Several of my friends have gotten, or are getting, their Masters degrees online. They aren’t getting “fake” degrees, either; they are going through the real process.
Has anyone here attended University online? Was it cheaper? What were the advantages and disadvantages? What Universities have good programs?
Thanks!
I’m not sure what you mean by “fake”.
There are, what they call, Diploma Mills which are basically fake degrees.
If it’s not a degree from an ACCREDITED college or university, then to most people it’s worth what it’s printed on. Probably less, because it means you’re a sucker for paying for it.
But, apparently real universities are offering online degrees. I’m not sure what to think. It still sounds like a “lazy man’s degree” to me. But, I’m not in human resources either.
My former boss got his from the University of Colorado and never set foot on campus. I think he’d say it was the way to go. Of course, our company paid for it so I’m sure he’d say it was worth it.
I work for a department at UNC that offers a master’s degree that is (mostly) online. The students are here for a few days at the beginning and end of each semester, but that’s it for campus visits. It is a lot of work - the required coursework is the same for the online degree as for the residential one, and the students who to choose the online option tend to be working professionals, so they have jobs to attend to in addition to coursework.
Students take 2 courses in spring, summer and fall semesters, and are supposed to complete the cycle in 2 years (not everyone makes it in that amount of time). Pricewise, UNC is a bargain compared to similar programs offered by other schools.
We also recently admitted our first group of doctoral students who will be doing their coursework online. For them, it is suggested they take a leave of absence from work during at least part of the time they will be working on the degree.
Two of my co-workers recently got their master’s degrees, largely online. Several bricks-and-mortar colleges/universities offer online courses, and they both also took some classes through an accredited online-only school. It’s the same amount of work as any other master’s program (hardly a “lazy man’s degree”), just done outside of a classroom.
I’m getting my master’s degree via traditional classes, because online learning just isn’t right for me – but it’s right for a lot of people.
I found a book – Bears’ guide to earning degrees by distance learning / John Bear, Mariah Bear – at my local public library that listed online degree programs. It was a good place to start because the authors did a lot of research to only include legitimate and regionally accredited institutions.
I’m enrolled in an online Master’s degree program right now. I choose to get my degree this way because The program (Master’s of Library Sciences) isn’t offered at any school in my state. The university is a real, accredited university, and (as far as I know) the degree I’ll be getting won’t have some sort of " - Online" tag on the end of it, it’ll be the same one the students enrolled in the brick-and-mortar versions of the classes get.
As for lazy, well… tell that to my professors, maybe they’d stop assigning us papers 
We do the same work as the students who sit in the classrooms, without the benefits of being in the same room as our fellow students and the professor.
The big thing is convenience for you. You’re still going to do a shitload of work, you’ll just do it in a more flexible format. And you don’t save any money - online courses cost just as much as campus courses.
Make sure that the institution is accredited. If the list of accreditations includes one of the regional associations of colleges and schools (such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), you’ll be in good shape.
I think a distinction needs to be made between real brick-and-mortar schools that offer distance learning, and schools that only operate on-line – such as Aspen University and Capella University. Both these schools are accredited, but I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to call them diploma mills as well. For example, I’ve taken some IT-type courses that could be used for credit at one of these universities (Aspen, maybe?), and I have to say, the amount of work you had to do was negligible. Simply showing up was enough to claim credit. That’s not master’s level work in my book. The interesting question is what employers think when they see one of these pseudo-universities on your resume.
Really great responses. I really appreciate it. I guess if it doesn’t save money(and I have to use a Michigan university), I’ll probably go in for the classes.
This has been such a discouraging time for me. Having returned from China, not getting a job, and having to start my Masters quickly, I’m having a hard time. Thanks for all the great repsonses.