There was a time when people used to travel across the globe just to study at a physical university to acquire a degree. However, times have changed. Now, you can just sit in your home and complete a degree from the most respectable and renowned universities by just taking online classes. Isn’t that amazing?
In previous years, there was little concept of online education, and the majority of universities didn’t offer online degrees. In addition, both universities and students used to avoid online education in the past due to the preconceived notion that studying online would never be effective since there would be a lot of communication barriers.
Students pursuing an education in the fields of science believed that an online program wouldn’t give them any practical experience, whether it was clinical experience or labs. On the other hand, teachers had reservations regarding their students’ attitudes while acquiring an online education. Many teachers used to think that students wouldn’t study at all if the classes were conducted online since there would be no mechanism to keep checks and balances on the students.
Besides having these reservations, both parties believed that online education entirely relied on the internet, which meant that any disruption in the internet could lead to a major disruption in online education.
However, in early 2020, the entire world shifted to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was at this moment that both universities and students realized that online education could in fact be convenient and that proper degrees could be acquired online.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided the breakthrough that online education needed. Afterward, more universities began offering online degrees to students, and more students also started acquiring degrees from different universities virtually.
Currently, all sorts of degrees are being offered by universities. For example, Wilfrid Laurier University offers an online Bachelor of Policing degree. This is one of the many programs that lets you enjoy an excellent education while gaining the knowledge and skills needed for a thriving career.
These programs allow students to complete their entire degree online. This has made it highly convenient for students to acquire the degrees of their liking from the most prestigious universities across the globe. Moreover, the availability of online degrees enables students to acquire the same degrees by spending much less money.
Degrees related to every field are available online. Today’s article will guide you in finding the most suitable online degrees that can take you one step closer to your dream career. You’ll first need to consider multiple factors.
· Accreditation
The internet is experiencing a boom in the supply of online degrees. However, only some degrees provide a good quality of education. While many universities are offering online degrees, many of them are not accredited.
There is no use in acquiring a degree that is not accredited. An accredited degree is one that has met specific educational standards is recognized by the professional bodies of their respective professions.
A degree that is not accredited may not lead to a job, since it will likely not be recognized by a potential employer. Hence, it is essential to first check if the degree you are about to pursue is accredited. You can search for a list of universities whose degrees are unaccredited. Acquiring any degree from these universities will simply waste money and time.
· Reputation
When you go to a superstore and walk down the aisle with shelves full of products on your left and right, do you put products with a good reputation in your basket or bad? You only buy products with a good reputation because a good reputation indicates that the product is tested by many people and has been met with general approval.
Similarly, while looking to enroll in an online degree program, always look for programs with a good reputation and that are offered by universities with a good reputation in the market.
If a majority of employers think that the reputation of a particular degree program or university is not good, then it’s best not to take the risk of enrolling there. Instead, look for the programs that have a good reputation and are offered by universities with good standing.
· The degree should be in line with your goals
Your purpose of enrolling in an online degree program is most likely to help achieve your career goal. Therefore, it’s important to have a well-defined goal in order to choose the right degree that fits your needs. Otherwise, it may be difficult to narrow down your options to a specific degree to help build your future career.
Similarly, people should always consider their future goals while selecting a degree. Individuals should make sure that the degree they pursue increases their knowledge and adds value to their skill set.
Enrolling in any degree program should be the first step toward your career. Moreover, your degree and goals should be related somehow. For example, suppose your goal is to become a marketing manager of a multinational company. In that case, you should opt for a degree in marketing management. The degree and future goals should go hand in hand, not in the opposite direction.
· Retention rate of the degree
Before you sign up for any degree program, another factor that you must consider is the retention rate of the program. The retention rate tells you how many people are able to complete a certain degree.
Degree programs with a high retention rate indicate that the students who have previously enrolled in the program left with a sense of satisfaction, meaning most of the students managed to finish the program and acquire the degree.
Do not opt for a degree program that has a poor retention rate, as this indicates that fewer people graduated with this degree. There could be a number of reasons for the poor retention rate, including the substandard quality of the program. Instead of choosing to continue, many students may have instead decided to drop out of the program altogether. Therefore, you likely wouldn’t want to pursue a degree from such a program.
· Job placement
As stated earlier, the aim of getting an online degree should be the attainment of your future goals. In simple words, the degree you decide to pursue should help you get your dream job. However, to make sure that happens, it’s important to first do some research into how many students have successfully managed to secure jobs based on this degree.
This is an essential point that should be explored by every student since, at times, some degrees are perfectly fine. However, they don’t help people get jobs quickly because they are less in demand or there are better substitutes for that degree already in the market.
This is why students should always gather data and do some research on their own about the degree they plan to pursue online because, in some cases, employers aren’t looking for people with a certain degree. This leads to unemployment and a waste of time and resources.
· Fee structure
Before buying anything, what is the first thing you check before deciding whether to buy that product? Generally, we all look for the product’s price and then decide. If the price is justified, we buy it; otherwise, we don’t.
Similarly, while deciding what degree can take you a step closer to your dream career, you should also pay attention to how much it will cost to acquire this degree. The fee structures of different degree programs should be analyzed in detail so that you can calculate whether you’ll be able to afford this degree later on or not.
In case you find any degree expensive and out of reach, you can look for its alternatives. Many degrees have less expensive alternative degrees that can help you achieve similar positions.
Moreover, more well-known universities tend to offer degrees at a very high price due to the reputation of the institution. However, other institutions will often offer the same degree at a significantly lower price. There are less expensive options out there, so know that your dream is not out of reach.
· Quality of education
When selecting a degree that your entire career will later be built on, it is important to analyze the quality of education provided by that particular degree program.
While searching for an online degree, compare some of the best degrees in your opinion that can take you to your dream career. Critically analyze the quality of education in each of them. Then choose the degree that provides you maximum chances of learning and helps you gain practical experience.
Quality of education is the deciding factor when determining what degree to choose, and it is something that you shouldn’t compromised on at all. The knowledge and experiences that you will gain from this degree will act as a ladder that will help you climb up to your career goals.
· Technology
When deciding on an online degree program, students should also consider the technology being used by different universities. Online degrees are quite different from the degrees offered at physical campuses, since they require the use of technology to help bridge the gap between teachers and students.
However, some universities are not as well equipped and may lack the resources to teach their students with the help of the latest online tools. As a result, the quality of education may be compromised, and students may struggle to understand whatever is taught. As a result, students should opt for universities that are widely known for their innovation and R&D projects.
Conclusion
The phenomenon of online education is relatively new. At first, no one trusted online platforms for educational purposes. Students were reluctant to acquire education through these new channels because they believed there weren’t enough specialized tools available for universities to educate students online.
On the other hand, the teaching faculty found online education challenging because they couldn’t assess a student’s potential through a screen. Hence, neither teachers, universities or students were was willing to adopt online education as a new mode of education.
However, as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, universities and students were forced to shift to online education, which soon highlighted its importance. After that, many universities began to offer online degree programs alongside traditional ones.
A degree holds great significance since it enhances your skill set and acts as a foundation for your future career. Therefore, it’s important to consider many factors before signing up for an online degree.
