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About online degree programs...

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by obiwaynekenobi

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I know this has come up a million times, so please excuse the repetition.. however, would it be a good idea to get an online degree from a regionally accredited college? The reason I ask is that I have a major problem when planning to go back to for my Bachelors: Basically if I go to school near where I work now *not happy with current job at all*, and I get a job somewhere else, I have to probably drop the term because the drive is too long (I have had to do this once already) but it's not practical to go to school somewhere where I *might* end up getting a job.. does that make sense?

An online program would still allow me to get my bachelor's and not have it depend on where I'm currently working at the time. How is the online degree experience, for those who have done/are doing one? I'm looking at Keiser College's B.S. Management Information Systems program, which looks pretty good on paper. Plus they are a regionally accredited school in Florida, which I think would let me transfer to a university for my Masters (and possibly Doctorate..) later on.

Thanks for the help!

11 replies

by obiwaynekenobi

It's accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, so I don't think it's a degree mill at all... I didn't, however, see it on the list at that website (but then again I didn't see any school that I recognize there, even ones that I *know* are reputable)

by jmgarvin

John Bear is a pretty good judge and you can always email him with your questions.

by jdmercha

It does appear that Keiser college is fully accredited. But don't count out other institutions that may have a better reputation. Check out the US News web site. Thre are plenty of major colleges and universities that offer online degrees. I did a quick look and found Florida Institute of Technology offers an online IT degree through their business school.

As far as the online experience goes, I've found that it is a very individual thing. I personally prefer the face-to-face classroom environment, while my wife prefers online courses. Though I don't think that one method is more difficult than the other.

It also depends on the instructor. Make sure you have a lot of communication with the instructor. The more you communicate, the better you'll understand what is expected.

To my mind online courses need to be more project/assignment based rather than test based. But I've noted that undergradute courses are more test based while grad courses are more project based.

BTY - I work at a university. I have not only taken online courses, but I have helped professors develop online courses.

by m_a_r_k

I have taken a few online courses. In my opinion, they don't compare to classroom courses at all. For my own experience, I recommend traditional classroom learning over online learning. I learn a lot from fellow students. Just chatting with others before or after class. It's also a good networking tool. Listening to questions other students raise during class and having in-class discussions also promotes learning. I am also more motivated to learn and to keep up with class assignments when I have to go class. These are just my opinions.

Your choice of school does matter. Nationally accredited is much better than regionally accredited. You may in fact learn as much or more at a less than top-notch school (it depends heavily on the student), but reputation matters when job-hunting.

by don'tquityourdayjob

A university or college is usually accredited regionally and programs in that school are accredited nationally or internationally.

For example, ABET, accredits engineering programs but they have no say over it's business schools etc. AACSB or IACBE accredits business schools but has no input into engineering accreditation.

I don't think the entire school is accredited nationally but programs within the school are.

If you are working and interfacing with other professionals then the need to do so through school is minimal. This interfacing (face-to-face) with others is probably the only advantage a onsite class as over the online experience.

by m_a_r_k

[i]"If you are working and interfacing with other professionals then the need to do so through school is minimal. This interfacing (face-to-face) with others is probably the only advantage a onsite class as over the online experience."[/i]
Many times you are taking classes in an area unrelated to your job. For example, in my case, I am a s/w developer studying for a MBA. You're not going to get much MBA talk from your fellow s/w jockeys. And in school there is a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences that fellow students bring that you can learn from. It's amazing how often useful tips you can pick up in casual conversation with a pseudo-stranger. Meeting people and making new friends is never a bad thing, and you can't do that in online education. Tech courses like engineering and computer science are probably better cut out for online than curriculums where student interaction is important like liberal arts or business.

by beads

Its been said that: "The smartest peers make the best professors"

I have never heard anything that rings so true. The best way to learn is by doing. The next best way is to learn from one another. Much like IT. Your interaction with other students on projects, especially at the MBA level, is where the real learning begins.

Most of these on-line courses sound more and more like an advanced CLEP tests.

- beads

by barbara.wil38

Now most of people turning towards online education as its more convenient,cheap and also accredited. why don't u consider university of pheonix,kaplan.

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