Online Degrees

Junior00

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Since work is offering to pay, I'm thinking of going back to school. The only caveat is that due to my schedule, this would require me to take an online only course. I've been researching by cross-referencing schools from the U.S. accreditation database with a peer reviewed list and am narrowing down schools within by my particular field of interest. I do have 2 semesters worth of credits but highly doubt they will transfer.

That said, any of you who have any or all experience with this type of coursework, would you mind posting up? I'll take all the info I can get, especially those willing to divulge where they attended, their major, and current geographical location/job, amount of time spend on coursework, etc.

Currently, I make good money (~70k+OT) and have full benefits/company sponsored retirement but I want more. I don't plan on moving from my current area, just moving up and will have the opportunity where I am currently as the entire crop of administration above me is nearing retirement, but competition is growing the longer I wait.

Current schools on the list: (There are many more but I haven't researched them all yet)

Temple U (Fox)
Penn St. (World Campus)
Boston U
U of W. Ga (It's local and highly ranked)
U of Tx

What say you?:beer:
 

usaf_eagle

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University of Phoenix here. I like it, but the whole online thing can be frustrating. They're not "professors", they're "facilitators". Oh well. My deployments don't allow me to go to a brick and mortar.
 

KurtDog

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I have no experience with online degrees but they are gaining in the credibility department. Many of the managers I have dealt with have their bachelors from brick and mortar schools and earn their Masters online while working full time. Generally once they complete their extra education they get a raise and a new title.

My only advise is make sure your investment in time and money will pay off before starting. Talk with your manager or whoever you report to and let them know your reasons for going to school and how it will benefit them and what you might expect once you complete your education. They might have a good idea on what they want you to focus on and how it will benefit you and the company.

With that being said, if they are willing to foot the bill there should not be anything stopping you from doing it. The more education you have the better you look to an hr department and anyone who would want to hire you.

In general, even with online degrees, name brand recognition still holds water. So the better the name, the better it will look on your resume.
 

yelostang

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I've been taking online classes for the last few years and so far I like the experience. I was in a similar boat as far as finding something that worked around my schedule... I traveled a little bit at my last job. Doing it online helped me continue when I switched jobs, and moved locations. My program is ABET accredited and is a professional program by Johns Hopkins.
 

Almighty-One

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My mother got her masters at University of Phoenix and loved it, and also got her Phd online.

I say go for it, especially if work is paying for it
 

Junior00

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After more searching, I'm leaning towards Penn State's World Campus. The degree is the same as I would receive if I attended Penn State on campus, and the courses are inclusion based with both on and off campus participants. That and it is a good school. While I've never been a fan, I do realize they offer some excellent programs in the area which I will likely major.

As far as the tuition, as I said, work will pay as long as I pass my courses. I don't foresee that as a problem, as I have ample time to do the coursework in my evenings here at work and on my 4 days off. I do hope that instructors are readily available and I don't have ridiculous deadlines. I assume there will be mandatory participation via some type of online forum, though how much and how often I do not know. Guess I should make some calls/message and see what I'm getting into.
 

Junior00

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My mother got her masters at University of Phoenix and loved it, and also got her Phd online.

I say go for it, especially if work is paying for it

I've heard many good things about them. I will take a look at what they have to offer. How long did it take to get her Doctorate and in what field if you don't mind my asking?
 

10fore

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For some people the transition to online based learning can be a rather difficult adjustment, as the classes are, for the most part, super condensed. The classes that I am taking are 8 weeks long with a week in between each semester. You need to be very self-motivated and driven in order to do well in the online realm, as there are no study groups or face to face interactions to aid you throughout the class. It took me a couple of weeks to adjust, as I was used to the brick and mortar setup, but once I got the hang of it, I found out that I really enjoy it. I still prefer attending in a physical classroom, but since I am consumed by work, this is a happy medium. This semester I am actually coupling the online classes with night and weekend classes as well.
 

Dbzguy

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Been thinking of going back myself and doing it all online as well. I dont have the time to go to a realworld school and everything is done online now anyways so should be easy to adjust to.
 

lobra97

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If youre going to go all the way through and do Bach,Masters,etc yes. If you plan on transferring to your local Univ I'd say do your research. Ex gf did that with high hopes of transferring and didnt check. She ended up being told since its an out of state college her credits would not transfer toward her Bach so she spent $20k for an assoc degree and would have yo start over if she wanted to transfer or do another $20k to finish her Bach there with them. Careful...
 

VENOM1

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I have worked in the education field for the past 8 years so allow me to shed some light on what you need to know.........

1. The number one thing you need to be sure of is the level of accreditation the school holds. Please ensure that the school is Regionally Accredited.

2. The main difference between a traditional university (Penn State) and a true online university (University of Phoenix) is the total length of time it will take you to complete your degree. Please remember that the traditional university student takes 5 1/2 years to complete their bachelors degree whereas schools like University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University and Colorado State University - Global Campus have the ability for you to complete a bachelors in about 3 years. The three year mark is accomplished through taking more than one class at a time and the classes last between 5 1/2-11 weeks in length whereas traditional universities are on a 17-17 1/2 week class schedule.

3. In today's day and age a bachelors degree is the equivalent to what an associates was 10 years ago. Go straight through to your MBA/MS program to ensure that you can never be turned down for a possible promotion due to your education level. Moreover, when going straight through I am a firm believer in showing diversity with your education so if you decide to attend PSU for your undergraduate program then move over to CSU, GCU or U of P for your master's.

If you have questions or need help choosing a college feel free to PM me.
 

Planter

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Online classes have their ups and downs. no classroom to attend, no attendance policy, you pretty much choose when to do your work within a certain time frame, you can open more time in your day to get other things done since you dont physically have to leave home, drive to school, and walk halfway across campus to a class. however that is a double edged sword because if you arent disciplined enough to sit down and actually do the reading and the the work and study for the tests on your own, then you defeat the purpose.

I had two classes in college that were online. Marketing and AutoCAD. i did well in my marketing class got a B+ but my other 3 classes while taking my AutoCAD online class were so project intensive my final semester I couldnt find time to do my AutoCAD assignments and had to drop the online class, but the class was not a req for my degree or a priority so it worked out. I went to Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. I took 12 credit hours per semester. My degree was in Digital Media Communication with a minor in Art.

Online classes take more dedication and self-discipline. just things to weigh when making this decision. good luck!
 
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10splaya22

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I just graduated last May but am looking to get an MBA to go with my ME degree. Since my work will cover it partly, I may take a couple classes a semester online.
 

20redfire03

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I took online classes as much as I could for my degree. And will probably get a masters one day online when I get a job where a company will pay for it.
 

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