Viola Said:

What is the perception companies in regards to online Masters Online Degrees?

We Answered:

As long as the college (online or campus based) is regionally accredited, any degree you earn should be accepted by any potential employers or other academic institutions.
My best recommendation would be to contact a number of colleges to find the best fit for you and your needs (tuition, schedule, career opportunities, etc.). Too often people enroll in the first school they find rather than taking the time to find the best school for them. Taking that time now could save you a lot of time, money and frustration if you choose the wrong school.
This site has some good info on regionally accredited online masters degrees and some colleges that offer them to help expand your search:
http://www.ecollegefinder.org/online-mas…
I think you can enter your info on there for any colleges you are interested in and they will send you more info for free. Good Luck!

Joshua Said:

Any online masters degrees from reputeable universities?

We Answered:

My grad school advisor and department chair say no. I know of one reputable distance learning program in historic preservation (Goucher) and one or two in museum studies (Leicester), but not straight history programs. I have an M.A. in history/historic preservation and a job doing research. I don't think it would have been as valuable an experience online, and nobody would have hired me with an online degree. The format of most graduate classes is discussion, rather than lecture, so you don't get the same benefits from just reading the material and writing that you get in the classroom.

June Said:

What is the best website for offering online masters degrees?

We Answered:

here are search results for "offering online masters degrees"
http://www.degreebloger.info/offering_online_masters_degrees.html

Randall Said:

Are online masters degrees worth it?

We Answered:

More and more employers are becoming more accepting of online degrees. However, if you attend an online program at a state university, your employer will never know you obtained the degree online unless you tell them. Usually, online degrees from state universities are no different than the degrees conferred to students who were on campus.

Validity of an online degree depends upon where you get one. The first thing you need to learn about when searching for a school where you can get a degree online is accreditation. There are three levels of accreditation in the U.S. for an entire institution.

1. Regional accreditation - this is accreditation by one of six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Best generalized accreditation a school can get.
2. "National" accreditation - it is not really national, but is called that because the agencies granting these accreditations are regionalized. DETC and ACICS are two examples of "national" accreditors.
3. Unaccredited - completely unacceptable, avoid at all costs.

There are additional accreditations that an institution can get. These are program accreditations. For example, the business program (or school) at an institution can achieve AACSB accreditation. Psychology programs can be accredited by the APA. ABET accredits engineering and technology programs, etc. A school that has a program accreditation for the program in which you are interested is the best accreditation possible.

Minimum accreditation a school you choose should have is regional. It is better if the program you want is also accredited. You can check on the accreditation of any school at two websites. The first is the CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) http://www.chea.org/search/search.asp
The second is the USDE Office of Postsecondary Education at http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/sear…

Now that you know something about accreditation, you can start searching for a school. When searching for a school, look at the cost of tuition first. How much does the school charge per credit hour. Then check to see if the school is on the quarter or semester hour system. To change tuition rates from quarter hour to semester hour, divide by 0.67. For example, one school charges $310 per quarter credit hour which is equal to $462.68 per semester credit hour.

If you are looking to get an MBA, one of the best and least expensive online MBA programs in the country is at Mississippi State University. http://www.distance.msstate.edu/mba/ It is AACSB accredited and is $444 per semester credit hour.

For additional information, here are some articles on online education.

http://owli.org/home/node/793
http://owli.org/home/node/509
http://owli.org/home/node/10
http://owli.org/home/node/783
http://owli.org/home/node/647
http://owli.org/home/node/1498
http://owli.org/home/node/1230
http://owli.org/home/node/249


Good luck

Seth Said:

What are the best online universities that offer masters degrees?

We Answered:

I am not aware of a top school that offers an online masters degree specifically in marketing. However, you may be able to get a degree in a closely related field depending on what area of marketing you want to pursue. So this answer is going to be geared toward universities with an excellent reputation.

Harvard's Extension School has some programs that only require that you take a single class in person. If you plan your course work carefully, you can take a summer session class and only have to be in Cambridge for 8 weeks. So the amount of time you'd need to be in the US would be minimal. If you can travel for tests, this might work out for you. Also, Harvard's Extension School seems to have some of the lowest tuition of any reputable online school, so you might actually come out ahead financially over some of the other options. Generally you should expect to spend about $18,000 to $20,000 on tuition.

Here is some information about the Harvard Extension School experience:
http://www.productivity501.com/harvard-m…

Another place you might look is Penn State. Many of their programs require some type of residency. The MBA program requires you to come for two week long classes. Still, if you can travel for tests, this is probably doable. The cost will probably be in the $20,000 to $60,000 range depending on what classes you take.
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/

Two other places you might check:
http://scpd.stanford.edu/
http://www.cvn.columbia.edu/

They are both significantly more expensive than Harvard or Penn State. Stanford may require that you have a corporate sponsor. Columbia looks like their program may be possible without any travel at all.

Good luck!

Rick Said:

Are online Masters degrees (from accredited institutions) given less credibility than traditional schools?

We Answered:

If the school is a "real" school (this typically means one with a regional accreditation) then the bias is rapidly losing ground. Degrees from these schools are paid for by virtually all employers, will get you into other post grad programs (all other things being equal), and will get you a job.

Now is it as prestigous? Maybe not -- depends. For example, you can get an MS or PD (not a PhD) from Columbia. The degree doesn't mention that you didn't physically show up at Columbia.

Below is a good site that discusses such things.