Hunting for the perfect online degree

Posted by Jen Zeman on December 22nd, 2008

When I started my search for an online degree program, I requested information from about three different schools, all within my home state of Maryland. I wanted to start my search local before considering out-of-state institutions, primarily because I knew in-state colleges and universities would accept more transfer credits and in-state tuition would be less expensive. The information I received included full admissions packets and I did find the information helpful since it helped me determine if the school offered online degree programs AND in the discipline I wanted to study (i.e. legal studies). As I have mentioned before, I was fortunate to find the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) offered an online legal studies bachelor’s degree.

I am very satisfied still to this day with the quality of education and the online experience with UMUC, so I do not have any regrets in not requesting information from additional schools for my bachelor’s degree. When I started a search for master’s degrees online, I broadened my search to include more out-of-state institutions and requested information from about three schools. I did this because I found most colleges and universities offer online graduate degrees mainly in business or education fields; I was looking for a liberal arts graduate degree. I found a few schools that offered an online graduate liberal arts degree and found a good program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The best advice is to know what you want to study and keep searching. A larger variety of online programs become available each year, so you are bound to find what you are looking for. Requesting information is not a commitment to any particular school, so gather as much information as possible and then develop a pros and cons list for each. This will help you narrow your search to the eventual ideal institution. Happy hunting!