Online College Degrees - Trash or Treasure?

It's no secret that someone with a college degree earns nearly over $ 1 million more over their lifetime than a high school graduate. But how can the average wage earner or recent high school graduate even think about getting a college degree in these tough financial times? The answer lies in technology - specifically, the internet.

More and more colleges are offering online education. It is less expensive, more convenient and, in addition to recent high school graduates, it appeals to a broad base of people who could not otherwise obtain a college degree through traditional methods. The question still remains though, are online college degrees looked upon the same way as a traditional degree?

Online College Degrees vs. Traditional Degrees

Proponents of online college degrees state that online education offers students the opportunity to get the same exact education that they would get through traditional classroom instruction. And the degrees awarded through online programs are the same degree that students would receive if they were attending classes on-campus.

When asked the question what type of value is placed upon a online college degree by employers, proponents cite surveys conducted by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). According to DETC, more than 70 percent of corporate supervisors rated the value of a online degree (or distance education degree) as "just as valuable" or "more valuable" than traditional degrees in the same field.

They do warn, however, an online degree, or distance education degree, is only as good as the school that it comes from. They strongly advise to make sure that you choose a school that is accredited. You can find a list of accredited school's online at DETC's website (www.detc.org).

Opponents to online education disagree about the quality of the education received.

They state that open-enrollment polices encourage unqualified or marginally qualified applicants and that pressure is put on instructors to give high grades to maintain full-time equivalent enrollment numbers. They further maintain that students never meet or have direct contact with instructors and the students routinely enlist the help of other people to take quizzes and exams that are online, open-book and not monitored by an instructor.

The debate about online college degrees and distance education comes down to a matter of preference based upon the time and resources an individual has. No matter what the decision, thorough research should be conducted. If obtaining an online college degree is the choice, one of the best resources you can use is DETC's website.

If, on the other hand, a traditional degree is desired, there are many ways to save time and money. There is great information at sites like this one on the internet that discuss topics such as tuition free colleges and other methods to cut college expenses and save time.