Bachelor’s degrees were once the mainstay of traditional college life at a brick and mortar school for students fresh out of high school, but now this degree can be completed online from colleges and universities across the nation or the globe. Students generally finish the 120 to 128 credit hours needed for a bachelor’s degree in anywhere from 4 to 6 years. The extended timeframe can be beneficial to students attending online college part -time while working full time jobs and caring for families.
Bachelor’s degrees consist of concentrated work in a major, such as psychology, business or biology. Many degrees offer a broad range of courses designed to give the students a solid foundation of knowledge outside their majors, in English, history, math and social sciences, while other degrees consist of intensive study in a particular field without the liberal arts curriculum. The most popular four – year bachelor’s degrees are the Bachelor of Arts (B.A) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Students getting a B.A. have fields of study coming from the liberal arts or fine arts areas, while those earning a B.S. master the fields of the sciences, math, agriculture and engineering.
Popular Online Colleges
Request detailed information about bachelor programs from these popular online schools:
AIU Online confers a bachelor’s degree in a wide range of majors such as business criminal justice, design and information technology
Kaplan University offers online B.S or B.A. programs in information technology, business, education, healthcare, criminal justice, legal studies and sveveral other areas
University of Phoenix Online provides dozens of bachelor’s programs in business, education, information technology, psychology and other areas.
Students studying online come from all walks of life and all age groups. While the traditional online student used to be in their 30’s, working full time with a family, the age of many students is dropping as e-learning increases in popularity. Approximately 57 percent of undergraduate online bachelor degrees students from 1999-2000 were 23 years old or younger, according to the National Center for Education Statistics’, Education Statistics Quarterly, 2004.
As an adult, returning to school can be problematic in many ways. Work commitments, financial responsibilities, and family time needs, can all impact an adult’s ability to go back and finish the degree they started or go to post secondary schools for the first time at a traditional university or college. Distance learning, online education or e-learning makes earning a bachelors degree easy. Online colleges often teach using �asynchronous� learning, meaning the student sets the schedule, pace and learning place, leaving them open to learn when it’s convenient, free from set classrooms and meeting times and dates.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, online enrollment is growing at over 10 times the projected growth rate for the general post-secondary student population. The overall online enrollment grew to 2.35 million in 2004, up 18.2% from the 1.98 million enrolled in 2003.
Why get a Bachelor’s degree?
According to the US Census Bureau, over an adult’s lifetime, high school graduates will earn on average $1.2 million; Associate’s degree holders $1.6 million and those holding bachelor’s degrees will earn about $2.1 million! Earning a bachelor’s degree will almost double the money you would make if you only held a high school diploma!
Advantages to Pursuing an Online Bachelor’s Degree
Scheduling is flexible and adjustable to individual learning abilities
Most programs offer accelerated learning, where bachelors degrees can be attained in 2 years or less, with life experience and previous college credits�”imagine saving two years of study time!!
Online programs are tailored to adult learners, who are more motivated and disciplined to meet their specific goals because they want to, not because they have to—learn for your personal and professional goals!
Adult learners have a larger capacity to learn independently, with well developed skills in finding and assembling information
Online bachelors degrees can be earned faster and cheaper than at traditional schools
Online education programs utilize the latest technology in learning creatively, combining online chats, webinars, teleconferences and video downloads to make learning fun and appealing on an adult level
Online universities now offer bachelor degrees recognized as top notch the world over
Online learners can easily work full time while going to school full time
Most online colleges and universities offer the same quality degree programs online as they do in traditional on-campus programs.
Online degrees allow you to access material 24-7, eliminating the stress from getting to class on time in rush hour traffic or missing school due to scheduling problems or illness
Students can study at any online university they want without having to relocate
Bachelor degrees diplomas obtained online look the same as diplomas attained in traditional schools
Types of Online Universities and Colleges
There are a variety of types of schools that offer bachelors degree programs online.
Private Universities
These schools are financed privately and run independent of government agencies. They offer many degree options. Tuition at private schools is more than public universities because they receive no public funding toward costs. However, students with financial need who attend accredited private schools are typically eligible for federal and other public grants and loans. Programs may offer smaller class sizes and more individual education counseling then public schools. Verify that the school is properly accredited to make sure your degree will be accepted by employers or for transfer of credits to another college or university. Top online private schools are University of Phoenix, Walden University, and Kaplan University.