A little bit about me: I was accepted to a high ranking women’s college in 2011, and left after the spring semester of 2012 due to depression. (I am 22 years old.) I spent the past few years working (healthcare jobs- primarily pharmacy and rehab technician jobs) and will finally have my associates in science this December. (Gen Eds.) I noticed that I do significantly better in online courses- which are not designated as “online” on my transcript. I have had issues with concentrating and attendance for years that are eradicated when I am allowed to work on my own and at my own pace. (Albeit with deadlines.) This semester I have managed to keep up straight As in six online classes while working full time- something I want to keep doing, as I have no student loans!
I would ideally like to pursue a degree in management information systems, and I was looking at programs offered by my state’s schools online as well as Colorado State Global Campus. (I also looked at Penn State online, but the cost is a little too pricey.) My main question is: If I were to receive a degree from either institution, would it pay off? How do employers view online degrees now? I attached the potential programs below.
Most employers will view online programs less favorably than traditional programs, but online programs are slowly losing their stigma. If you do go for an online program, make sure it’s not with a for-profit like University of Phoenix or Argosy University. Going through a school like the University of Illinois or Colorado State will look better.
If your degree is from a regionally accredited public university, there shouldn’t be any problem with the majority of the coursework having been completed in a distance ed/online setting. In many cases, those institutions offer the same degree program in face-to-face classes and in online classes with no distinction in the diploma awarded or in the academic transcript. No employer would ever know the setting that you elect to take your coursework in unless you chose to tell that employer. MIS in particular seems to be a degree program that lends itself to online classwork, so for that field I don’t think anyone would blink an eye.
Do investigate the career services that would be available to you as you near graduation. Will you be close enough to a brick-and-mortar campus to get face-to-face help if you want it? Or does the career center also offer extensive distance support for your eventual job-hunt?
The SUNY colleges are like that. They offer some online degrees and the diplomas students get don’t look any different than those of the students who took courses on site. If you’re concerned that potential employers would care that your program was an online one, enroll in your own state university system. An in state school is less likely to tip them off that you completed your degree online.