Posts Tagged ‘online degrees’
Posted by admin on July 13th, 2009
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We all strive to achieve a “balance” in our lives; juggling our career and our family but does anyone really ever achieve it? I recently attended a seminar discussing the art of balancing career and family. The speaker touched on quite a few points that hit home but more importantly she showed by example that you can have it all as long as you’re willing to put forth the necessary effort.
As I left the seminar, I began examining my own life’s goals and achievements. Have I exceeded my own expectations, have I been able to “check off” items from my life’s to-do list? Sure. I graduated from college, I married my college sweetheart, I have 1.5 children, and a career! And yet, I want more. Wow – how selfish am I? I have dreams of going back to school, furthering my education and my career but I have this voice that screams “No! You’ll never see your family, your friends, or anyone for that matter!” Really? Whatever happened to the old saying, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it”??? I had lost all hope and simply crossed off the “better your education” item on my to-do list.
But now I have a renewed faith! I can have a great career; I can further my education and still have a life. How? Well, I have Rachel Ray’s 30 minute meals, Clorox Clean-up Wipes, and the freedom of an online education! They allow me more time with my son, my husband, my friends (and me, too). I can bang out a meal in 30 minutes and still have time for my son and husband. I can go out to dinner with the girls and not worry about missing a class or test. I can basically study whenever, wherever, and however I want. Yes, I AM SUPERMOM! Well, maybe not. I may never achieve that “perfect balance” in my life but who will? All I know is that I now have the chance to make things happen FOR ME and I’m taking it.
Posted by admin on May 15th, 2009
A new four-year college scholarship is available to a student with a disability. The scholarship is for Aspen University, a leading, nationally accredited on-line university providing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Aspen University is one of a handful of on-line universities that enjoys a sterling reputation for its academic rigor and commitment to its students.
The scholarship was created by Twin Cities businessman Scott Thompson. A volunteer coach for Courage Center’s successful power soccer teams, Thompson saw a need for more college opportunities for young people with disabilities. Thompson received his MBA from Aspen University and serves on its foundation Board of Directors.
The Aspen Collegiate Foundation scholarship is based on an applicants’ academic merit, financial need and a commitment to complete all four years at Aspen University leading to a Bachelor’s Degree.
Aspen University
Posted by Jen Zeman on May 1st, 2009
Online degree programs are a major convenience for anyone who cannot access a traditional college classroom. However, online degree programs are not suited for everyone. One of the largest mistakes people make in judging online programs is the classes must be easier because you do not have to sit through a traditional lecture. This is not the case! Online courses are just as difficult, if not more so, than traditional classes. There is a tremendous amount of reading that is required each week and most courses require active participation on discussion boards each week as well (these discussion boards/groups usually take the place of traditional classroom discussions). If you are someone who needs the face-to-face interaction with an instructor during a pre-designated time slot each week in order to keep you on the ball, then you may have a difficult time being successful within online courses. With online courses, you are on your own to manage your workload and learn the material. If you are not a disciplined individual who can motivate themselves to get a job done, then online courses may not be for you for the same reason mentioned above. You will find yourself falling behind which is disastrous in an online course setting.
However, if you consider yourself an independent learner, capable of learning new material without being latched to an instructor, you will enjoy the independence of online classes. This is true too if you cannot tolerate sitting through a lecture and having to be held back by other students who may not understand the material as well as you (i.e. the ones who ask a ton of questions in class). If you are an organized and disciplined person, online classes will be perfect for you. If you keep the material for class organized and you can easily motivate yourself to put schoolwork first above all else, then you will be quite successful with an online degree program. You’ll never want to sit through another traditional in-class course again! Good luck!
Posted by admin on March 16th, 2009
Next month, the first tuition-free, peer-to-peer college opens its doors to new enrollees. The University of the People plans to offer two bachelor degree programs: a BA in Business Administration and a BSc in Computer Science.
Instead of traditional textbooks, students will rely on OpenCourseWare material provided for free by other universities. Instead of working directly with teachers, students will complete assignments working as peer groups. There will be nominal fees for admissions and testing. But, students won’t be charged for tuition.
A recent news release from the University of the People explains:
“University of People will be able to effectively function on a limited budget without sacrificing quality of education by using collaborative and open-source eLearning. UoP will embrace peer-to-peer teaching to make the best use of a student body from around the world. Within online study communities, students will share resources, exchange ideas, discuss weekly topics, submit assignments and take exams. The curriculum will be supported by respected scholars. A community of educators, comprised of active and retired professors, librarians, master level students and other professionals, will participate and oversee the assessment process.”
Enrollment is limited to 300 students for the first semester, beginning this September. Although the school is not currently accredited, administrators plan to seek accreditation after the required wait time.
Provided by About.com
Posted by Jen Zeman on December 30th, 2008
Having an online school close to home was not a driving factor on where I would attend; however, I did consider in-state schools before considering out-of-state schools. For me, it was more of a comfort factor. I was working at a local community college when I was looking at schools to transfer my associate’s degree credits to. While at the community college, I had a great deal of information available to me about local universities and the programs they offered, so I felt a great deal of familiarity with local universities. With this information, I found UMUC and the perfect online degree program. Knowing I could easily transfer almost all my credits to UMUC was reassuring – I wouldn’t have to spend time and money on a bunch of additional classes. Plus, the tuition wasn’t too far out of reach for me. Because I found the ideal online school within my home state I had no need to look out-of-state.
My advice to others:
- Start your search with local colleges and universities to see what online programs they have to offer and if they coincide with your desired program. But don’t settle if they don’t! If local institutions are not offering an online program in the discipline you want to study, broaden your search to out-of-state institutions. A complete online program will not require you to attend or even visit the physical campus. I have even found that some online schools do not charge a higher tuition for out-of-state students attending online programs (i.e. you pay what in-state students pay).
- If you are currently attending a community college and need help searching, enlist the assistance of an academic advisor with your search. Most have a good grasp on what’s being offered at various institutions and can offer advice on your search.
- Make a list of important criteria for an online school before starting your search will also make the process easier. This way, you won’t settle for an institution that may not fulfill all your needs.
Posted by Jeff Davis on December 18th, 2008
I believe that there are many reasons that people exert the effort to pursue an online degree and my reasons are probably no different. My main motivation behind looking for an online degree was probably the fact that I wanted to obtain a better job. A job with more prestige, more responsibility, and hopefully more money!
However, there were also other important factors involved. The right online degree would help me advance in my career so I was pretty choosy when looking over all of the different degrees offered and considering the many online schools which offered them. I wanted my online degree to be something that I could be proud of with a sense of accomplishment and I wanted it to be considered as respectable as a traditional college degree.
I can tell you that one factor which I was not as concerned with was cost. Cost was not a major contributive factor for me in my pursuit of an online degree, especially since I knew that I could qualify for financial aid. More important than cost to me was the quality of the degree program and the educational institution from which it came.
Convenience is probably what originally drove me to seeking an online degree versus taking a more traditional approach. Since I am a busy working adult, I truly appreciated the ability to take courses from home. This allowed me to fit college into my hectic lifestyle with a more flexible advantage.
The first thing I looked for once I found an online degree program that I was interested in was making certain that the institution carried an official recognition. Making sure that the school was accredited almost guaranteed me that I would be getting the best education possible and the best value for my tuition.
Not everyone has career related reasons for wanting an online degree. An education is always beneficial, even if it is only meant to meet a personal goal in life. Getting your degree online can be a rewarding and memorable life experience, so be sure to take the time to research your online degree in order to be certain of getting exactly the college degree to help you meet your personal or career goals.
Posted by Sharon Cece on December 15th, 2008
Candidly speaking, when I decided to return to college to complete my degree I did not initially consider online options. I believed that returning to Florida State was out of the question for obvious reasons (the main being a super long commute), and so I looked at local colleges to finish what I started. Since I was used to being a traditional student, I assumed I would return on-campus.
My plans changed, however, when I was clicking through the FSU site out of sheer wishful thinking. Somehow I stumbled on their distance learning FSU Online program, but was dismayed to find a very limited number of degrees offered with none pertaining to my major (unless I wanted to suddenly switch from Business Administration to Nursing, which was unlikely). Yet, the more I thought about it, the more the idea of studying and matriculating online appealed to me. Having small children was my biggest push toward an online curriculum, as well as the appealing thought of taking tests right from home when I wanted or from wherever I happened to be at the moment.
And so began my search for online degrees. Since I had never attended college online I wasn’t quite sure at first what I was looking for in an online program. First and foremost I wanted to apply the credits I already had toward my returning degree. Convenience and flexibility was a criteria, yet pretty much default with most online programs. Cost was another consideration and I did find a wide spectrum of fees with local schools as most affordable. However, I admit that I kept gravitating back to FSU, thinking this was my chance to finish my degree where I wanted, though their online program was more money than most of the local colleges I was considering. As well, I wasn’t sure how I would apply my credits to the online degrees that were offered there. But I suddenly felt determined and, through this new distance learning option I was presented, I saw a chance to get my degree exactly how I wanted (online: the antidote for long commutes) and where I wanted (FSU: my #1 choice).
Fortunately, persistence pays. I snail-mailed, e-mailed and called a number of helpful representatives and assistants and finally reached a wonderful advisor who informed me that most of my Business Admin courses could be applied or converted toward an Interdisciplinary Social Science degree, which was offered through the FSU Online program. Another advantage: even though their online course fees were higher than local online programs, all of my existing credits would be applied to my continuing degree since my prior credits were from FSU to begin with. This would save me both time and money in the long run. That clinched it. Now my course was set, and the rest was easy– just a matter of applying and paying for it. Okay maybe not so easy….but once you decide what you want and how you want it, the rest somehow falls into place.
Posted by Jen Zeman on December 8th, 2008
When considering financing options for school, I compared loans from private financial institutions and the U.S. Department of Education. I decided on the Department of Education and completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. I knew my husband and I made too much money to be eligible for grants, so I secured subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Loans through the Department of Education appealed to me more than a private financial institution loan because the Department of Education offered a better loan rate, better repayment options, and deferral of repayment until I graduated from school. The deferral option is great! Not immediately coming up with the additional funds to pay for school was one less thing to stress about.
The world of scholarships is vast and the amount of money available via scholarships is astronomical. The website www.scholarships.com indicates their database consists of over 2.7 million free scholarships and grants worth over $19 billion. The problem I found with scholarships is that it takes time, a lot of time, to search through them to find ones you are eligible to apply for. During the searches I did conduct, I wasn’t eligible for most of the scholarships offered. I simply didn’t have the time to continue, but if you do have the time, scholarships and grants can be extremely beneficial in reducing your total tuition bill. With enough persistence, you may even accumulate enough to pay all of your expenses! The financial aid office at the institution you will be attending can help you get started in the process. The financial aid office can help you apply for financial aid, advise you of funding available directly through the school, and assist you essentially through the entire process.
Posted by admin on October 31st, 2008
As the price of a college degree continues to rise, there’s growing evidence that the monetary payoff isn’t quite as big as often advertised. The best estimate now is that a college degree is worth about $300,000 in today’s dollars—nowhere near the $1 million figure that is often quoted.
“That $1 million number has driven me crazy!” says Sandy Baum, a Skidmore economist who studied the value of a college degree for the College Board last year.
Baum’s research showed that college graduates earn, on average, about $20,000 a year more than those who finished their educations at high school. Add that up over a 40-year working life and the total differential is about $800,000, she figures. But since much of that bonus is earned many years from now, subtracting out the impact of inflation means that $800,000 in future dollars is worth only about $450,000 in today’s dollars.
Then, if you subtract out the cost of a college degree—about $30,000 in tuition and books for students who get no aid and attend public in-state universities—and the money a student could have earned at a job instead of attending school, the real net value in today’s dollars is somewhere in the $300,000 range, a number confirmed by other studies.
But, especially these days, that still makes a college degree one of the most lucrative investments a person can make, Baum notes.
Better yet, college graduates can go on to earn advanced degrees, which return even bigger payoffs. The average holder of a bachelor’s degree earns about $51,000 a year, Baum calculates. But those who’ve gone on to earn MBAs, law degrees, or other professional degrees earn about $100,000 a year.
In addition, Baum found that there are plenty of other rewards for a degree. The quality of the jobs college graduates get is far better, for example. College graduates are more likely to get jobs with health insurance. And it is easier for them to find and hold jobs. The unemployment rate for college graduates was just 2.2 percent last year, half the unemployment level of those with only high school diplomas.
There are lots of other nonmonetary benefits as well. College graduates are healthier, contribute more to their communities, and raise kids who are better prepared academically, studies show.
Other researchers have found that the payoff of a degree is especially lucrative for students from low-income families, since the education and credential give them a chance to break out of low-paying careers.
Article posted from USNEWS
Posted by Jen Zeman on September 28th, 2008
If you are interested in pursuing an online degree but are more interested in a liberal studies program versus business, you are in luck! Many colleges and institutions now offer their liberal studies programs online, whether you are pursuing an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. Simply type in “online liberal studies degree program” in your search engine to find a program that suits your needs. I used Google in this instance. In searching, “liberal arts” and “liberal studies” is often used interchangeably. A plethora of information will then be delivered to you. Two sites I found to be helpful included:
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/liberal-arts-humanities/liberal-arts/
This site lists different institutions across the country that offer online liberal arts/studies programs.
http://education-portal.com/liberal_studies_degree.html
This site also lists different institutions offering online degrees, but also provides useful articles such as what kind of career can one have with a liberal studies degree. This site also has a search engine within it to narrow your search even further.
The Google search also provided links directly to colleges and universities offering an online liberal studies degree program. With a little legwork, I am confident you will find the perfect online liberal studies degree program!
