Why You Need an Accredited College Degree and How to Get the Most Out of Online Education

The online world has revolutionized the way we live and learn. It is true that distance education has been employed for 250 years now in various forms, i.e., mail, TV, telephone, videotape and audiotape. However, the Internet made distance learning more popular than ever.

According to the Distance Education and Training Council, Washington, D.C., more than 2.25 million are currently taking online studies at U.S. colleges and universities. Alhough e-learning has boomed this much, no one should just pursue a college degree through online education.

One has to take an accredited college degree. The major eye-opening reason behind this requirement – You don’t want to end up having an invalid college degree and be rejected by employers. Most states have their own relevant educational associations that duly conduct accreditation of the degrees offered by the different online colleges.

Only certified schools or universities can offer an accredited college degree program. These programs are tested and approved by state or boards of national education review.

Over the Internet, one can be easily overwhelmed with the tremendous number of online education offering accredited college degrees. Let alone the wide array of fields offered, i.e., business, accounting, law, healthcare, etc., universities and colleges offering these specializations abound, too.

Usually, accredited college degree programs offer absolutely off-site characteristics. This easily translates to allowing the student to access all the educational pharaphernalia and means to make use of online education from the comfort of his or her own home.

Downloadable lessons should be made within reach to be easily completed by the students at any time during the day or night.

Here’s how you can benefit more from these accredited college degrees offered online:

1. Know the acceptable accrediting bodies.

The most widely-accepted and indispensable accreditation comes from one of 6 regional accrediting associations:

a. Middle States
b. North Central
c. New England
d. Western
e. Southern
f. Northwest

They grant membership to every educational institution that is regionally accredited. Also, they acknowledge one another’s accreditation.

2. Check if these accredited college degrees that provide online education have proven success.

The length of service of these online schools that provide accredite college degrees should help in making you know whether they have weathered enough trials to rest on their laurels or not. Most successful online education programs that offer accredited college degrees are easy to setup, don’t need too much technical support and won’t crash easily. However, to ensure that technical support is available 24/7, in case you need it.

3. Aiming for an accredited college degree does not necessarily mean exhausting overly sophisticated technology.

Many e-learning schools make use of innovative technology such as whiteboard capabilities, video conferencing and video streaming. Though these state-of-the-art applications may sound very promising, the typical current modem speeds may pose as a big obstacle in maximizing these technical capabilities. It still is important that your online class that offers accredited college degree through online education employs more reliable technologies, i.e., websites, bulletin boards, and e-mail.

4. Play safe. Play sleuth. Do a background check on your online faculty.

Oftentimes, several online schools plainly hires local classroom teachers and give them a computer with Internet connection. These are not highly qualified to conduct online classes. If you want to make sure that you get the most out of your education penny, check first if your future instructor were given solid training on the facilitating productive online education for those who wish to graduate with an accredited college degree.

5. Make sure you enroll in a 100% online university.

If the accredited college degree program you are pursuing through online education includes instruction through less useful means, i.e., snail mail, videotape, telephone or requires you to have an on-campus attendance, walk away Renee!

Other ways to distinguish a good online university that will make you earn that accredited college degree include good financing options, excellent customer service, attainable graduation schedule (usually after 2-3 years on part-time basis), successful alumni, and small classes offers.

July 21, 2008 · Filed Under Online Education

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Educational Savings Accounts

When it comes to getting a college education, financing is one of the most important considerations that you will need to make. Unfortunately for far too many it is one the last considerations that is made when it comes to the educations of our children. If you are a parent you owe it your child and yourself to plan ahead and plan carefully in order to cover the cost of your child’s education. There are fortunately, a few great ways in which you can do this.

The most common is to begin by opening up an educational savings account for your child (under the age of 18). When you open up an educational savings account for your child, you can contribute up to $2,000 per year per child. This is a combined total contribution however and includes the contributions of grandparents, friends, and family in addition to your own personal contributions. The money from these funds can be withdrawn tax-free as long as they are used for educational purposes.

Educational expenses in this case include books, tuition, fees, supplies, and college room and board provided that your child is at least a part-time student. If you do not use all the funds for your child there are options as far as what to do with the remaining funds in the account. The first option would be to leave the funds in the account and allow the account beneficiary to withdraw them up until the age of 30. There is a penalty involved and the beneficiary will be required to pay income tax on those funds. You could also elect to roll those funds over to the next child under the age of 18 who will have educational expenses in the future.

The money you set aside in these accounts to cover the cost of the education of your child or children is not tax-deductible however, it is a great way to begin saving money and investing in the future of your child. If you begin investing the maximum amount $2,000 per year upon birth your child should have a nice nest egg to help cover educational expenses. If your child is fortunate enough to qualify for scholarships and other sources of financial aid you can turn the funds over as a graduation gift or save it for the next college student in your family that comes along. Either way you’ve saved yourself a good part of the worry that goes along with providing for your family by having this fund set up for your children.

You can sign up for programs like Upromise in order to subsidize your contributions with donations from corporate sponsors as their way of thanking you for buying their products or using their services on any credit cards that you, your friends, and your family members have registered to go into your child’s account. Every edge you give yourself when it comes to investing in the education of your children is an edge worth having. College tuition rates are rising at an alarming rate while corporate expectations of college degrees are rising at the same near lightening speed. This means that a college degree is more critical for our children than in any past generations.

Take the time now to check into securing the future of your children by establishing an educational savings account. Let friends and family know that any gifts they are planning to give your children that involve money would be appreciated if they instead invested in the future of your children rather than the now. You can also ask your friends and family to sign up their credit cards with Upromise in order to provide a little bump in donations to your child’s college savings account. These little steps add up to significant savings over the course of 18 years. You just might find that the investment you are making is adequate to cover the costs of your child’s tuition in full.

July 20, 2008 · Filed Under Online Education

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A Community College Education is a Good Start

Many people search and search for the University they will attend upon graduation from high school. Eager students look forward to their time at university while parents wring their hands hoping that their children choose to attend a university that is not only close to home but also within their budget limitations. Another worry that parents have when their children decide to attend college is whether or not that university they attend will have the specialized and individualized services that their children were accustomed to receiving in high school. Face it; larger universities tend to be rather impersonal when it comes to the education of their students.

One answer to all those worries and more is to transition your students from high school to a two-year college rather than throwing them to the university wolves so to speak. Many people find that two-year colleges can in fact provide superior educations to four-year universities for those first two years or foundation college level courses. You will not get the specialized or specific instruction in a two year college that is available to upper level students on a university level but most students find the first two years of their college educations focused on getting the requirement and pre-requisite courses rather than the specialized courses in their intended field of study.

Many people also find that those first two years at a community college-transitioning from a small pond to a larger lake-are much easier to handle than going straight from high school to a university-out of the pond and into the ocean. Universities often have lower level classes as auditorium classes. These classes offer little individual instruction and are often sink or swim sorts of classes. Those students who have special learning needs are often lost in the shuffle when entering a university. Community colleges offer smaller classes and ample opportunities for tutoring as well as classes on how to learn to study.

Two-year colleges are also much easier on the budget than most universities. Most people find that community college does not place nearly the financial burdens on families that universities place. Add to that the fact that most community colleges offer very flexible class scheduling and even some courses online and you will find that there are many reasons to consider community college that go well beyond mere budgeting requirements.

Another benefit to students who wish to enter the work force sooner rather than later is that you can actually get a degree or certification in certain programs from a two-year college. This means that you can actually graduate and begin earning much sooner than if you were to attend a four-year college in search of a degree. If you aren’t sure you want to invest the next four or five years of your life in pursuit of a degree or you simply aren’t ready to commit yourself to one line of work for the rest of your life it is a good idea to spend two years in a community college rather than making the leap straight into a university setting.

If you are considering whether or not a community college or two year education is the best course of action for your specific needs, I really recommend creating a list of pros and cons of each and balancing your budget to see where your needs are most likely to be fully met. Remember you can always transfer to a university once you’ve completed your two-year college education or at any time during that education as long as you meet the universities admission requirements. Good luck and remember that your college education is one of the largest indicators of your future earning potential so take it seriously.

July 19, 2008 · Filed Under Online Education