On Line Degrees: Same as mail order or the 13th grade? Or do they hold some weight?

[TPC]

Wife and I just cut a HUGE check to one of the kids Universities.
If ya pay the 4 years tuition in full up front,, we get a 20% break,, but it was still a heavy note.

Seeing more and more on line Universities advertising.

They worth a damn?

 

[cxr]

Damn... nice saving account!! my kid goes to private university and no way i can cut them a check, and are only helping out with about 10K a year.

The way i understand online universities is that their problem is that they are not accreditated.

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/accreditation/importance-accreditation.htm

 

[Riverbound]

Damn... nice saving account!! my kid goes to private university and no way i can cut them a check, and are only helping out with about 10K a year.

The way i understand online universities is that their prlem is that they are not accreditated.

There are quite a few that are not accredited. Im at the tail end of my bachelors program at University of Phoenix and they are fully accredited. I will definitely say online has been much harder than in class schooling, unfortunately when I was traveling 80% of the time I couldnt attend classes so online was my only option.

 

[shintoooo]

Are they cheaper?

 

[Riverbound]

Are they cheaper?

Phoenix is not. by the time everything is said and done I will have about $50k in student loans.

 

[Motor Boater]

Some are saying these degrees, masters particularly are becoming a little watered down since soo many online universities have popped up offering them. I think it depends on your line of work though, if your a teacher and just trying to get your masters to reach that next pay level then water ever works. However in some instances a degree from a well known university like notre dame will stand out over the guy that graduated from the Chevy chase university online

 

[Tremor Therapy]

There are quite a few that are not accredited. Im at the tail end of my bachelors program at University of Phoenix and they are fully accredited. I will definitely say online has been much harder than in class schooling, unfortunately when I was traveling 80% of the time I couldnt attend classes so online was my only option.

This is the best line of info you will get. I got my MBA through UOP because my driving schedule was such that I could never get someplace to attend classes. The classwork was harder because you did not have the class time and other students conversations and input....in other words, the osmosis of just being in class with others every day.

Cheaper, I don't know, how about $1900 every 6 weeks! My MBA cost me $42.5k, and I am paying on it at $445 per month.

 

[NoShow]

I work for a top ten Furtune 500 company. They have never put much value in online degrees. You can put them on your resume, but I believe you don't stand a chance against someone with a degree from a major university.

 

[NoShow]

I forgot to add that I think a smaller company might value it more.

 

[BajaMike]

I work for a top ten Furtune 500 company. They have never put much value in online degrees. You can put them on your resume, but I believe you don't stand a chance against someone with a degree from a major university.

You can get "on-line" degrees from USC, Stanford, Harvard or MIT, and most major universities....the diploma doesn't say "On Line Degree".

The value to you and your employer is the quality of the university, not whether its on line or not.

Also, I would think the self discipline of an on line degree would make it really hard to complete?.I would value that in an employee I was going to hire.

 

[WATERDOG]

One of the important things that goes with schools are Social things like being able to communicate with others effectively. Learning how to get your message across is very important in many fields. And don't put down Listening skills. Pretty damn important to be able to Listen.

 

[BajaMike]

One of the important things that goes with schools are Social things like being able to communicate with others effectively. Learning how to get your message across is very important in many fields. And don't put down Listening skills. Pretty damn important to be able to Listen.

Good point, and I could never do an on line degree and I sure wouldn't have wanted to miss the "college" experience.

 

[WTRR]

Don't have a clue what it costs to go to college. Two already graduated and two more currently in school. All four got full academic scholarships. Hell they have money left over every semester that they can spend as they please. My youngest has two more years of high school...I'm not sure what he's going to do, but I don't think college is in his future. I told all mine the same thing. Pay attention in class or get good in sports because I'm not paying a damn dime for your college education.

It's worked so far.

 

[LowRiver2]

Depends on field,

Cops/firefighters, easy way to get promoted and get a little pay from your dept. to take the classes.

My wife: Construction mgmt. from Colorado Tech. Univ. Accredited, she is the only woman owned asphalt grinding business owner in the world, and with the women owned business contracts and the degree, she is courted constantly by Kiewitt, Granite and Skanska to get involved in section 8 govt. contracting. Big dividends that payed off with raising 2 kids and running the biz to do the online degree for her.

I graduated CSUF 22 years ago, was about 8K a year/ lol.

 

[Fltplan]

There is no way I would pay up front for on online degree not from a major university. The government is looking at the student loan payback percentage, which is terrible, from these unaccredited universities. Once they stop lending money to the students entering they will be gone overnight. Good luck with that one. I hope the university has a campus and accreditation.

 

[Riverbound]

Also, I would think the self discipline of an on line degree would make it really hard to complete?.I would value that in an employee I was going to hire.

I know UOP has a really high failure rate due to this exact reason. many people arent self disciplined. and if you are a procrstinator it will not work out for you.

 

[River911]

Anything you can do to further your education and expand your horizon is a good thing. That being said, 10yrs ago Fortune companies frowned on on-line degrees. In fact, if I had 2 candidates for a position (a degree was mandatory) and one was on-line, the campus degree person got the position. It was more of an unspoken deal.

One year HR found what they called the perfect candidate. Diversified, BS/MSEE/PE, yada yada. And I found what I felt was the perfect candidate. But he was DeVry. Being a good soldier I hired the MSEE retard. He lasted 4 weeks. Rather than let me hire the DeVry guy, they hired a headhunter to find another tard for me.

Dumbshits.

Well maybe not. They just aquired Cooper. And I still drink beer

 

[TPC]

I know UOP has a really high failure rate due to this exact reason. many people arent self disciplined. and if you are a procrstinator it will not work out for you.

So Bildoe,, when do you get your OB/GYN Doctorate, and does it come by email?

 

[Sleek-Jet]

I work for a top ten Furtune 500 company. They have never put much value in online degrees. You can put them on your resume, but I believe you don't stand a chance against someone with a degree from a major university.

So you work in HR then?

 

[fed4life]

Depends on field,

Cops/firefighters, easy way to get promoted and get a little pay from your dept. to take the classes.

My wife: Construction mgmt. from Colorado Tech. Univ. Accredited, she is the only woman owned asphalt grinding business owner in the world, and with the women owned business contracts and the degree, she is courted constantly by Kiewitt, Granite and Skanska to get involved in section 8 govt. contracting. Big dividends that payed off with raising 2 kids and running the biz to do the online degree for her.

I graduated CSUF 22 years ago, was about 8K a year/ lol.

I am currently in my last two classes at Columbia Southern University for my bachelors in Fire Science. While its not required by my fire dept. to have a 4 year degree to promote to captain and above, it certainly does help. One of the main reason i HAVE to get my degree however is that the Army National Guard gave me a commission and told me i have two years to complete my degree or they will kick me out.

Im lucky enough that the Army gives me tuition assistance(diff from the G.I. Bill) that pays 100% of the cost which is $600 a class i think. From the military standpoint they could give a shit less what your degree is in, just as long as you have a bachelors degree.

I agree with most of the posters here; it can be tough if you dont discipilne yourself to sit down on your free time and do the school work. It was tough for me at first to get in the grove of things and discipline myself to sit down and do school work instead of watching TV, working on the boat, etc. etc.

College is so stupidly expensive nowadays; my first kid is on the way and my wife wants to start saving for them to go to a big school which is what her parents did for her to earn her doctorate. While i thinks thats great theres no replacement for life experiences! My attitude is they can go to community college for two years then go to a state school for the last two with the intention of helping them out here and there. However, i think there best bet is to join the military, get some great life experiences while earning a paycheck with benefits and let the military pay for their education through tuition assistance and the G.I. Bill. Of course im not opposed to them applying for West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy or the Coast Guard Academy. I wish i could go back to when i was 16 and reorganize my priorites and applied for one of the service academies...best deal out there if you ask me!

Having veterans status behind them will help tremendously once they get out of school and join the workforce, most places i know jump at the chance to hire a vet. I know its helped me get to where i am today and is the best descision i have ever made in my life.

Anyways, thats just my .02

 

[fmo24]

My niece just graduated from USC and probably half in her masters program did their work online. The social works program has a virtual classroom now

 

[SJP]

Personal perspective:

When I graduated from USC - undergrad - Marshall School of Business - they did not offer online classes. I still network with classmates, friends, and people in my fraternity I went to school with. As others have stated in this thread social, communication, and basic business skills would be hard to teach online. It was an unbelievable experience and am thankful I had the opportunity. I am not sure I would want to do online classes knowing what I know now.

Employer perspective:

When I make a hire it is a tough call. Depends on the position and I have hired accredited, trade school, and online or self-paced (IT field) employees. If you are a certification whore or your parents were able to coax your way into a plush university it will get flushed out pretty quick in the real world.

Father perspective:

I expect my boys to study hard and not waste my money. Who knows what that may look like in 14 years (or cost).

 

[whiteworks]

Top tier undergrad degree $200k, you get what you pay for.

 

[NoShow]

So you work in HR then?

No I don't. I said it was my belief not a fact. It's just that the few people I know that increased their education at places like Phoenix online didn't seem to get promotions after finishing their degree. For many years the company would not help pay for continued education from Phoenix, National, and others. They would help pay if you went to the local university as long as the degree was useful in the company. I don't know what they pay for now. A lot of that has been cut back with the economy.