A Guide To Online Degrees - Advantages of Earning A Degree Online

A Guide To Online Degrees - Advantages of Earning A Degree Online

The online degree's unique features have made it a popular learning mode for busy professions to earn their degree for career advancement. The online degree programs are growth rapidly and is a today's learning trends and the best alternatives for traditional class-based learning. What are these features that bring the advantages that made online degree program a choice for many online students?

Let review some key advantages of earning a degree online:

1. Study Anywhere

The online degree programs allow the student to study from home or any place they like as long as they have access to internet. This is the key advantages that many online students see it and decide to go for online degree program than the traditional college program.

Many people after starting their working life have many commitments to take care: job, family, children education, home mortgage, car loan repayment & etc. It gets harder to go back to school to get our University degrees as quitting our current job is almost impossible and holding your current life style just to go ahead with a college degree is another "No-No" decision. Online degree programs which enable us to study from anywhere match perfectly with our need of getting a degree without giving up our job and lifestyle. That's why many busy people like us choose to pursue our degree online.

2. Flexibility

Your busy working schedule sometimes makes you hard to fit a regular schedule for certain routine. In addition, your job may require you to frequently travel to other locations or countries. This means attending regular classes like what is needed in traditional college learning will be your road block to stop you from go ahead with your degree earning. Flexibility of online degree program that allow you to plan your learning schedule at your own pace is one of key decision for busy working people to go for knowledge enhancement and getting their degree for career advancement.

3. Saving Money

You have the ability to study from home and you don't have to commute. Since you don't have to commute you save money on gas, which is become a huge issue now that gas prices are soaring. Most of learning materials are supplied in electronic texts which will save you some money needed to buy the printed text books. Comparatively, online degree program's tuition fees are lower as compare to traditional degree courses.

4. Earn More Than One Degree At The Same Time

If you can manage your time properly, you can earn more than one degree offer by difference universities through their online degree programs. If you have a degree on your career related field, you are at a better position when goes for career advancement or job promotion as compare to your other colleagues. And if you have more than one degree on the related knowledge that needed for your moves, you will have a better chance to success when come to educational background assessment by the employers or bosses.

In summary, study online gives your many advantages over a traditional college program and it is designed especially for busy working professions to earn their degrees using the enhance internet technology. But, the fact is, not all online students successfully complete their online degree program. There are some characteristics that you need to have in order to success in online study. Check out whether an online degree program is right for you in our next article, A Guide To Online Degrees - How to be A Success Online Student.

A Guide To Online Degrees - Considering Online Degree Pricing

The same online degree program offered by different online universities may vary in pricing; the difference may due to a few factors, among these are the types of curriculum and total credit hours to complete the program. If you are considering in earning your degree online, it's make sense for you to compare the pricing of degrees at the schools offered and select the best online degree program that meet your education goal and targeted budget. This article will outline a few factors to consider when you compare the price of the same online degree program offered by different schools. Let review them one by one:

Tuition Fee

Tuition fee is the amount the school charges to take a course. At some programs tuition is the only cost. Other programs add technology and other miscellaneous costs. When getting the price of an online degree programs. You need to check with the admission department on their tuition fees, are the fees purely the cost of the courses or it includes other costs and any other hidden cost that may incur other than the said costs. After know all the details of the courses' prices, you can compare the price of the online degree program offered by different online universities.

Campus Residencies

The same online degree program from different online universities may have different course requirement. Some online degree programs are offered 100% online, whereas, others require campus residencies. Factor in the cost of attending these physical residencies to your total cost of your selected online degree program before making your pricing comparison.

Financial Aid Package

The online university may charge slightly higher fee on their tuition but it comes with an attractive financial aid package. Some online universities may help you find student loans, generally the Stafford loans, Sally Mae, or other relating loans; or help you to apply for Pell grants and/or other scholars. You may factor in these points when you considering your online degree pricing.

Marketable Degree

If you purpose of earning an online degree is for career switch or get a job promotion, then your must consider the marketability of your degree. For example, you plan to earn an online MBA and you are considering a few offers from universities. Some online MBA program may cost more that others but the job market statistics data shows that the degree-to-career ratio is higher then other universities, it means that more employers like to hire graduates from this university and you will have a better chance to get employed if you are holding a degree from this university. You may need to consider the ROI (Return On Investment) of your online degree program when deciding which online degree program to enroll in.

In Summary

The online degree program with the lowest sticker price may not be the best buy and the most expensive online degree program may not be your best choice. Besides considering the price, you need to carefully review curriculums covered by the degree program with the factors mentioned above in order to determine the true cost of earning an online degree.

A Guide To Online Degrees - How to be A Success Online Student

Online degree programs are an excellent way for busy professions to gain advanced training and certifications either for the purpose of career path switch, job promotion preparation or just to enhance their working field's related knowledge. However, not all online students will successfully completing their online program. A success or a failure of an online student in his learning program is affected by a few factors. Here are a few key elements that a success online student must have:

Time Management

One the key advantage of online degree program is it allows you to plan your learning schedule, at you own time and own pace. This key advantage of online degree program is also the key factor that cause many online student fail in completing their online degree program. Time management may be the biggest determination factor in succeeding at your online degree program.

You must be very proactive in your studies and take responsibility for your own learning, manage your time on your learning schedule, doing the assignment an constantly communicate with your professors and peers through online learning channel prepare by the school to solve your doubts and question of courses.

To master time management, first determine what time of day you think you will be most focused on your studies. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Do you concentrate best after a cup of coffee or after lunch? Once you narrow in on a time of day reserve a designated allotment of time to dedicate to your course.

Self-Motivated

Although getting your degree online does not mean that you are study alone because you still get connected with your professors and peers through online channels such as message board, chat, forum & etc, You won't find the professor, or another student reminding you to get to work, stay on task, or turn your assignments in on time; hence, you must be self-motivated to be successful.

Read Understand in Electronic Text Format

Some online learning materials are in audio and video format, but most of them still in electronic text format. Be an online student, you need to do a lot of reading in text format rather than hearing the lectures' teaching. There are students who absorbed the knowledge faster with explanation in lecture hall, but to be a success online student, you need to be better in understanding the knowledge conveys in text format.

Place of Study

Some students need absolute silence while others can't seem to concentrate without noise in the background. No matter what your preference is, a place that is free from distractions is recommended. If you can't escape in-home interruptions, bring alone your laptop to library or a coffee shop. Schedule your designated study time when you can be in a distraction-free environment and your chances for success will increase and the time you need to devote to your course will decrease.

Seeking for Answers on Your Questions

Many online courses come with instructor support or mentor by an online lecturer so that students never feel lost or alone during the e-learning process. Don't be afraid to ask questions, you can always direct inquiries to your lecturer.

Online chat rooms, if provided, are another great resource for you to seek for answers. Online chat rooms give students a forum to meet other students taking the same course and ask questions or discuss assignments.

To be a success online student, you must be able to utilize the online resources provided by the school to communicate with your professors, peers and get your questions answered.

In Summary

In a nutshell, success in online learning requires self-discipline, organization, and the ability to use modern technology to communicate with your professors and peers.

A Guide To Online Degrees - Types of Online Degrees

There are various types of online degrees. As the job market demand increase and more employers are accepting and recognizing the degrees earn through online study these days, more and more universities are opening their degree programs online and they cover nearly every subject taught in traditional face-to-face learning environment.

Let review some of common degree types:

Business Degrees

If you are considering a degree in business field, you could consider degrees in Marketing, Human Resources and Management, E-business, Banking, Acquisition and Contract Management, Business, Finance, Legal Studies, and so forth.

Basically, there are 4 areas of business degrees which you can consider based on your interest.

Sales - In sales your focus is to connect and build relationships with consumers. You can consider a general business administration degree with concentration in area such as marketing and customer relationship management (CRM); or you can choose the specify degree that related to sales such as marketing degree, travel and hospitality degree, advertising etc.

Retailing - refers to the specific act of selling directly to the customer. To be success in this field, you should have knowledge in understanding consumer behavior and needs, communication, problem solving, product evaluation and feedback. Any business degree with specialization in these areas can be your choice.

Health Care - Business oriented health care reforms handle the new demands of increased costs, human resource logistics, diverse economic considerations for patients, and insurance regulations.

Nonprofit Organization - Non-profit organizations need qualified business professionals to make the programs work, to service consumers and investors, and to uphold responsible financial management practices.

Arts Degrees

If you are interest in arts fields, you may want to look into arts degrees like professional accounting, acquisition and contract management, database tech, general studies, marketing, information systems, economics, network and security tech in either Internetworking or computers, and business administration. An arts degree open up a variety of career possibilities, almost half of all job vacancies available to new graduates are open to students with arts degrees. Hence, earning an arts degree can lead you to a brighter career future.

Education Degrees

If you are interested in teaching, then an education degree can be your option. The education degrees will provide you the advantage of working in private and public schools. Education degrees have various specializations such as school administration, education leadership, curriculum and instruction. You can select an area of your interest. If you are looking for a degree which can provide you teaching licensure, ensure your selected education degree has this package.

Computer Degrees

Earning a degree in Computer Networking Engineering will help you to use your human skills, including thinking critical and putting things in logical perspective. Whereas, computer networks management enable you to gain knowledge in problem solving and critical thinking patterns and internet technology.

Engineering Degrees

Engineering degrees include electronic & electrical engineering, bioengineering, chemical engineering, software engineering & etc. For example, you can find many options in electrical engineering degree program; those options are more than enough for you to find a job in a field of your choice.

In Summary

Almost all degrees offered in class-based universities are available online. These degrees cover about all the subjects in traditional study fields. Some degrees are offered the program entirely online (100%) whereas others may need some hours of physical classes or lab works.

A Guide To Online Degrees-How To Select A Online Degree Program

Once your have decided to earn your degree online, selecting a program is usually the first critical decision you make. There are so many types of degrees available online, which one to choose, how to select, sometimes may make you confuse and hard to decide one. This article will gives you some guideline to get you started.

Decide An Area of Interest

There are a few ways to get a start in selecting an online degree program. You could look within a traditional discipline such as history, art, literature or psychology; or within a professional/occupational area such as engineering, nursing, or education; or simply related to an area of general interest like family studies, the culture of Italy, or environmental issues.

Most online degree programs offered by colleges or universities are having their catalogs customarily organized by department, division, or school. Hence, once you have decided an area of interest, you could start looking and asking for the related online degree programs from these colleges.

Type Of Degree To Earn

What is your educational goal? Are you looking for an associate or bachelor degree, a master or doctorate degree? Each type of degree which associate to the online degree program has it own pre-requirement in admission. An online master degree program may require you to have a bachelor degree to qualify for the program and an online doctorate degree may ask for a master degree for qualification. Some universities do give credit for life experience so that you can waive for certain pre-requirement. Whether you are looking for an associate, bachelor, master or PhD, you can check the pre requirement to your selected online degree program from the school's admission department.

Go for Specialization In Your Study

For many people, it may be helpful to think of the specialization and then create an appropriate field of study around it. You should feel free to make contact with academic advisors at the schools you are considering and seek answers to all your questions. For your own benefit, it is important to ensure that your school is committed to explaining these elements completely and the schools understand your need to fully comprehend the curriculum development.

The Ability to Transfer Courses

Another point to consider in your decision in select an online degree program is the ability to transfer courses or larger program segments from one institution to another. Not all universities will allow you to transfer all of your credits into their program. Often there are ceilings-six credits or two courses are typical at the graduate level. For undergraduates the allowances are more liberal and can be as much as 75 percent of a bachelor's degree program. You may want to go for an online degree program that can accept the most on your credits transfer so that you can accelerate or complete you degree faster and save some money because less credits are need to complete the program.

In Summary

Select an online degree program is your most critical decision to make, spend your time to understand your purposes of earning a degree and considering in other factors such as your interest, your career goal and your education budget. These will help you to narrow down your scope and finally choose an online degree program to enroll in.