5 Online Degree Lies

When it comes to online degrees, there's no lack of information out there. How can you separate the lies from the truth? Start by sorting through these five online degree lies.

Online courses are easier than traditional courses.
Substitute "easier" for "more flexible" and you might be on to something. Otherwise, there's absolutely no validity to the claim that taking online courses is taking the easy way out. Most online courses consist of the same content and requirements as traditional courses, just delivered in a different format. Plus, online students may need to be more vigilant in their studies than traditional students, since they don't have the same face-to-face accountability to their professors. It takes a serious, committed student to succeed in an online degree program.


Online courses are just reading from a screen.
Today's online courses involve podcast seminars, streaming video lectures, online simulation programs, video conferencing, educational video games, and even more on the horizon. There's plenty of interactivity through these new technologies, so online students may be even less likely to get bored than traditional students sitting in a lecture hall.



Online schools are diploma mills.
You've seen it on the news, and you know that diploma mills are out there. But there are many reputable online schools offering high-quality higher education, and it's not too difficult to separate the schools from the scams. The best way to find out if an online school is for real is to check its accreditation status. What accrediting body is giving the school and/or its programs its seal of approval? Double-check with the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to verify that the accrediting body is legit.


Online degrees are cheap.

It would be nice if this were true, but online degrees generally cost just as much as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. After all, you're still paying for high-quality instruction and student services. Plus, the various technologies required to run an online degree program don't come cheap. And professors need to be trained to teach online. That's why some online degrees can even cost more than traditional ones -- it just depends on the school and the program you choose.

Online degrees aren't accepted in the workplace.
Online degrees have come a long way in terms of gaining acceptance in the workplace. According to the Sloan Consortium's 2007 report "Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning," academic leaders do not believe that there is a lack of acceptance of online degrees by potential employers. In fact, corporate executives themselves are turning to online schools for the education and training they need to stay at the top of their game. Earning an online degree demonstrates your tenacity and your commitment to education -- qualities prized within any organization.

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