Online Education Degree

Online Education Degree is a directory of universities and colleges offering online education degrees.

Online Education Degree provide necessary information and resources for college students and working professionals that are pursuing online masters degrees. It is intended to simplify the process of searching for the right college, university, executive business school or MBA program. You will also find information about graduate degree financing and scholarships.

Online Education Benefits

Distance Learning Defined
Distance Learning is generally defined as instructional delivery that does not require the student to be in a face-to-face situation with the instructor or fellow classmates. Most importantly, distance learning allows geographically dispersed individuals and groups to come together for the purpose of learning and sharing experiences.

Growing in Popularity & Acceptance
The growing usage of the Internet and related audio and video technologies are speeding the adoption of distance learning courses. Online classes often combine the use of video tapes, audio tapes, the Internet, printed materials, or a combination of all of these approaches. Research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that the number of college students enrolled in distance-learning courses will reach 2.2 million in 2002, up from 710,000 in 1998. Online learners comprise 15 percent of all higher education students, which represents a 5 percent increase from 1998.

Why Online Education?

Today's workforce is growing more and more educated. In fact, a diploma from a higher knowledge institute is practically mandatory in this century's best jobs. But where do busy professionals find the time to complete their collegiate needs? In modern society, time seems to be the most precious commodity. In the past, professionals were forced to choose between family, a career, or school. That was until online education made it possible for students to complete their education without having to sacrifice their family and career time. Distance education recognizes that conventional methods of teaching are less than acceptable for the non-traditional student. Time and scheduling constraints, the high costs of tuition, and inflexible academic requirements are just a few of the many obstacles online education can help students overcome.

At Online Education Degree, we provide direction to students with the requisite skills and knowledge to enable them to take their rightful place in the world-with unlimited opportunity for career advancement and personal growth.

Online Education Benefits
Research studies have consistently found that distance learning classrooms report similar effectiveness results vis-à-vis traditional classroom methods. Research studies have also indicated that student attitudes about distance learning are generally positive and employers are receptive to supporting employees that pursue degrees via distance education. Some of the major benefits of online education include:

1. Learning can happen anywhere at anytime - at your convenience.
2. You can learn at a pace that is comfortable and reasonable for you.
3. You do not have to wait until the beginning of a quarter or semester to begin your studies - start your program on your timetable.
4. Distance learning degrees are available in a wide array of subjects and at a large number of schools, increasing your educational options.
5. Course materials are tailored to meet the needs of the online student.
6. Programs faculty dedicate a substantial amount of time to meeting the educational needs of their students.
7. One-on-one time with instructors is commonplace for students that require it.
8. Many schools make tutors available for more difficult subjects. In many cases, these individuals are drawn from the best and brightest in the country on the respective topic.
9. Courses prepare students for a wide range of qualifications and professional certifications (e.g. CPA, MBA, RN, etc.)
10. Online education is more affordable than you might think and financial aid and scholarships are available just as they are for on-campus students.
11. There is a substantial amount of collaboration among students, either by meeting locally or online, so that you can share experiences, work on group projects and learn from each other.
12. Courses are often tailored to meet the needs of your specific position or career objective.
13. Many employers financially support employees that are pursuing online degrees (i.e. tuition reimbursement programs).

The site also includes recommendations about how to be a productive and disciplined distance learning student. Also you will find information regarding online degree options, admissions, course schedules, college tuition and more.

Please select from the masters degree categories below for listings of universities and colleges offering online masters degrees in accounting, business administration, education, international business, management, HR management, nursing/health care and technology.

1. What is Distance Learning?

Distance learning is any learning that takes place with the instructor and student geographically remote from each other. Distance learning may occur by surface mail, video, interactive or cable TV, satellite broadcast, or any number of Internet technologies such as message boards, chat rooms, and desktop video or computer conferencing.

2. What Is Accreditation?
Accreditation is any form of independent review of educational programs for the purpose of helping to establish that the learning offered is of a uniform and sound quality.

3. Why Might Accreditation Be Important?
Accreditation of an online university may be important if you seek to have a public record of your learning that will be widely accepted by employers, professional associations, and other colleges and universities.

4. What Kind of Accreditation Should I Look for in an Online College?
In the United States the most widely recognized form of accreditation for degree-granting programs comes from the regional accreditation boards. Harvard University is regionally accredited. Ohio University is regionally accredited. Stanford University is regionally accredited. Indiana State University is regionally accredited ... and so on. When people ask if you have attended an "accredited university" in the United States, they most commonly mean a regionally accredited university.

5. What Are the Names of the Regional Accreditation Boards?
Each of the 6 geographic regions of the United States has a non-governmental agency that oversees, reviews, and accredits degree-granting institutions that are headquartered in their territories. The 6 regional accreditation boards are:

MSA--Middle States Association
NASC--Northwest Association of Schools & Colleges
NCA--North Central Association of Colleges & Schools
NEASC--New England Association of Schools & Colleges
SACS--Southern Association of Colleges & Schools
WASC--Western Association of Schools & Colleges
These 6 boards are seen as equal in each other's eyes and the eyes of academics for the purpose of transferring credits or degree status from one college to another. There is no better or worse among these 6 agencies. Regionally accredited colleges recognize degrees and credits earned at each other's institutions as equal to their own.

6. What Are the Advantages of Attending a Regionally Accredited College?
A major benefit of earning credits or degrees at regionally accredited colleges is that credits or degrees earned at one regionally accredited university are generally fully accepted in transfer by other regionally accredited colleges. Credits and degrees earned at non-regionally accredited universities are not commonly accepted in transfer by regionally accredited institutions.

7. What Other Types of Accreditation Are Widely Recognized in the United States?
The Distance Education & Training Council (DETC) is a nationally recognized accreditation agency for distance learning colleges. The DETC accredits over 70 institutions that sponsor home study programs of all types. While the DETC is a recognized accrediting agency, credits and degrees earned at DETC colleges are not yet widely accepted in transfer by regionally accredited colleges.

8. What About Programmatic Accreditation?
Sometimes academic departments within colleges and universities seek special accreditation for their programs. Careers that are regulated by state or national licensing boards may require students to attend college departments that hold special accreditation. For example, many teacher licensing boards require that students earn their education degrees from colleges whose education departments are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. State bar or lawyer licensing exam agencies may require applicants to hold degrees from law schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). For a list of recognized programmatic accreditation agencies, visit the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

9. What Is a Diploma Mill?
A diploma mill is the name given to any university that operates primarily to make money or issue degrees/credentials without any thought to insuring that an education occurs. Diploma mills literally crank or "mill out" paper diplomas to anyone who applies and sends them the requested "tuition" amount -- generally a lump sum of about $2,000 -- though sometimes much more.

In many states there exists no regulation of the term "college" or "university." This means that you, or anyone else, might legally declare you a university and begin issuing degrees any day of the week. (A frightening thought, eh?)

Diploma mills have existed for decades. They often operate out of phone boiler rooms with high-pressure telemarketers who follow up e-mail requests and Web site visits with an aggressive enrollment approach via the telephone. Some of these diploma mills have been in operation for decades. Like telephone scams, they avoid prosecution by changing the state(s) they operate in from time to time and by locating themselves in states or foreign countries with the lamest educational laws.

Diploma mills prey on people's lack of knowledge and confusion about accreditation. One favorite trick that works time and again for diploma mills is that they advertise widely as being "fully accredited" or "nationally accredited" or "accredited worldwide." They advertise heavily in magazines, on the Internet in newsgroups, and at impressive looking Web sites. The trick here is that are indeed "accredited" -- but it is by unrecognized agencies -- often by bogus accrediting agencies that they themselves have created.

10. Are All Degree-Granting Universities those are Unaccredited or Accredited by Unrecognized Agencies Also Diploma Mills?
No. There are colleges and universities with distance degree programs that are not accredited by any recognized agency that are not diploma mills. These programs have opted not to seek regional or DETC accreditation for their own reasons -- often because they object to the standards or procedures that traditional accreditation implies in the United States. Often these colleges teach subjects that may not be readily taught at a "traditionally accredited" university -- subjects like extra-sensory perception or animal acupuncture, for example. It is possible to get a very good education at some of these unaccredited universities, but their coursework and degrees remain unrecognized by regional or DETC accredited colleges.

11. What Questions Should I Ask About Accreditation to Protect Myself?
Are Your Accredited?
If So, Whom Are You Accredited By?
Is the accrediting agency in question a recognized agency? Remember that accreditation by unrecognized agencies is a common ploy of online diploma mills! In the United States, the Council for Higher Education is the agency that oversees legitimate accrediting agencies. CHEA maintains a directory of recognized accrediting agencies at their Web site.

Make Sure You Understand the Kind of Accreditation You Personally Need
Does the kind of accreditation the colleges have meet your personal and career needs?

If In Doubt, Verify the Accreditation
Check the official independent guide to such matters: The American Council on Education's "Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education." This annual official guide does not lie. This guide can be found in any college library or at any accredited college's Registrar's Office. (The Registrar is the person who checks this sort of thing before granting you admission or transfer credit status at any regionally accredited college in the United States.)

12. Can't I Just Use the Internet to Find a Good Virtual University?
Absolutely Not. Much of the information on the Internet is not filtered or fact-checked. Web sites are not checked with any scrutiny to determine if the site is operating from a scam or legitimate position. Anyone can create a Web site and submit their URL to a master Web directory or engine for indexing. To complicate matters the .edu (education) domain extension on Web and e-mail addresses is not regulated at present either. Do not be misled into thinking that a Web site or e-mail message that has .edu at the end of it MUST be a real educational institution!

For these reasons, you cannot assume that because a university has a Web page listed at a popular online site, like Yahoo! or AltaVista, that this fact alone "legitimizes" the college and what it has to offer. You must carefully scrutinize all information that is available on the Internet in order to protect yourself from fraud or from investing in an education that may not meet your personal needs.

13. Do you have any recommendations for being a better online student?
The following are some tips that that may help improve study skills and organization for distance learners.

• Thoroughly research the course online prior to registering. Course syllabuses are generally posted on the school's website and can provide you with important information regarding required time, materials, group work, etc. At that point, you can make an informed decision about taking the course and dedicate the appropriate amount of time. The syllabus will also inform you about course objectives, calendar, textbooks used, assignments, the professor's background, etc. It is an important document that you will refer to throughout the term.
• Be sure to identify what will be required of you in terms of computer hardware and software before enrolling in a particular course. Access to a VCR, fax machine, email and web access are "must-have" items for many online classes, so be sure to check the requirements up front.
• Broadband web access (e.g. DSL or cable modem) may be a worthwhile investment, given the amount of online coursework required or time spent researching online or chatting with team members.
• Dedicate a fixed amount of time each day for your online coursework. Distance learning does provide schedule flexibility, but academic work is required and you will have regular assignments to complete and submit to your instructors.
• Keep yourself as organized as possible. Set educational objectives and maintain a calendar throughout the months of the course to ensure you are completing assignments on a timely basis.
• Try and avoid interruptions during the times you have set aside for your online study. Find locations that work best for you, in terms of maximizing your productivity, such as a local library.
• Keep in regular contact with your instructor. Don't hesitate to ask questions or request some one-on-one time to review coursework, assignments or progress being within your team (often referred to as "Cohorts").
• Make the most of your time with fellow team members. They make good study partners and are generally a good resource when preparing for exams.
• Discuss your progress and ask for regular feedback from your professor. 

Financial Aid for the Distance Learner

Locating funding for graduate school can be a difficult task - for both campus students and distance learners. Fortunately however, a variety of financial aid resources are available for online education students and the process, in terms of financial aid applications, works basically the same as on-campus students. Many of the same student loan programs, including the Federal Stafford Loan Program, are available for both on-campus and online education programs.

As a first step, students should check with the school to which you are applying in the event that they offer direct financial aid programs. Even if this is not the case, student loans are available in most cases. In fact, graduate students can borrow as much as $18,500 via the Federal Stafford Loan program. Free sources of funding are also available for students willing to spend some time doing research. Here are some financial aid recommendations to get you started on the right track:

1. Contact the graduate admissions office at the school to which you are applying. They may have tuition assistance, work study programs or scholarships available.

2. The Federal Government is the provider of most financial aid in the United States (70% annually, worth approximately $61 billion in 2000-2001). This is assistance in the form of loans, grants and work study programs. Age is not a restriction when it comes to Federal financial aid. To get started, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This can be completed online and is also available for free at all accredited school's financial aid offices. Your school's financial aid office should be able to assist you with this form if you have any questions.

3. Private schools may offer their own grants or scholarships. Some US states also offer grants. Check with your local department of labor to educate yourself about such opportunities. If you are short on time, there are also a number of scholarship search services available that can help you locate funding sources for your degree.

4. Check with your local city, county or state government office about available tuition assistance programs. These may take the form of job "retraining" programs, especially if you have recently been laid-off.

5. Research the Federal Income Tax Credits for Education. The Hope Scholarship, for example, is a tax credit worth up to $1,500.