Online Accredited Degree Guide

The payment for your tuition can sometimes be arranged on a pay as you go system so reducing the financial burden on family budgets. This makes online colleges the ideal way for people who are in full-time employment to obtain a degree.

You must remember that not all online degrees are accredited, to be able to offer an accredited online degree a colleges work and teaching methods must be checked and approved by the Board of Education, this means that the degree that is awarded has more weight and is more reputable and of course will be recognized by other institutions should you wish to pursue further education.

Provided you take reasonable precautions and only deal with a reputable well-known education institution the online route is an efficient and cost-effective way of obtaining an online accredited degree.

Diploma Mills

The important thing to consider before enrolling in an online course is the credibility of the academic institution. These institutions are regulated by the government but watch out for diploma mills. You do not want to be investing so much time, effort, and resources on a program that in the end is a fraud. You should also look at the quality of education that an institution provides. When shopping for online schools, liken the search to how you would select a school in a traditional sense. This is important, especially when you are taking a course that requires a bar or board exam in the end. Remember that there are no separate sets of quality for online and traditional education.

Tips On Choosing An Online College

The dream of completing your college education or furthering your studies is no longer elusive. The World Wide Web boom has brought education to your key board. Many established and renowned universities are offering degrees in varied disciplines through online courses. Studies done by the Distance Education and Training Council in Washington and other regulatory institutions indicate that over 2.25 million people are registered for online courses at universities in the US.

Before registering for a course you need to spend some time thinking. Do I want to do a course that will further my career or learn something that I have an abiding interest in? Will I be devoted and complete the course work in time? Take a look at your schedules and find out where you will slot in time for study.

Online courses offer great conveniences, flexibility, and a world class education brought to your computer. While choosing a college consider the following:

• What are the basic qualifications you need to be eligible for a course are there any tests you need to take.

• Is the college reliable? Does it have the required accreditations?

• How large are the classes? When the class strength is smaller then each student will receive more time from the instructors. On the other hand a large enrollment indicates success of the course. So you need to carefully weigh all the different aspects.

• Research blogs and other online messaging centers to find out about the opinion and experiences of students who have satisfactorily complete courses or are disgruntled. Read surveys and analysis about online education. Ask the college for referrals. Examine alumni success. Find out what percentage of students successfully complete the program and how many work professionally in the field of study.

• Study the online curriculum as well as suggested time-frame carefully. Find out how many students have been able to complete the course work within the given time. Determine whether the coursework meets your educational needs and career goals. Check how current the course work is and whether the textbooks and study materials are relevant.

• Ask if the university has a 24/7 customer service program and whether you will be eligible for any technical help regarding the software or programs you will need to use. Many universities assign a personal advisor to students one who will answer questions willingly and take care all nitty gritties like enrollment procedures, course work submissions and so on right until graduation.

• Check out the credentials for the faculty, their qualifications and training to conduct an online class room with ease. Otherwise it may be a question of the "blind leading the blind."

• Read the offer document carefully and ensure that the course is 100% online. Some universities are known to use mail, videotapes, and on-campus programs as part of "online course" work. Ask how long the online program has been in place and are there any rough spots they have encountered. Read carefully the institution's ethical standard document, most reputed schools have a policy readily available for review.

• Check thoroughly the institutions financial history and current position. Make sure you are not registering with a fly-by-night operator.

• Find out what the accreditations of the university are. In the US accreditations come from Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, and Southern Western. They have a membership program as well as a system wherein each others accreditations are acknowledged.

• Most important ask about fees and financial aid. Find out what the tuitions fees are and whether any other costs like lab fees, technology fees and so on are to be paid. You will also have to cost expenses towards maintaining your computer and its peripherals like scanners, printers, and fax modem, as well as Internet costs and provider fees.

About the Author
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888Onlinecolleges.com , the premier website to find top ranking colleges online directory including topics on public colleges, private colleges, online college, college course online, information on college costs, financial aid, degrees awarded, enrollments and more.

Online Master Degrees

Any four year college or university that is accredited to grant an online bachelors degree may do so. Of course, it is important to check that the college or university is accredited before enrolling in any program. At the same time, it is worthwhile to investigate the academic standing of the college or university. It would be unfortunate to study hard for four years and pay thousands of dollars, only to discover that the diploma is not accepted by another school or worse by an employer as valid.

Degree Online

Advantages of pursuing an online degree are nonstop. There is no go back and forth to school, no need to hobble classes or rationalize your life in order to be there a particular class, no prerequisite to live on campus, etc. However, you will need to stay closely controlled at home to get your course work done. In addition to the restraint, you will need a quite place to work at home.

Because of the importance of this matter, I will repeat again that the school and the courses you select to pursue your bachelor's degree online are accredited. The online degree industry has become a big business over the last 5 years or so and it would be a shame to waste your time and money for a fast degree that is not accredited. On the other hand, if you wish to expand your education just for the sake of learni