Are online associates degrees a legitimate way to obtain a degree?
360565
The key element that you should look for in an online degree it to make sure that the school is regionally accredited.  A few states (Colorado and Mississippi, I know off the bat) have a virtual community college site where you can take online courses from almost any of their community colleges.  You'll want to be very careful about technical degrees, though.  I have lots of students who are re-taking many of their classes at c.c. after they found out that companies won't accept their degrees from schools that aren't regionally accredited.
849584
You have to be very careful with on line degrees.  Many of them are not recognized.  Attending a bricks and mortar university is always better.  Athabasca University  in Alberta, Canada is one school that has been doing distance education for over 30 years.  It is better than most on line universities.  It may meet your needs.
707793
I'm a systems analyst in the IT industry.  I'm not sure I can say much authoritatively, but I can give you my two sense.\n\nIf the degree can get you certified in .NET in highly marketable areas such as C#, VB.NET, XML, ADO.NET, with experience in SQL Server and Reporting Services, you bet.  HOWEVER, I can say that I personally was very skeptical of a candidate that I had on my desk about 6 years ago, but I gave them an interview none the less.  Certifications are the key; if you can do the work, you can go a long way.  If they can certify you in other areas, that have demonstrated value, then the answer can also be yes.  Also, an undergrad degree is looked upon highly; some companies only look at someone with an undergrad degree.  \n\nIf I had a choice between a offline university and an online one, I'd choose the offline; both for the college expierience and the percieved credibility, but the feeling on online universities and credibility is changing in the culture as time goes on in favor of credible online institutions.
254093
It depends on the unversity and the degree.  You need to check the reputaion of the univeristy carefully and then the professional requirements of the job you intend to study for.  Some are recognized and some are not.  Best advice is to be careful.\n\nI've attached one website of a university that is quite well known for its distance and on-line programs.
723920
Chech first with the U.S. Department of Education and the Distance Education Training Council. Many schools now offer education on a distance learning mode. Most are legitimate, accredited institutions. Unfortunately, there are many others who operate as mere diploma mills, wherein you basically buy your diploma and you get nothing but a scrap of paper and a degree recognized by noone.\n\nAmong the recognized, legitimate, and leaders in the field are Penn Foster Career School, and Professional Career and Development Institute. Check them out at www.pennfoster.org, and www.pcdi.org. To check accreditation, log on to www.detc.org.
16202
In some states, such as I believe Oregon, it is illegal to use such degrees to obtain employment/greater levels of compensation.  \n\nThey are a sham.  Anybody can give you a "degree," but if you think you could use them to improve your job prospects you are kidding yourself.  An empolyer who hires you thinking you were reporting an academic degree can later fire you if they discover it is not real.  Don't waste your money.
418917
Utterly useless.\n\nKennedy-Western is not even accredited.\n\nMoreover, even though some employers in business fields are beginning to accept online degrees, most still do not.  You can find surveys and interviews on this topic in almost any current business magazine.\n\nA Ph.D. online, in any field whatsoever, is absolutely unthinkable.  Doctoral study requires one-on-one mentoring by a reputable scholar with demonstrable expertise in a field.  No reputable scholar -- NOT ONE -- would attempt to mentor doctoral students online.
963884
Online degrees offered by respected, traditional universities generally do not notate that the degree was obtained online--you won't have to mention it, and the employer won't know the difference.  However, online diploma mills that only offer education via the internet have never been respected by employers.  Just hearing the name of the institution will make their eyes roll into the back of their heads.
75179
Where prestige is concerned, individuals may still look down on people with online degrees, but companies are starting realize that people with online degrees aren't that different from those with traditional degrees. I think where you got your degree doesn't matter, as long as you know what your stuff. I know lots of people that spent 4 years in college and came out knowing nothing.\n\nA lot of them aren't accredited. Basically anyone with a website can say they're running an online university. However, some of them are actually just as good or better than traditional universities. You just have to do your research and make sure the one you choose is accredited. Find out what agency gave them their accreditation, what other schools are accredited by agency, make sure the education officials in the state where their home office is based has actually heard about them. Basically, cover all your bases.\n\nThe one I keep hearing about and seeing around is the University of Phoenix, so you might want to check them out. Maybe by doing some research on them might give you info on other online universities. \n\nAlso, many traditional universities are starting to catch on and are offering online classes, so you might want to chech that out as well.
427118
Just to let you know, most employers ARE NOT impressed with University of Phoenix degrees or really any degree from an "online university". Your best bet, if you can, is to enroll in a regular college with a physical address and then take their classes online. Good luck!
198402
It definitely depends upon the field you're looking to get into and who is likely to be responsible for hiring you.  People in general tend to be wary of "get educated quick" schemes including online degrees because they are unproven and people in hiring positions tend to not understand how you could possibly accomplish the same level of education with these types of programs. \n\nRegardless of your decision, make sure whatever program you're in is accredited...some online programs are, and some aren't just as some local university programs also aren't.  This ensures to you as well as to your future employer that the education you got at least covers the fundamental things you need to know in order to be successful in your field.
810297
Online degrees are a good way to keep your schedule flexible. Typically you can work from any computer with Internet access. You would most likely participate in class discussions via forums or emails. You could hand in assignments by email or by posting to a web page.\n\nHere is some more info about online schools if you're interested:\n\nhttp://www.college-scholarship-hound.com/index.php?t=onlineschools\n\nGood luck!
990252
From what I've been seeing and hearing from University Professors, On line degrees are not seen the same way as "regular school" degrees.  However, it all depends on:\n1)  what job you are trying to get and\n2)  who is hiring you.\n\nSome things you just can't learn on line (like becoming a Doctor of Medicine), so you have to make sure that your on line program is credited to give you a degree in whatever it is that you want to do.\n\nCertain companies don't care where you got the degree as long as you have it, while others are more picky, so you should try to find out from your current or possible employers whether getting an online degree would give you benefits at work (promotions, raise, etc.).
17907
A degree from an online college may not be recognized at most places.  You would be just wasting your money.  You may be able to get a grant to go to real college.  A grant is free money that will pay for the tuition and books.
739622
There are lots of on line degree programs in education, but make sure the one your enroll in is a reliable one.  Not all of them are reputable.  You wouldn't usually get a master of science in education.  Those are two separate degrees - a master of science or a master of education.  You may need to start with a bachelor's degree if you don't have one already.\n\nHere is a link to one on line university that is quite well known.  It is a Canadian university and has specialized in distance education for more than 30 years.  Best of luck with it.
630743
Yes there are many but are they from accredited institutions? Need to be very careful about that since only those from such an institution will be nationally recognized. If it's accredited I'd go for it. Check this website for the list of online degrees that are nationally accepted\nhttp://www.classesusa.com/index.html;jsessionid=28DAF55801F2B047E9694454F35ABC2E
522871
There are many schools out there that are reputable that offer on line degree programs. University of Maryland, Drexel University, University of Baltimore, Nova Southeastern University are all traditional that have very good on line degree programs and they are accepted by industry. When you receive your degree it won't say "Online Drexel University" it will be the same degree that traditional students get. Just stay away from University of Phoenix and American Intercontinental University. These maybe accredited schools but they are not schools with good reputations.