Online Degree
Do you want to continue your education and get a master's degree but find that you do not have the time to go back to school? Well, getting an online master's degree may be your best choice.
One of the advantages of getting an online degree is that you can continue your education at your own pace during your free time. (1) In fact, online degrees have been prevalent in the American society, as evidenced by the fact that as of the academic year 2001-2002, 56 per cent of all educational institutions already offer their courses online. (2)
There are many factors that you have to take into consideration before enrolling in an online degree program. First, you have to think about your reasons for wanting to get an online degree. There are some job positions that require specific master's degrees. There are also some job positions that will not take into account an online degree as a factor for salary increase or promotion grants. (3) Thus, you have to make sure that your investment in an online degree will be worth it.
Once you have decided to go ahead and get yourself an online degree, you then have to choose which school to enroll in. You should choose a school accredited by an agency that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE). If you choose a school that is not accredited by the right agencies, then the online degree you will most likely be useless because most employers will not take your degree seriously. (4)
In choosing a school for your online degree, you must also know whether the school or the program you want to choose has a residency requirement. You should also be aware of their other requirements. Some schools require students to be of a certain age bracket and may accept only those who are currently employed. (5)
If money is an issue, you might want to talk to your employer about your plans of getting an online degree. Your employer might even be willing to give you financial aid because your education may be beneficial to the company as well.
Literary Citations & Article References:
1) http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinecourses/a/master's_degree.htm
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_degree
3) http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinecourses/a/master's_degree.htm
4) http://distancelearn.about.com/od/accreditationinfo/a/accreditation1.htm