Getting a master’s degree online can both enhance and reduce options. An online education opens up a variety of options that might not be geographically available without having to leave your seat. On the other hand, more specific programs are not always available online. Online programs are quickly becoming vastly more popular, but they can be quite different from a brick and mortar school. Understanding the differences and what works best for you is important before you make a decision. Here’s a look at what makes an online master’s degree a potentially good and potentially bad option.
Credentials
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to online degrees is the inability to acquire much of the information you can easily garner about normal institutions. When the online program is out of a school that also offers regular programs, many of these issues can be discarded. Online only schools, however, do not provide the option of things like tours, which would be available in a regular school.
Sites like U.S. News and World Report can offer a lot of information on how well any online programs you might considering rank compared to other online schools. Make sure to do your research before choosing a program, looking into school and faculty credentials and other important factors that can influence your choice.
Faculty
Many schools with both regular and online programs fill online faculty positions with adjunct professors. While this can mean you’re working with teachers who don’t have master’s degrees of their own, it can also mean they’ve spent considerably more time actively in the field, which brings its own benefits. Regardless of potential professors’ career paths, make sure you’re looking at a program with top notch faculty.
Student Services
Similarly, student services can be considerably lacking in online programs. While a campus offers things like a health center, disabilities services, a library, tutoring, and graduate assistantships for a little extra money and career experience, those things can be harder to find or nonexistent with an online program.
Investigate these things before you apply (applications are generally pretty costly, too) to make sure the program is going to have the things you need. Online programs tend to force students to be considerably more self sufficient than regular schools, and “online” certainly does not translate to “easier.” Students need to have serious devotion, a healthy dose of discipline, and strong writing skills to be successful in an online program.
Costs and Tuition
On the other hand, when you’re looking at far-away programs, getting to the tour can be difficult and pricey (the cost being largely dependent on whether you’re intending to visit only or eventually move). A 2008 study by Babson Survey Research Group found most online students tend to wind up paying about the same as regular programs. While online programs tend to be less expensive, they also tend to lack the full benefit of scholarships and grants that on-site programs can offer.
This can, however, be largely compensated for by the benefits of being able to schedule your time more selectively and being able to maintain a job your already have (particularly when it’s in the field, as many teaching and nursing degrees are designed).
Interaction
Much of the master’s experience is meeting people and getting a sort of hands on pre-career experience in your field of choice. While walking into class everyday almost guarantees a lot of interaction and socialization, it can be more difficult to create those relationships -- which in turn increase graduation rates -- with professors and peers in an online environment. Look for programs with good alumni associations and plenty of group interaction or discussion time -- not just a program where you submit your work and go on about your day.
