Monday, January 2, 2012

The Pros of Doing an Online Masters in Education

Distance or online learning is here to stay. Some people are now using this avenue to pursue a Masters in Education, because they can attend class without leaving their home. Some people have benefited from this, and can earn their masters degree online.

Part of the appeal with online masters in education programs is the flexibility in time as you can schedule your own classes. Because you can fit in classes when you have time, anyone has the ability to finish this kind of program - from moms to businesspeople. Online courses like this are much cheaper and you get individual attention.

While there are many people who believe in distance learning at such a high level, others point out the limitations of such systems. For example, some people cannot get motivated to work consistently when they don’t have to attend actual classes. However, the biggest drawback is the fact that you might get scammed.

You need to consider all of the merits of the course that you are going to be taken, starting with its various accreditation documents. An accredited course has gone through a lengthy approval process that evaluates the quality of education on offer in the course. Once the course you have selected has been found to be of a high standard, it will receive accreditation - the stamp of approval regarding educational quality.

Signing up for a course at a non-accredited school is asking for trouble. A non-accredited degree means nothing to potential employers, and you won't be able to get any credit for all of your work at another school. If you are studying and working, your employer is not obligated to give you tuition fee assistance if the course is not accredited.

However, accreditations vary: some are performed by government, some are not. There is a separate body in America that deals with the whole accreditation process - the local Department of Education is not involved at all. At the end of the day The Council of Higher Education Accreditation, in conjunction with the US Department of Education, will have the final say.

If you are considering a few online masters in education courses, be sure to check whether they are nationally, regionally or specifically accredited. The majority of graduate courses have regional accreditation. A hallmark of good online masters in education is a school that displays their accreditation information where everyone can see it.

Look out for diploma mills - these are schemes that pose as schools where you will receive a diploma in exchange for cash. Scams can be recognized by the fact that they give little or no coursework. They tell the students that they can complete the degree by using their work experience or personal career for course credit.

You should also think twice about schools that have very low admissions standards, or very short courses where you can get your degree far quicker than usual If the school says that you could earn a master's degree in education in one semester without past course credit, you are being scammed. In extreme cases people even set up false accreditation agencies so that they seem more professional

Even though doing your master in education online can be incredibly helpful, you always need to exercise caution. One last piece of advice is to verify the URL of the site that you are using, as bogus schools can often be found out by not using the correct suffix. If a URL ends in '.edu', it can be trusted.


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