I graduated with a degree in Risk Management & Insurance in 2013 and have been working in the Insurance Industry for the last five years. I am looking to go back to school and transition into a more technical field. I want to apply for an online program in IT or CIS.
I am seeing a lot of programs with pricing all over the place. Does anyone have any advice for what to look for in a program? Is a lesser known school a bad choice if it results in significant savings?
Any advice is appreciated!
Is the college/university regionally acredited? Start with that.
You have to be very careful with these. Many well-known non-profit Universities have online “Executive Education” programs, these are usually a good choice if they offer the same degrees as the on-campus sister programs.
However, the non-accredited for-profit online “Universities” are fake and a scam. Stay far away. Those diplomas are not worth the paper they’re printed on.
Western Governor’s and University of Southern New Hampshire are both accredited and offer online degrees. Georgia Tech does as well.
Generally, I recommend that you limit your search to well-known universities that also offer traditional tech degrees. More and more well-known tech schools are offering on-line Masters degrees. The diploma should say Master Degree, just like for on-campus students.
My nephew just got an on-line Master in Data Science degree from Cal Berkeley (with two weeks in residence). He loved the program and has already snagged a great job.