How to Get an Online Degree

Online degrees have much more clout than they used to. E-degrees are trusted more by employers and can mean the difference between thousands of dollars in salary. As it’s more flexible to go to an online college than to commute to a brick and mortar school, many people study online while still keeping a full time job. It’s a non-traditional method of study so there are some things you should know before enrolling in a program.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Make sure that the college is accredited. However, this is a little tricky because there are illegitimate accrediting services as well. The college needs to be accredited by a an institution recognized by the CHEA (Council for Higher Education) and the USDE (US Department of Education).
   
   Even if a school is accredited, this does not mean a specific course is accredited, and vice versa.
2. Once you determine the course you want to take, look around at e-college sites. Try and find some testimonials that are not written on the site itself as those would hardly be objective. It’s a good idea to find a school that offers a wide range of courses. This is a good signal of an online college’s quality.
3. Make sure your computer is up to speed. Check your operating system, RAM requirements, as well as what types of multimedia are going to be used. If you’re more interested in interactive learning, you should look into a program that uses video and active message boards. Some courses may be print-only.
4. Once you’ve got a course or set of courses, stick to a schedule. Though you don’t literally have to make it to class on time, it’s a good idea to access course materials at a predetermined time.
5. Set up a good workspace. The key to getting an online degree is self-discipline, so you should set up a well-organized home office for completing coursework. In short, you should treat an online course no differently than you would a course at a traditional college.

Tips & Warnings

• There’s a misconception that you can’t fail an online course and that paying for an online course is the same thing as paying for a degree. This isn’t true. You can fail an online course just like you can fail a course at a brick and mortar school.
• On that front, watch out for degree mills: places that sell a degree with no coursework. Employers will recognize a degree mill, and even if they don’t when you’re first hired it could be discovered and then you could lose your job.