Whether you have considered getting a degree online, or are interested in one of the available online MBA programs, here are six major advantages of earning online degrees.
Save Money
For starters, you save money by attending class without leaving your home. Rather than spending money on relocating to a new city or close to a school campus, you can stay right where you are. You will not have to pay for college parking vouchers, bus fare, or gas. In fact, other than the cost of Internet, you will not have to increase your living expenses at all while getting a degree online. If you were to live on campus, you would have to suffer with the rest of the students in cramped dorms or student housing. Also, most dorms have a campus cafeteria plan that is not optional, so you will need to tack on a couple hundred dollars to your budget whether you eat the mystery meat or not. Tuition for traditional colleges, particularly for MBA programs, costs thousands of dollars per semester. However, when you attend college online, you are not supporting the costs of several professors, the maintenance of equipment, or matriculation fees. With most online degree programs, all of the required texts are available online.
Flexibility
Your time is valuable, and with an MBA program, you will most likely be working as well as studying. With online degrees you have the flexibility to set your own schedule for your classes. You are typically allowed to attend classes online at your convenience as long as you meet the weekly hour requirement for attendance. This is especially important if you have personal responsibilities with a family. For example, if you work during the day or are a stay-at-home parent, you can attend class at night while the rest of your family is sleeping without leaving your home.
Real World Experience
As someone working while pursuing a degree, you will be boosting your resume professionally as well as academically. This shows dedication and looks great when you are applying for a new job or advancing from a current position. Not only are online degrees more cost effective, but you will also be adding more money to your bank account by working regularly and then studying for and completing your degree when you want to.
Large Scope of Knowledge
Online programs are more diverse than traditional programs that are limited by geography in terms of enrollment. Attend college with people from all over the world with an online program. Learn about new cultures, modes of thought and critical thinking processes from a globalized classroom setting. You can make connections with people all across the US as well as abroad, while discovering a lot about your own personality in the context of the rest of the world. Online education essentially allows you to obtain a more well-rounded education.
One-on-One Instruction
With online education, you communicate directly with your instructor, whereas most traditional classrooms include hundreds of students per class who never speak with their professor. You can discover more about the aspects of the program that interest you because you are able to get to know your instructor.
Archives
Completing coursework and submitting it online gives you a way to document of all the course material. Also, all of your interaction with the instructors, classmates and advisors are recorded through e-mail and through forums. This will be of great use in the future when you need to refer to your subject notes for a project or job, to communicate with prospective employers you met online, or for discussing the current job market trends with peers from your class. Online degrees give you tools for recording all data unavailable to traditional students, including e-mail as the primary form of communication, streaming video of course material, instant messaging, teleconferencing, and various podcasts.
Overall, online degrees are gaining popularity because people are realizing how friendly and effective they are. Not only do they enable you to pad your resume with work and academic experience, but they also are more affordable and inspire a more diverse and focused curriculum.
Copyright (c) 2011 Ilana Herring
