Saturday, February 18, 2012

Is Your Online Education Legitimate? How To Spot A Credible Online Degree Program

Educational professionals and employers have long challenged the credibility of online college degrees. Traditionalists are quick to dismiss them as easy, widely fuelling the belief that online college degrees are worthless. Employers, as a result, have jumped on the bandwagon and have been known to reject potential employees on the strength of it, stating that they do not meet the specified criteria. However, accredited online colleges and universities have been fighting this perspective with a degree of success and guidelines have been published so that individuals can distinguish between credible online college degrees and their bogus equivalents. Here is a quick guide on what to look out for.

Accredited Colleges And Universities - The safest way of ensuring that your online college degree will be taken into account when you apply for jobs is by choosing to take one with a well-known university that is established offline. The University Of Carolina or Stanford University are just two that are established universities offering online college degrees. If you present a degree from accredited online colleges and universities that already provide excellent educational courses then it will undoubtedly be taken into considerations. Although accredited online colleges and universities that operate solely on the Internet may be legitimate, employers may dismiss your degree as being fake on the basis that they have never heard of them.

Online Degree

Check Accreditation - Never apply for an online college degree whose provider does not display its credentials online for all prospective students to view. Some "accredited" online colleges and universities, Belford University to name but one, have been known to make up fake agencies and in effect accredit themselves so their online college degrees are absolutely worthless in the real world. This is the type of scam that gives legitimate online college degrees a bad reputation. If you can see the agency that accredited the college then you can research it to see whether it actually exists, in some cases, or is a legitimate authority. Long established agencies are more likely to be legitimate than others.

Is Your Online Education Legitimate? How To Spot A Credible Online Degree Program

Online Verification - If your online college degree is accredited, it will be listed at the US Department of Education. Accredited online college and university programs are placed on the list if they are legitimate and thus the Department of Education will have effectively done your research for you. If the online college degree that you are considering is not on that list then be wary because it is a very expensive chance that you will be taking. Placement on the list also gives you a ready answer if a potential employer ever questions you about the legitimacy of an online college degree.

There are so many bogus online college degree companies that will churn out your piece of paper at a moments notice that it is no wonder that employers are skeptical. Whilst offering individuals a program that would have otherwise been unavailable to them, the increasing popularity of online courses has opened the floodgates to conmen and people who are out to make a quick buck. Be careful, it is your future that will be affected by your decision after all.

Is Your Online Education Legitimate? How To Spot A Credible Online Degree Program

My Car Check

No comments:

Post a Comment