Online Degrees Are Getting More Respect

There was a time that almost every online degree program was granted by for-profit colleges. As a result of the involvement of for-profit schools, people who obtained a degree online, struggled to convince employers that they deserved a job and had a quality education.

The flexibility and convenience of studying online is undeniable. Many people live too far from a brick and mortar school to go to college. Some people just cannot attend regular classes at the scheduled times because they have other obligations such as work or parenting. Non-profit schools have begun offering classes and entire degree programs online.

As more and more non-profit schools offered online versions of their in class programs, employers, and practitioners in the field began to realize that you can deliver quality instruction online, it is not how you deliver the information, but more about who is delivering the information. Non-profit schools have their reputation on the line and therefore they want to make sure that you have a quality education that is as rigorous as any other.

For-profit schools have to make money, in fact the executives of these schools have a fiduciary duty to maximize profits for shareholders. Unfortunately, many for-profit schools have chosen to engage in pressure tactics to enroll more students. Many students have claimed that these schools also do not care about the quality of education their students get, they just want the student to pay them. Others have alleged that for-profit schools will not kick students out if they continue to pay, however students who have not paid or do not qualify for financial aid, are kicked out of school right away.

In the first half of 2011, the United States Congress called some of the directors of the largest for-profit schools to testify and respond to allegations that they mislead students to get more students enrolled and federal financial aid. During the hearings, it was pointed out that students from for-profit schools have the highest default rate on federal student loans.

Students who graduate from for-profit schools have default rates in excess of 25%. That is much higher than the traditional 7% default rate for students who graduate from private non-profit schools. The United States government guarantees most student loans therefore they have an interest in lowering the default rate on federal student loans.

Members of congress have suggested that they will adopt rules that will decrease the default rate for students who graduate from for-profit schools. The directors and CEO's of for-profit schools have objected to any changes that would increase the cost of recruiting students and instruction.

With private and public non-profit schools getting involved with distance learning, more people are realizing that some students who get their degree online, get an excellent education. Typical non-profit online programs require that students travel to the actual classroom at least once for face to face instruction. Students have the opportunity to actual meet professors and classmates.

Almost all non-profit schools with online programs use the same professors that teach in their traditional classes, to instruct in the online program. These are proven experts in their field and effective at teaching students. These same programs are subject to peer review, which means that not only does this professor approve the curriculum, but another expert in the field has reviewed the class syllabus, assignments, and other elements of the class and approved it.

If you plan to get a degree online, from a non-profit schools, you should expect to work hard. The assigned reading will be the same as the traditional reading, and the assignments that must be done will be similar to the assignments you would be completing in a traditional program. In other words, getting a degree online isn't a shortcut, rather it is a different method of delivering the information.

Due to the fact that distance learning delivers information in a different way than traditional schools, online school is not for everyone. If you are considering studying online, you can get more information about whether getting an education online is right for you at this site.