Online vs Traditional Degree debate

[techwarrior]

Ok I know the internet is teeming with these discussions, nevertheless I have a few points I want to make.

Traditional Colleges are now offering online degree programs; students enrolled in an online program recieve the same degree as those who attend classes.

Purdue offers a masters degree in IT that can be taken either at one of the campuses or online. An employer would have no idea looking at the degree that is was done completely online. Online students still have to go through regular graduate admission processes: letters of recommendation, at least 2 years of work experience, 3.0 undergraduate GPA, and a GRE score in the top 50-30%.

Indiana University Southbend extension now offers a MBA that can be done online. Students take the same classes as all the MBA students, except they do it online.

An advantage of getting a masters online from a traditional school is to the employer it looks like you actually attended classes there and the employer has no way of knowing the degree was earned completely online.

I think it is benefical to have at least one undergraduate degree from a traditional school, however getting a masters or a second degree online I think would be better than only having one degree.

I work in downtown chicago and commute from northwest Indiana to chicago every day. Attending night classes has been difficult for me. Getting a 2nd degree online is the ony way I would be able to get another degree at all.

Illinois Institute of Technology offers an online masters in Computer Science. For the online masters program you only need 1 semester of calculus which I have. The program can be done completely online. This would save time rather than going back to school for another 4 years to earn a 2nd undergrad in Computer Science. I know IIT has a bad reputation, however I think my resume would look better if I got a 2nd degree in Computer Science from them , rather than having only a degree in Information Systems and an accounting certificate. In addition while going to school I could keep my job and gain more years of work experience in the IT field.

 

[Nodsu]

So where's the debate? Or the point..

 

[techwarrior]

the debate is what is your feeling about online degrees? Do you think it is marketable to have a 2nd degree that was obtained online? What if the online degree was obtained through a traditional university?

 

[Nodsu]

Well, it is most certainly better than nothing. And for masters, the practical part of the studies is not so importand as for bachelor anyway. OTOH, you most certainly learn more by collaborating with other students and having a more personal relationship with your professors, so a on-site degree will give you more. Whether a potential employer thinks so too, is a completely different matter of course.

 

[Tedster]

I completed my last year of my bachelor's entirely online and my first year of my masters online. If it weren't for online programs, it would be very difficult for me to continue my education. I have had my share of good, bad, and horrible professors both in traditional format as well as online. But overall the online learning experience has been good. The only thing I do not like seems to be group projects which my master's degree seems to have in every class. I find these to be fruitless as well as difficult to do in an online format. An education is an education. I have found no people whose employer was unsatisfied with an online degree. I have never met any that asked or have been told by anyone that an employer asked. An online degree can be very challenging and requires a lot of discipline - even more so than a regular class.

 

[smore9648]

I am enrolled in a B.S. program online. I am be called up anytime to travel throughout the pacific, I cannot attend a traditional classroom.

Drawbacks (maybe,maybe not) self discipline and making time

Positive-You can go at your speed and complete assignments when your done, not having to wait on the slower people or have to listen to the know it all trying to think they run the show


Employers look for a degree, the degree doesn't say you went through an online course or not. Its the same educational criteria just a different way of getting it