Are you currently considering pursuing an accredited online degree or course? Studying online to earn your degree has become easy given that there are so many accredited online institutions or colleges offering various programs in different fields around your schedule.
Many working or busy professionals may not have time to attend traditional colleges or universities to pursue their degree programs in order to advance their careers. Thus online institutions have become handy by offering such professionals an alternative route to advance their careers without having to interfere with their work and family life.
Given that there many online institutions offering various degree programs, it can be an uphill task trying to find a credible online institution to pursue your course or degree program.
There are several steps one can take in order to find a credible institution as I believe, no one would like to invest their precious time and money on a degree and later realize it is of no help or value to you due to lack credibility like accreditation.
I am going to show you simple steps to follow in order to be on the safe side and make finding a credible online institution a smooth process as you plan to advance your career.
Accreditation
The first step is to find out whether your prospective online college is fully accredited by a recognized accreditation agency or organization.
Basically accreditation is a process by which a school be it campus or online is determined whether it has met predetermined quality standards in order to grant degree programs.
And the accreditation standards are determined and also monitored by non-governmental agencies that have been fully given the permission by the U.S. Secretary of Education.
Let us briefly look at the two types of accreditation that currently exist;
Institutional accreditation: This type of accreditation is granted to an institution which all its areas of the institution work well together to meet its overall mission.
The institution can be Nationally or Regionally accredited by the accreditation agency.
Specialized accreditation: This is where a specific program within the institution let say for example Computer science, Nursing, Aviation and so forth has successfully completed the accreditation process relevant to its field.
Please note there are bogus accrediting agencies out there which the U.S. Secretary of Education does not recognize. So do your homework well to avoid disappointments after spending your time and money on unrecognized degree program.
Advantages of Accreditation
You can go to the market place and market yourself to any prospective employers who emphasis on value and accredited degrees from accredited institutions of learning.You have a high chance of receiving financial aid which oftenly is determined based on financial need.You are sure the quality of standards have been met and reviewed.And finally, you can advance your career and education level and you even transfer your credits to any other accredited college.
Watch out for Red flags
There are several clues that can help you identify whether the institution you intent to enroll is credible.
According to Better Business Bureau, the following Red flags are to be watched for and these includes;
Offers that seem to place unrealistic emphasis on offering college credits for life or real world experience.Tuition paid on a per-degree basis or discount for enrolling in multiple degree programs. Normally, accredited institutions charge by credit hours, course or semester.There is little or no interaction with your professors or instructors.Names that resemble well known reputable universities.Addresses that are in the form of box numbers or suite or apt. The campus may very well be a mail drop box or someone's apartment in hidden areas.
Online reviews
Another way to find out whether an online institution is credible, is for prospective students to go online and search for forums, reviews by former or current student's reviews on prospective online institution which can give you a hint about service delivery.
Good or five star reviews indicate the institution offers good services and support to its students.
.edu domain name
Currently it is a requirement for all credible institution and colleges accredited by a recognized agency by the U.S. Department of Education to use the .edu domain name, however some more bogus institutions have maintained the .edu address.
About the Author
My name is Geoffrey Langat and I am the Editor of Complete-online-degree-guide.com and I strive to provide you with a comprehensive information regarding online accredited degrees and colleges to help you match your personal goals with your career plans.
Check out our website at http://www.complete-online-degree-guide.com and subscribe to our newsletter.
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