Online Undergraduate Degree

[Anonymous]

I'm finally going to go back to school and finish that long overdue undergraduate degree now that kids are a bit older and life is slightly less crazy. Does anyone have school suggestions? I know there are several schools but I would like to hear from those with personal experience.

Which school did you select?
Why did you choose that school?
What was good/bad about it?

[Anonymous]

Online=please no.

And if you must, UMUC.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure an online degree is worth the investment. How many credits do you need? I second UMUC if you can't find time to take classes at a traditional university.

[Anonymous]

OP here. At least 2 yrs worth of classes as I was close to an Associates and didn't finish. My career has still taken off to a certain point but now it's time to really accomplish that personal goal that I set for myself years ago before family illness, marriage and children got in the way.

Several of my colleagues started in the industry and didn't have a degree so a degree isn't essential for me to progress in my chosen field.

I will definitely check out UMUC, they were on my short list.

[Anonymous]

11:50 again. Just wanted to say: don't rule out brick and mortar universities. Many offer classes online and will allow you (up to a certain limit) to take courses at other institutions (which can be online). For instance, I went to UMD-CP, but took some (online) courses at UMUC and PGCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure an online degree is worth the investment.

I completely agree with this advice. As a hiring manager, I will not look at resumes for online degrees. You are saving your convenience in the short-term but may not be helping yourself meet your goals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. At least 2 yrs worth of classes as I was close to an Associates and didn't finish. My career has still taken off to a certain point but now it's time to really accomplish that personal goal that I set for myself years ago before family illness, marriage and children got in the way.

Several of my colleagues started in the industry and didn't have a degree so a degree isn't essential for me to progress in my chosen field.

I will definitely check out UMUC, they were on my short list.

Even if it isn't for career advancement, and just education for education's sake, you'll probably want quality over convenience. If you can manage it, try a traditional uni first.

[Anonymous]

Does your original university have an online component? It would save transfer hassles and you could possibly supplement and "transfer" any needed basic classes from an online university, but still graduate from the brick and mortar school (which really is preferable).

[Anonymous]

So, is there a difference between an online degree and a University that offers an online option for taking classes? Can someone please explain the difference? I hear a lot about University of Phoenix's online degree program. Would a degree from their online program be different than a degree from the brick and mortar school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, is there a difference between an online degree and a University that offers an online option for taking classes? Can someone please explain the difference? I hear a lot about University of Phoenix's online degree program. Would a degree from their online program be different than a degree from the brick and mortar school?

First, there a huge difference between non-profit and for-profit degree granting instutitons. U of Phoenix, Strayer, and other for-profit enterprises charge huge amounts of money, offer their candidates very little in terms in of value, and terrible educational outcomes: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/education/harkin-report-condemns-for-profit-colleges.html?_r=0. Above all, this is the distinction you have to be very careful about and the reason why many hiring managers will not even consider degrees from these schools to be "degrees." Also, keep in mind that while these for-profits are FASFA eligible, they are often not accredited, which means that (for instance) you want to teach after you get your BA, you will not be eligible for teacher certification.

Second, there is a difference between online degrees and face to face learning. Assuming you are looking at a creditialed reputable non-profit institution, such as U of Maryland, you have to weigh learning styles and the type of courses you're looking at. Discussion oriented classes and learning how to write well are going to be easier to get in a face-to-face environment. Lecture classes with testing may be easier to get done (if you have the discipline) online. Don't be a sucker for the convenience: you are spending money and time in either case and you should make these investments in the way that actually helps you meet your goals.

[Anonymous]

I got mine from UMUC and nobody ever thought it was a sub par degree. The world has changed, our kids will take most of their classes online and their college experience will be entirely different from yours.

I took both face to face classes as well as online. The key is to manage your time.

[Anonymous]

UMUC.

Got a degree from there and the military and fed govt sent tons of people there also so I think its a safe bet for an online school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got mine from UMUC and nobody ever thought it was a sub par degree. The world has changed, our kids will take most of their classes online and their college experience will be entirely different from yours.

I took both face to face classes as well as online. The key is to manage your time.

How do you know this? I mean, I think UMUC is a good school to choose if you must go the online route, but to assume that no one finds it sub-par is a bit presumptuous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got mine from UMUC and nobody ever thought it was a sub par degree. The world has changed, our kids will take most of their classes online and their college experience will be entirely different from yours.

I took both face to face classes as well as online. The key is to manage your time.

How do you know this? I mean, I think UMUC is a good school to choose if you must go the online route, but to assume that no one finds it sub-par is a bit presumptuous.

Well the people I interviewed with said it was a fine school-part of the university of MD accredited etc . I got many offers after gradating, two of the people I interviewed with said they use UMUC for the advance degrees the company pays for.

[Anonymous]

A lot of state schools have online programs now, and the diploma and transcript do not say a single thing different.

I supplemented my schedule with a couple online classes here and there throughout school because I was an athlete and had trouble fitting them into the training schedule. If you get a good school you can learn a lot.