<p>I decided that I want to go to graduate school. I started looking into some local schools, but none of them have any programs that are very appealing. I found a program that is two and a half hours away and classes are held on Saturdays. Is this ridiculous? How long is too long of a commute? As much as I would love to just move there for a few years, I have a husband and a toddler. I can't uproot them as well. My only other option is to take the program online. Do people even take online programs seriously in the job market?</p>
<p>Online programs are taken seriously if they are serious programs. At my university, Illinois Institute of Technology, we have a nearly 20 years history of well-regarded, serious professional science masters degrees which are mostly, or completely, offered online. In our case, there is always a faculty member in charge of the course and since the courses are both live and online (video on demand), the course lectures are fresh every year.</p>
<p>Other programs may not be as serious and you need to look carefully and make a decision based on what you can find out about the programs. after that, user your best judgement.</p>
<p>1) If it’s a PhD, no.</p>
<p>2) If it’s a master’s degree, possibly, depending on the university and the program.</p>
<p>Only you can determine what’s too long a commute for YOU. What’s just fine for a single person with no children and no obligations might be too long for someone with a husband and a toddler. Or perhaps are super-organized and can make the commute much easier whereas a disorganized person would have a terrible time commuting that far. You have to decide whether you want to travel 5 hours round-trip every Saturday, as well as how long classes are and when you would have to leave (i.e., if classes are 9-5 on Saturdays, you’d have to wake up at 5:30 and leave at 6:30 in the morning and wouldn’t get home until 7:30 at night, every Saturday).</p>