Traditional Degree Vs. online Degrees

Jim Oleskowitz

Professor Herdson

WRT 202

24 April 2008

Traditional Degree vs. Online Degrees

Would you ever think of getting your college education over the internet? Well, doing such a thing is possible and is growing in popularity. In 2003 there were 1.98 million people enrolled in online courses and in 2004 the number jumped up to 2.35 million people enrolled (Reuter and Schwartzberg 242). There are 178 accredited online colleges and universities in the United States (Accredited par.1). The next question would be are employers all right with people getting their degree through the internet or do they still prefer the traditional type of degree? The concept of getting a degree online is still very new and with more students going through online courses everyday and getting into the workforce there may be a day where getting a traditional degree and getting on online degree will be looked at the same way. Online degrees can be just as good as a typical traditional college degree.

Online degrees and traditional degrees are not that different; with online degrees you take your courses online instead of going to a regular college or university. Both online and traditional programs have the same typical day schedule, one is just in a classroom and the other is on the computer. Anyone can take online classes or earn their degree online. There are both pros and cons to getting your degree online but there are pros and cons to getting a traditional degree as well. Research has shown that employers still prefer traditional degrees over online degrees but that is because there is still not enough information out there to sway their opinion the other way.

There are both pros and cons to online degrees. According to collegeconfidential.com some pros of online degrees would be flexible schedules and a lower cost to get an education. The average cost of an online college or university is about $12,000 a year (Key par.2) where a traditional private college or university in 2007 was $31,717 a year (What’s par.2). The cost of a traditional college or university includes room and board, tuition, and other fees. The flexible schedule can help with people who work to support their family but want to get their degree. Also online programs are good if the program of study someone wants is not offered at a local traditional university. Harris Jhosta says, “Students definitely need discipline and self-motivation to succeed in obtaining online degrees, but there’s still the same level of help and support from teachers and students online that there would be in a classroom” (Jhosta par.4). Online degrees can also help people in the same field of study take classes and advance their field. The field of clinical research never had an exact degree for people to get. In recent years a few colleges and universities have made a program especially for clinical research. The people who are already in the field can now take courses online to further advance their learning. Since only a few places have the program and the people already in the field can not leave their job and families to go back to school the option of taking the courses online are helping advance the field of clinical research (Reuter and Schwartzberg 54). Some cons would be that there is a lack of inter-personal relationship with other students and professors. The degree they get may not be looked at as equal to a traditional degree and cheating may be easier. It is also harder to sort out the programs that are rigorous from the ones that are not as rigorous. This means that when looking for online programs it is hard to sort which programs are legitimate because there are so many where with traditional schools most are known for a certain program of study. Some traditional schools may be known for their nursing program or their education program where online colleges are not known for any program at all because they are still fairly new.

There is one very big down side to online programs. There are websites out there are called degree mills. A degree mill is a site that will give out fake degrees, diplomas, and other certifications that are not recognized by any official accreditation board (online degrees par.3). These websites print out real looking diplomas for any level of a degree, from a bachelor’s degree to doctoral degrees. They can also print out transcripts with grades that look legitimate as well (J. Bear and M. Bear par.3). They give you a toll free number and have a website that gives you details about the “school” (J. Bear and M. Bear par. 2). All someone has to do to get one of these diplomas is pay a fee; some make people write an essay before they get their “diploma” (J. Bear and M. Bear par.4). An example of one of these schools is Ashwood University. If you go to their website you can get any type of degree you want. They say that all you need to do is pay them and they will send you your degree in seven days. They say that you can get your degree through your life experience and never have to take tests or go to a class. They also tell you that they are accredited (Ashwood). Religious schools sometimes can give out these degrees legally because of the law of separation between church and state (J. Bear and M. Bear par 5-6). They can only give out religious degrees though. Getting a degree from one of these sites is illegal. There are 178 accredited colleges or universities out there that can give out legitimate degrees and you can check all the schools that are accredited online. One of the most popular online degree universities is the University of Phoenix. Even though this is a traditional university as well their online program is very highly regarded. When you go to their website they ask you a few questions to start. Then, if you pick the online based learning they give you their programs of study for an online degree. They have areas such as education, nursing, business and many others that you can choose from (University). People who are trying to get their degree online should do their research first and find out if the school is accredited before they commit to anything. Getting a degree from a degree mill can leave you in a worse position then you were in before and it could even land you in jail.

The typical day for an online student is the same as a typical day for a traditional student for the most part. Online students log onto the course they are taking instead of going into a classroom. They may have to log in several times a week. Then they go to their calendar to see what is due for the week or if there is a test or quiz