketability of your degree. For example, you plan to earn an online MBA and you are considering a few offers from universities. Some online MBA program may cost more that others but the job market statistics data shows that the degree-to-career ratio is higher then other universities, it means that more employers like to hire graduates from this university and you will have a better chance to get employed if you are holding a degree from this university. You may need to consider the ROI (Return On Investment) of your online degree program when deciding which online degree program to enroll in.
In Summary

The online degree program with the lowest sticker price may not be the best buy and the most expensive online degree program may not be your best choice. Besides considering the price, you need to carefully review curriculums covered by the degree program with the factors mentioned above in order to determine the true cost of earning an online degree.