Online
degree programs, as the name says, are programs whose
completion leads to obtaining an recognized higher education
degree. However, to earn this kind of degree, you do not have to
attend a college (at least physically), but you take your
classes online. This
allows you to be at different places, at your home, at work or at
some far away tropical island while studying. The only
requirement is that you have a good internet connection wherever
you are.
Accredited and administered by a recognized
institution
There are quite a lot of terms used to describe these educational
activities. The most frequent are e-Learning and online education. At
Degrees
Board, we tend to avoid using these terms since they can be
misinterpreted. E-Learning and online education also cover all
those activities which do not lead to obtaining an recognized
degree, such as online language courses, instructional courses,
or any other courses and programs, varied in quality, which do
not have to be administered by accredited institutions and which
do not provide the learners with an officially recognized
certification.
Therefore, you should pay attention that the program you are interested in is:
- Accredited - which means that one of regional or national accrediting agencies controls its quality
- Administered by a recognized institution - i.e. not some small internet company which has the word 'university' in its title,
- And that it leads to getting an recognized degree - being a Master of Television, with a specialization in Star Wars is highly unlikely to get you a good job.
You can be wherever you want and study at the same
time.
Degrees Board provides
information only on those programs which satisfy all three demands
mentioned above. If you are thinking about getting a degree online
you should remember that any program which does not satisfy either
of the three is a simple waste of your time, money and
effort.