Online Degree: What Students Say

For Working Adults, Going Online Is The Best Option

Student responses in this same survey, seem to reflect the responses given by their supervisors:

• Fifty-four percent of the students received an increase in their income due to earning their degree
• Fifty percent had a job promotion or change in careers that improved their life as a result of earning their degree.

Related research found that:

• Recognized institutions with online degree programs carry more weight with employers than degrees awarded by lesser known schools. A Vault.com study reports that 77 percent of hiring managers say that an online degree received through an established university such as Duke or Stanford is more acceptable than a degree earned through an Internet only university.
• Many online programs (Jones International, Capella, Stanford) have the same regional accreditation and uphold rigorous academic standards.
• Traditional, brick-and-mortar universities often make no separation between their programs and the type of degree awarded.
• Course instructional content should remain the same both online and in a traditional class. Only the class delivery mode changes. For this reason, transcripts do not indicate whether a course was done at a distance or on campus.
• Other academic institutions routinely accept online learning courses. Courses done at a distance are not flagged in any way on transcripts.
• It is important to remember that a person's experience, enthusiasm, ideas, ability, and organization fit are characteristics which are equally, if not more important, than the degree itself.

As increasing numbers of students receive their degrees and professional training online, employers will have to recognize the rigor, depth and worth of accredited degrees earned via distance education. These programs are here to stay and are becoming even more sophisticated as demand grows.

From:
Distance Education and Training Council. "Survey:
Graduates and Employers Evaluate Their Worth," 2001, http://www.detc.org/

"Vault.com Survey of Online Degrees Uncovers Trends in E-Learning."
Business Wire, November 8, 2000, p2508.

"How Do Employers View Online Degrees?, WD Communications,
http://www.back2college.com/

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