Advantages of Earning an Accredited Online Degree
By earning your degree online you will be joining the growing ranks of students who have discovered the advantages of attending an accredited online college. Reuters reports that the online education sector grew 13 percent last year and had been growing at about 20 percent in previous years. Almost one in four students take at least some online college courses, which is up from 1 in 10 in 2002, Reuters says.
There are several advantages to earning an accredited online degree. First, by choosing an online degree program that is accredited, you are setting yourself apart academically and in the working world as someone who has completed a rigorous education program approved by some of the most recognized accrediting bodies in the nation.
One of the biggest advantages comes to people who are working professionals with busy lives. Earning a degree online allows busy people the flexibility to create their own schedules, taking as many or as few courses in a semester as their life allows. For some, this means an absolutely necessary slower pace for those who only have an hour or two each night, and for some it means an accelerated pace at which they can complete their degree program much more quickly than they would in a traditional setting. For instance, by eliminating an hour-long drive in and an hour-long drive out, perhaps you can fit two more classes into a day, allowing you to accumulate more credits
Speaking of long drives, earning a degree online also has certain financial advantages. While some of the best online degree programs are comparable in cost to traditional college, you will certainly save greatly in gas costs by eliminating the commute. Gas prices hover well above $3.50 a gallon, and have become an unpleasant budget item that can be removed by choosing to go to school online. Remember: Hours spent in your car are hours you could have spent studying. You also save wear and tear on your vehicle and the headache of searching for a parking place, a complaint of traditional college students nationwide.
Another expense eliminated is room and board, a significant budget item you won’t have to worry about with online college, as you can attend class from your home or any other place reliable Internet and study space is available. Earning your degree online also makes it possible for students to keep their full-time jobs while going to school full time since they can adapt their schedules to make both fit. Traditional students must often resort to either dropping down to part time in the workplace or sacrificing key classes they need to continue in their degree that are inconveniently scheduled; many can’t strike a good enough balance to do both. Online degree programs make room for that perfect balance.
An added advantage comes to those who may be uncomfortable in a traditional setting. Say for instance, you are a working adult who has put off returning to school because of the potential awkwardness of attending entry-level classes with 18-year-olds. Online classes mean you probably won’t be meeting any of your classmates in person—just via chat or perhaps Web conference. In fact, the Reuters article referenced above states, "two million students, most older than the traditional 18-22 year-old undergraduates, take all their courses online and two million more take one or more online course."
Maybe you’re not interested in the social aspects of a brick-and-mortar college, like fraternity booths in the university center and dorm life. Going to school online lets you create your own atmosphere for learning. If that means you need to corner yourself into a quiet back room of your home surrounded by books with a steaming mug of coffee that a traditional professor might forbid being in the classroom, then online education is the way to go.
