Is an Online College or Distance Learning Program is Right for You
How to Make Sure You Choose a Legitimate Online Program
First make sure your school is accredited. By accredited, I am not referring to the DETC "accreditation", but make sure it is accredited by one of the regionally accrediting bodies. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Colleges and Schools, etc. are all regional agencies that accredit brick and mortar colleges. By choosing to go with a school that has regional accreditation, your degree and college credits can easily transfer to another school or be used to fulfil a professional licence requirement (like a teacher). A good way to find out if your school is regionally accredited is to see if they offer federal, not private, student loans. If they do, there is a good chance your school is regionally accredited.
Next, going along with the same sentiment as above, if you are looking to borrow or seek financial aid, be sure that your school is regionally accredited. You would hate to waste years in college and accumulate a loan, only to find out your degree is worthless. Do your research. Also, whenever possible never borrow a private loan. Federal loans have guidelines that are uniform no matter if you choose to start your college studies in California and end in Florida.
Finally, make sure your state recognizes your education. By this, while some degrees may offer the same major, each state for professional licensing purposes may require a specific number of degree credits in order to site for a professional exam. If you come up short, even though you may have a degree, you may be required to take additional coursework, thus adding an extra expense and delay to your new career. Also, inquire about internships, as some licensing requirements do stipulate that an applicant for a professional license complete a certain number of "clock hours" as part of an internship prior to submitting an application for exam.
Published by Aimee E
A.E. has been a professional writer/editor since 2001, and has a BS Degree with a major in Middle Grades Education. A.E. is available for writing/editing assignments by message. View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentWhere do you get the idea that all unaccredited schools are diploma mills? Harvard University became accredited in 1929. Prior to that it was a diploma mill, right? You ought to look into the concept of "recognized". Some accredited schools are not recognized because they so poor. In the religious field, a degree from a denominational school may get you a job. This is not your focus but in any field, it would be smart to check out what your prospective employer is looking for, what they accept or don't accept. Accredited degrees are "in" because they represent prestige not learning. In the Ivy League schools, if you join a fraternity or sorority, they have a file of the last ten exams each professor gave, that's all you have to study.