I will be graduating from American Intercontinental University (AIU online) this month. I feel like I haven't learned much and that this will really affect me being able to land a job in the chosen career field of Accounting. Has anyone received a degree from any school similar to AIU online and reached success in the job field? Is it harder with an online degree in comparison to a brick and mortar school?
210488
Well, I will be finishing up my two year degree at Strayer University here in the next month or so, and it is only in General Studies.\n\nI wouldn't recommend going to school for a bachelors degree online. I say this because In my experience you need the social atomosphere of people in the same field you are in, you also need a learning environment, and not your home office.\n\nAnother thing about online school is that I seem to blow off my work alot and end up having to do it at the last minute on the weekend. I work full time, and value my weekends, so I dont want to be stuck doing school work on the weekends, but I procrastinate and do it anyway.\n\nI would say on my journey for this little degree that I have though, my physical classes I've taken have been no different than my online classes. Most of them have been core classes and electives though, so it's really not a big deal. I would definately want to get my bachelors and above at a real school though.\n\nGood luck.
387580
Online classes are not necessarily harder, but they do require a lot of self motivation. You also need to be good with deadlines. I have wondered about what employers think of online universities, but I think as long as you choose a school that is accredited, you will be okay. Good luck.
581457
I am currently taking online courses and I think that the program is absolutely wonderful.  I am obtaining my Bachelor's degree in Science/Criminal Justice and I feel as though completing online courses are much better than going to an actual campus.  There are ways that you can find out by searching online...you can use these keywords:  "online education"  OR  "online degree programs".
581328
Here's the truth.\n\nGrad schools are NOT going to look kindly on ANY online degree.  (And the word is spelled "accept.")\n\nWhat you should do is this:  Finish your degree through a brick-and-mortar school with a "distance education" program.  Many state universities have this option.  Ohio state universities often do, Syracuse University does, and of course there are others.\n\nAn online degree from U of Phoenix or a similar institution will get you nowhere in academia.
50871
I went there and really enjoyed it.  I actually did not complete the AA course.  I decided to go into teaching grade school and Axia does not provide me with the right education for this, so I am switching to WGU online, which is a fully accredited teaching university.  \n\nHad I decided to stick with my business degree, I would have continued with Axia.  They are associated with UOP online, and I think you would need to go there first anyway.  The teachers were excellent and the program was user-friendly.  I got all A's.  If I hadn't decided to go to Axia, then I never would have decided to get my BA in education, so I'm glad I went!!
374112
Here is a site where you can send for more information. http://www.education-online-search.com/schools/american_intercontinental_university?src=oo&ovmkt=V9IJCEF3GDQI0IMT546FSLM9O8&OVRAW=american%20intercontinental%20university&OVKEY=american%20intercontinental%20university&OVMTC=standard\n\nI looked at their site and saw no mention of accreditation. Most of their sites - Atlanta Dunwoody and Buckhead, Houston, and South Florida - are in the territory of SACS, the Southern Assn. of Colleges and Schools. If this institution is not fully accredited by their organization you will be unable to transfer any of their credits to another college that is fully accredited.
88143
I'm getting my doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix (on-line). I've been in the program since January 2004 and expect to graduate in July 2007. Online is very intense and it's not for the average learner. If you are disciplined, organized, computer literate and a decent writer, I say go for it!\n\nOnline degrees are definitely accepted in the business world, and businesses are even paying for select employees to obtain advanced degrees through online schools.\n\nClasses are usually taken one at a time (unlike ground universities) and each course lasts 5-8 weeks. You have individual assignments as well as team assignments to complete. The online resources will help you succeed as an online student. Libraries, help desk, editing services, etc. are all provided to the online learner.\n\nThe facilitators have extensive backgrounds and bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the class they teach. You get the pleasure of working with students from all over the world, giving you a broader perspective of the course.\n\nI enjoy online education so much that I plan to teach on-line myself in the near future.
260354
Unfotunately, as we have jumped into the Internet era, employers still don't look too favorably upon online degrees. U of Phoenix IS an accredited school, but keep in mind that you might meet with some resistance from hiring managers still.
104709
Do you really think an employer is going to value a degree that you get without studying?\n\nJust go down to Kinko's and get one printed out if you want to do it like this...\n\n** UPDATE:\nSorry, I misread your question. Some universities will give credit for work experience but will still make you sit an examination to make sure that you know what you claim.\n\nIt is unlikely that they would let you have a complete (legitimate) degree in this way and you would still need to pay to sit each of the exams. Good luck!\n\n** UPDATE II (for Katerina):\nI was referring to degrees where they do RPL (recognition of prior learning). I know that here in Australia you can get some concessions for units in finance type degrees provided you can sit and pass the exams. Unfortunately they sometimes make them a bit harder than usual and you do have to pay a fee.\n\nMy point was that this would not be available for the whole course so you can't get away from study altogether if you want a degree that means anything.\n\nI get lots of spam in hotmail about pay for degrees like I mentioned before I reread the question.
359132
Congrats on finishing school.  As a former accounting student and the son and brother of CPA's I can only say this.  While accounting and finance careers offer great opportunities for solid financial rewards, understand that success at any profession requires long hours (especially at tax time), diligence, and plenty of continuing education.  Remember also that when you are just starting out you will probably be doing just one thing (financial statements, credit reviews, or some similarly dull function) for a while until you gain experience.  The bottom line is, consider what you would really like to do instead of what you can make the most money at.  If you do something you love you will be much more successful.
186699
No it is not as good.. only 67% of employers recognize an online degree regardless if it's accredited or not.
400302
It depends on what your associates degree is for and where you are living. I have an associates of applied science (paralegal) and it is a tough job market out there, just being out of school, with no real hands on experience. If your looking to get an associates degree I would highly reccomend something basic, like; accounting, business management, or medical transcription.
600831
It really depends on what you are looking to go into. I went to a traditional 4 year on-campus school but felt there was a lot I didn't learn and went back to school with an online program but asked to look at their course catalog first. That will help you a lot. Look into a few schools and compare their catalogs. If you can, ask some people who are already in the industry what their opinions are of the programs. \n\nI did look into AIU though and they did seem to have some merit. I didn't get much further than their catalog (my main focus). If you happen to be looking at graphic design, give Mt. Sierra or Art Institute Online a chance also. I am attending Mt. Sierra currently and can't say enough good about the program and faculty.\n\nAnother great resource is About.com's distance learning site. They helped me learn what to ask admissions representatives and a lot of the questions were ones I never would have thought of.\n\nGood luck!
591779
From what I have discovered, it is just as worthwhile as any physical campus. I, myself, have just begun a masters program with the University of Phoenix, and the HR people I have spoken with say there is no difference between a physical campus, and the various on-line degrees. If, however, you have never done any college courses on-line, be aware that you will work for this degree. On-line classes are more homework intensive than their physical campus counter-parts. You will work for this degree.
421918
Almost every college offers night classes now, and some offer classes on Saturdays. Just make sure that they're actually offering degrees at night, not just night classes. Look at websites and see which ones near you list accounting as one of the degrees that you can get at night. Then I would look at how many of the courses you need they're actually offering on a regular basis. I went to school at night (for accounting) and ended up transferring because the school I was attending didn't offer the next class that I needed (intermediate accounting) for a couple of semesters. Of course you'll talk to admissions, but remember that its their job to sell the school and they may not even know how often classes are offered. Instead, check their course listings and talk to the department chair (or whoever usually does the advising in your department) as these are the people who do know which classes will be offered.\n\nA lot of people do this. It takes longer, but if your employer is willing to pay your tuition you can get through without loans. This is a much better choice than most online programs, as it is hard to find a reputable online program. Good Luck!
10271
I myself just started on online college and WOW! i have a 4.0 gpa the best i have ever had, some say it is not as hard, but oh well, it will be a degree. It all really depends on how much you want to spend and if they are accredited? There are a lot of schools so just narrow it down to what you want to do and research those schools. try ctuonline, or regis university, or ? there are so many out there.\n\nctu online is a good school and they have very good customer service.(in my opinion)
261674
There are some reputable, brick and mortar (i.e., "real") universities that offer degrees via distance learning. Some of these universities are very, very good: Oxford University (UK), University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and there are others. \n\nIn general, if you plan to pursue an online/distance learning degree, you'll get more bang for your buck if you get the degree from a university, like those above, which also have a strong on-campus degree program, because it's true - lots of employers frown on online degrees if they are from an online-only school, or a school that has a poor academic reputation in general. \n\nIn general, I would not recommend a distance degree to just anyone. If you can go to an on-campus program, your chances of actually completing the degree program are higher. Employers also tend to frown on some of the online programs. \n\nHowever, not all of us have the freedom in our lives to be able to get to a campus location - and if that's your situation, then a distance learning degree may be your only option. But if you decide to do distance learning, take it from me - I used to be a recruiter - and definately make sure it's accredited, and also only consider degrees from universities that have a good overall academic reputation. And definately, unless you have no other options, do not attend an "online-only" school.