10 Common Questions About Online School
Anyone who considers going to online school has a few questions; luckily most of them are the same as everyone else’s. Let’s see if we can’t answer a few
Q: Isn’t Online School just a term for Degree Mill?
A: Not at all! The number of online schools has grown by at least 27% between 2002 and 2009, all of them reputable, many with distinguished graduates who’ve gone on to make over $200,000 a year. A few degree mills may act like an online school, but by checking for accreditation, it’s easy to spot a real school from a fake.
A: How hard is the coursework?
A: It varies per school and per person. Some find that DeVry Tech has very difficult classes while other alumni claim they were easy; a good rule of thumb is that the more reputable the school is, the more you will learn in the class. Coursework overall is on par with campus schooling in terms of difficulty.
Q: What is the amount of teacher-student interaction?
A: Low, for the typical online school. The professor exists primarily to give and grade work, learning the material is usually up to the student.
Q: What kind of degrees can I get online?
A: A great many! Some online schools offer coursework for everything from game design to IT, graphics design to law. Some career fields are so distinct that they must have some hands on; you won’t become a surgeon through an online school even though you can take a few pre-med classes.
Q: What is the quality of online school classes?
A: The same as campus-college, given that many online school professors are campus-college professors.
Q: Are the course schedules as flexible as I hear they are?
A: Yes! In an online college, the coursework is usually displayed on a website your class must frequent, and a due date is given.
Q: What are the primary differences between an online school and a regular university which offers coursework online?
A: Many. One of the key differences between and online school and a university with online classes is the fact that most universities will still require some classes to be taken in person to obtain a degree, unlike a distance-learning online school.
Q: Can I really get a degree with an online school in 2 years?
A: Yes! But just like any other school, it depends on your course load. You could graduate from almost any college in 2 years with the right course load. Remember this as it pertains to online school: they are real, functioning universities. It’s very much common for people to get degrees from an online school, but many of these people already have a degree, or have fulfilled their general education requirements with a community college or a four-year school. Still, two years, even 18 months is possible.
Q: How much will it cost?
A: About the same as most state-funded universities; though probably less.
Q: Will an online degree help me in the real world?
