I would much prefer to complete my degree online, but I’m worried that an online degree won’t look as good as a degree from a brick-and-mortar school. But I don’t like my school, and I don’t have the money to transfer to another school.
I’m a communication/writing major, and would be looking to get a degree in a related field.
Are there any online programs that would be respected in the professional world, or should I just stick it out for the last 1.5 years of my college degree?
It might vary by industry, but online degrees are not respected in any business I know of.
That might change in the future, and if you find a reputable school (e.g., US News ranks it highly) that has an online degree, who would know that the degree was online as long as it’s a regular degree (B.A., B.S.) from a reputable school? Harvard Extension School might have some online classes, but that’s not the “real” Harvard and will be looked down on by people who are familiar with Harvard.
Agree, not very respected
There are a number of on-line graduate programs that give the exact same degree (and classes) as the on-campus degrees, but they tend to be concentrated in certain areas like CS and engineering. Some are partly on-line, like some MBA programs. The value of the programs depends on the university’s reputation ; Georgia Tech and Michigan both offer them.
I would stick to the on-campus program if you are almost done
My D is planning on completing her degree online. Due to anxiety issues she has found her large top rated Univ to not be the best fit for her. She has applied only to schools that the degree will be from a traditional brick and mortar school. The degree itself will look exactly the same as if she had attended in person.
In my opinion, they are. I have an illness and go to the local cc, but have ended up having to take most semesters of only online classes and I know just as much as my friends on subjects. You just have to study and work as hard. For the part of professionals accepting those degrees, it’s easy. Go to a big university that offers online classes because most do. Don’t go to one of the red flags for online or one on the other side of the country that an employer would know that it was online. Go to a state or local university and prepare to just have to pace yourself because online classes can make or break uou, in my opinion, especially online mathematics. Same degree so an employer would never be the wiser. Good luck!
Every degree is specific towards the major and your future work. Being military, most of us get online degrees. I have my bachelors through Park University, and am about to begin a Masters at Western Carolina Universite in Human Resources. A friend of mine had a Bachelors throught an online degree from Park, and is a Human Resources manager for a Casino in the Carolinas making over 80k a year on top of his military retirement. For YOU, communications is a very hard degree program to stand out in. Whether going into PR, columnist, writer, or in media, it is a highly competitive field. If going online, you would want a well known school with an online program, and probably a masters to compete with others effectively. From the research I have done and speaking with many of my frinds who are now well established in their fields, their golden rule of advice has been, “the degree gets you the interview, but YOU have to get the job” Employers many times could care less about what your degree is in, but simply that you have one. An online degree can be easily overcome compared to another applicant from brick and mortar, if you win them over in the interview. Employers want you to be smart, but usually value compatibility, personality, and professional ability more.
An online degree from a brick and mortar school is respected: Arizona State University, Northeastern University, Boston University etc. The above posts represent the elitism that is rapidly going out of fashion. .
Online degrees from brick-and-mortar institutions are most definitely respected by employers. Many employers are enthusiastic about paying for degrees that can be completed online because of the flexibility it gives their employees to continue working.