Online Bachelor Degree Programs Go Mainstream

The Internet has seen an explosion in online bachelor degree programs in the last five to ten years and this trend should continue to expand rapidly in the future. In large part the increasing popularity of online bachelor degree programs is due to the now common acceptance of a bachelor degree from on online university as equivalent to what can be obtained at any bricks and mortar school.

When online classes first began springing up on the Internet in the 1980s, they were primarily focused on certificate programs or technical degrees. Some of the schools were started virtually overnight and did not have proper accreditation and the reputation of online schooling became tarnished as a result. However, in the last decade there has been a significant turn-around. There are several reasons for this new attitude, due largely to the increasingly exceptional education that can be had through an online university.

Today’s online bachelor degree programs rival traditional university classes. Colleges and universities that had already established reputations as traditional schools long before hitting the Internet now offer these online programs. Employers know that the curriculum is identical whether the course is online or in a classroom, so the education is top-notch in either case. In fact, there is often more one-on-one attention with an online bachelor degree program because each student can regularly communicate directly with the professor by email to get feedback and direction.

Good online bachelor degree programs are now accredited by the same agencies that accredit more traditional colleges and universities. Three accreditation organizations that are recognized by the Federal Government as high quality indicators are the U.S. Department of Education, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Any online universities accredited by one of these councils offers a program recognized as at least equal to a bachelor’s degree program at a traditional post-secondary school.

In fact, if you graduate from an online bachelor degree program today you will receive a diploma that is no different from the one that students attending the residential college will receive. You will have completed the same curriculum, including taking core requirement classes, and will graduate with the same knowledge. When applying for jobs, employers will not know whether you attended traditional classes or online classes because it is no longer acknowledged on official transcripts or diplomas.

Employers favor online bachelor degree programs for their employees. Employers have always known the value of allowing employees to pursue a college education. In the past, this was usually done through night and weekend classes and the employer sometimes reimbursed costs. Unfortunately many class schedules aren’t flexible and employers began to realize the expense of university classes in both money and time.

An online bachelor degree program has become the ideal solution for employers who encourage an education for employees. They can set their own pace and work schooling around their work schedule. The cost of online classes is generally less than the classroom setting as well, making it attractive for company reimbursement programs.

Finally, employers appreciate the additional opportunities that an online bachelor degree program can offer. Because individuals do all of the work online, location is not an issue. If a computer salesman with an associate’s degree would like to focus on a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems, for instance, he can look for an online university anywhere in the United States that offers this specialized degree.

With everyone from accrediting agencies to employers giving them high marks, online bachelor degree programs have firmly arrived in the educational mainstream.

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) February 11, 2009

Controversies surrounding diploma mills and degree scams have been making headlines for several years. The popularity of the Internet has resulted in the wide availability of fake university degrees to anyone with the money to pay. The latest threat involves not just documents from non-existent or unaccredited colleges, warns Robert Johnston of Degreeboard.com (www.degreeboard.com), but faked documents and transcripts from accredited and even well-known higher education institutions.

“In the past, unaccredited distance learning degree programs were fairly easy to spot by an experienced consumer or employer,” says Johnston, administrator of Degreeboard.com, which provides distance learning information for those seeking legitimate online college or graduate degrees. “But now no university degree program is exempt from being tarnished. Students, employers, and universities need to understand that scam artists are selling fake degrees and transcripts from accredited university degree programs to anyone willing to pay. Interested in a degree from Florida State University? If you don’t want to do the four years of work needed to earn a college degree, you can buy one.”

Unless the potential employer or admissions office checks with the university, no one may be able to tell the difference, Johnston notes. The fake diplomas come complete with the university seal and transcripts.

With the current financial crisis worldwide, Internet sites such as Degreeboard.com have reported a significant increase in the number of people inquiring about distance education degree programs to obtain or maintain a competitive edge. The American public understands that undergraduate and graduate degrees mean greater job security in an uncertain job market.

“These fake degree scams might mean that highly qualified people could experience more difficulty in getting or keeping their jobs because unethical people are willing to sell education credentials to anyone who has enough money,” says Johnston. “It could have a negative impact on employers as well. Hiring someone who is unable to perform their job duties because they bought a degree from a traditional or online degree university from one of these con artists can deal a financial blow to the business.”

Cameron Denton, an avid reader of Degreeboard.com, is upset about the potential for social harm from this trend. “These scams don’t help anyone except the people selling them. Consider the crisis that could result if someone purchased an engineering degree from Stanford University, but had no experience. Imagine the untold disaster if this person were hired to build a bridge or a skyscraper!”

For more information about these and other current issues and controversies in online degree university programs, visit www.degreeboard.com. Thousands of people interested in distance learning and online higher education are discussing their concerns and opinions in the site’s educational forums.

Contact: Shoshana Dovid, 1.866.384.9528

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