Types of Accredited Online Degrees
Imagine the endless possibilities in degree programs stretching before you at the most established institutions of higher education across the nation. Now imagine them online. The good news is most of these same options are already available online, so don’t think that just because you choose to earn your degree at a distance and on your schedule, that suddenly your choices are limited. Not only can you earn a degree online in virtually any field, but you can also earn degrees at every level—associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral.
Online colleges are adding more and more new options to keep their online degree programs competitive with traditional offerings, helping to give students more flexibility, which is one of the chief reasons students choose to take courses online in the first place. For example, online education leader Kaplan University has recently added several new options to their already large number of degree programs, which have long included common areas of study like nursing, psychology and business administration. Some of the new offerings include more specialized studies, giving students the chance to earn Bachelor of Science degrees in fire science, international and comparative criminal justice and information technology with an emphasis in information security and forensics. New master’s programs include a Master of Science in accounting and an RN-to-Master of Science in nursing option. After or while obtaining your degree, you can also explore earning various certificates online, which can help further your career goals.
It’s also important to know that you do not necessarily need to have completed an undergraduate degree program with the online college to obtain a graduate degree at the same online college. The same is true whether or not you have college credits to your name when you are working toward your bachelor’s degree. Many online programs, like those at Ashford University for example, tout the fact that their students can transfer credits from other schools, and this is actually encouraged so that students can accelerate the earning of their degree. Ashford’s website says you can enroll in a bachelor’s degree program online even if you have never attended college before. Therefore, you can pick up where you left off, or start from scratch. The same is true of many online universities. Continuing an unfinished degree program by resuming it at an accredited online college allows today’s working professionals to complete their education without giving up their current employment.
You also don’t have to sacrifice quality when you earn a degree online. By completing a degree program with an accredited online university, you can be assured that your degree will be respected in the job market because employers will know you experienced the same rigor in your online college education as you would have at a traditional school. Remember: Online schools are given the same litmus test as traditional colleges by private, independent accrediting agencies who make sure online universities meet the same high criteria, ensuring a quality higher education
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