online degree in psych, good or bad??

<p>i was wondering if i join the navy if it would be a good idea to get a degree in psychology or i should just go to a college and join the navy later or something??</p>

<p>Many people in the armed forces go to college online while on duty. You'd have to find a college that caters to "your kind" though.</p>

<p>While many schools cater to service people with online programs, you should be aware that in the "outside" world, those degrees are not well respected.</p>

<p>If you plan to go to college anyway, look into the various programs the services have that will pay your tuition and commission you on graduation. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Specifically in Psychology, I would strongly recommend against any online program. Most of the value of a Psych degree lies outside the classroom and/or outside the textbook (i.e., classroom interaction and learning from classmates, research opportunities, clinical/applied practicums depending on what area of Psych you might pursue, etc.). An undergraduate degree in Psychology is laughable and no respectable institution offers a graduate degree in Psychology (some places do offer them, but considering the skills one is learning in such programs, it makes no sense to try and learn them online...even research skills should be learned with a mentor and research team...online can't provide that, and if you go the clinical/counseling/mental health route, there's no way you're going to learn those skills from at textbook)</p>

<p>Online degrees are respected. I've had no problem getting a job/internship with my online master's degree in IT. I've learned a lot since my lectures are taped and I can watch them and ask questions later. I've learned a lot from my classmates too through online discussions/calling them on the phone.</p>

<p>If a company rejected you just for that, then I wouldn't want to work for them anyway.</p>

<p>Since you are in the military what other option do you have? An online degree is the way to go.</p>

<p>An online degree from a traditional university is going to generate more respect from an online only university. I'm not saying that online degrees aren't respected. An Online MBA from the University of Illinois will be respected more than one from an online only school such as Univ. of Phoenix, or even from a lower tier traditional school</p>

<p>As another poster mentioned, you just don't get the hands on experience or the learning environment from an online degree for psychology. But for certain fields such as IT, they are usually fine. </p>

<p>But if you desire a career in academia/higher education, online degrees are essentially worthless.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Many people in the armed forces go to college online while on duty. You'd have to find a college that caters to "your kind" though.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>How are they forced? Most people I know in the military go to school once they get out, especially with the funding they receive.</p>

<p>vsg, an online masters in IT would be respectable because much of what you learn in an IT program can be learned online.
Psychology is a field that requires far more in-person interaction with others in order to fully learn it. I have taken psych classes online and that is fine for the content-based courses (e.g., History and Systems in Psychology), but an Intro to Counseling, Psych of Personality, or Social Psych class can hardly be well-taught online and other courses like Cognitive Psych, Neuropsych, and Physio Psych typically have lab sections that require being there, dissecting things, taking tests, etc.
When it comes to grad programs, the APA itself strongly recommends against online programs under its jurisdiction from what I have seen. (I am not sure whether there actually exist any APA-accredited online doctoral programs.)</p>

<p>^^. What do you mean how are they forced? He said the "Armed forces" as in the military.</p>