Eager to improve your artistic abilities without students and teachers constantly looking over your shoulder? With an online program in graphic design, you could work from home in peace and quiet and then email your final product for critiques.
According to the College Board, a bachelor's in graphic design can help you tap into your creative mind through courses like production design, graphic design techniques, and Photoshop® for designers.
Related career option: By earning an online degree in graphic design, you could brush up on your creativity as you prepare to pursue a graphic designer career. By mixing art with technology, you could communicate your ideas through the layout and design for websites, advertisements, or other marketing visuals, says the U.S. Department of Labor. And you might be able to embrace your shy characteristics if you get the chance to freelance or work on your projects from your home computer.
Do you wish you had the time to learn the ABCs of computer operating systems? There's no need for wishing, because an online bachelor's degree program in network administration could provide the flexibility to do just that.
Why it's an attractive option: Babb says that because online network administration programs are so well-simulated, even labs can be done online. She adds that "the student can still go to work and be with his or her family while learning the intricacies of network administration in new ways."
What you might learn: "Students of network and system administration learn how to manage the computer operations of specific organizations and locations," says the College Board. Students gain this knowledge through commonly offered courses that include network security, desktop support, web languages, and core hardware technologies.
Fancy studying law during your free time? Well, with an online associate's degree in paralegal studies, you can.
Why it's an attractive option: According to Babb, online paralegal studies degree programs allow students to learn the language of the law in the same manner as an on-campus program. The upside to the online method, however, is that it gives students "the flexibility of being able to work during the day and tend to family needs, while learning a new field," says Babb.
What you might learn: Courses in legal research and writing are just a small portion of what a paralegal studies degree entails. In fact, the College Board notes that students may also learn how to utilize the resources of a law library, use legal databases, and draft briefs.
Colorado State University (CSU) has announced five new fully online degrees that it will offer through its Global Campus. Enrollment is currently open for the programs, which include two undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. As with all of CSU's online education offerings, these new programs aim to offer flexible scheduling and a career-focused curriculum for working adults.
CSU's Global Campus was founded in 2007 by the CSU System Board of Governors, who saw the need for a fully online campus for adult learners and busy professionals looking to earn a degree. The first group of students were admitted to the Global Campus in September 2008. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools granted CSU-Global independent accreditation in June 2011, making it the first fully online, independent, and regionally accredited public university.
The new degrees are as follows: Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Master of Finance, Master of International Business, and both a bachelor's and master's degree in project management. Classes for these programs, and others available through the Global Campus, start every four weeks year round. The next term begins April 1, 2013, but the Master of Finance program won't be available until April 29.
According to CSU-Global's president, Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, the school chose these degrees because, "Projections indicate that marketing, project management, finance, and international management will be among high job growth areas over the next five years. These new degrees provide the competitive advantage adult learners need to secure and sustain employment in fields where job opportunities are rapidly increasing."
The new programs are all regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. "The HLC review process approval supports our commitment to academic standards and the level of quality of our business degree programs," says Takeda-Tinker. "We want to provide our students with a learning experience that helps them achieve their personal goal of graduating along with the professional knowledge they can use in their future career success."
Until 2006, United States students enrolled in online degree programs were not eligible for federal student aid unless at least half of their programs were campus-based (a law established in 1992 and known as the 50-percent rule).[15] In February 2006, that law was repealed, making federal student aid in the form of federal loans, grants, and work-study available in the U.S. for students enrolled in an eligible online degree program at an accredited Title IV-eligible institution
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted a distance education study based on the 2001-2002 academic year at United States 2-year and 4-year degree-granting institutions that were eligible for U.S. federal student aid. The study reported that 56 percent of institutions surveyed offered distance education courses. The study also found that public institutions were more likely to offer distance education than private institutions were. [13]
The Sloan Consortium, based on data collected from over 2,200 U.S. colleges and universities, reports that nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course during 2005 (a significant increase over the 2.3 million reported in 2004). According to the same report, about two-thirds of the largest institutions have fully online programs. [11] In 2010, more than 6 million students were taking at least one course online
Online education enables individuals living with physical disabilities, busy full-time employees, soldiers, those living abroad, and stay-at-home parents, among others to have access to accredited higher education.
The perception of the quality of online degrees compared to on-campus degrees varies. While most major online colleges are regionally accredited, the public estimation of their quality is in dispute. A national survey of hiring representatives showed that a preference toward on-campus degrees exists. In some instances, hiring executives were unwilling to consider applicants with an online degree. [7] Some experts argue that degrees in certain fields are more accepted online than in others, while some programs are less suited for online-only schools. [8]
A survey by the Distance Education and Training Council found that 100% of employers who responded felt that distance education program graduates performed better on the job as a result of their degree (as compared to their previous performance). Additionally, employers felt that an employee receiving a distance education degree compared favorably, in terms of knowledge learned, to someone with a resident degree. [9] On the other hand, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in January 2007 on a Vault Inc. survey that found 55 percent of employers preferred traditional degrees over online ones. Forty-one percent, however, said they would give "equal consideration to both types of degrees". [10]
The Sloan Consortium, an organization funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to maintain and improve the quality of distance education, publishes regular reports on the state of United States distance education. In its 2006 report "Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006," it stated that "in 2003, 57 percent of academic leaders rated the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face. That number is now 62 percent, a small but noteworthy increase". [11]
In some instances, an online degree may be effectively indistinguishable from a degree earned in a campus-based program. The instruction is often exactly the same, with the online degree containing no special designation. An example of this is the degree offered to Columbia University students who earn a degree through the Columbia Video Network (CVN) versus the campus-based program. [12] The professors, courses, homework, tests, and eventual transcripts and diploma are identical to that of on-campus students
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