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Online education has come a long ways in recent years, and increasingly more online universities offer the same quality as traditional campus-based colleges. However, there are still many lesser quality programs online, so it’s important to know what to look when shopping for an online degree.
Accreditation is one of the most important indicators of the quality of instruction offered by an online school. The online degree programs with traditional roots -- i.e. the ones offered by traditional campus-based colleges -- will most likely be accredited by the same accreditation agency as the rest of the school. This is good, because it means their online programs meet or exceed the same educational standards used by all the other traditional colleges and universities in the country.
For all other schools, you should be sure to research the accreditation agency. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about how schools achieve accreditation -- for example, what kinds of standards they must meet. You should also look at who owns the accreditation agency -- make sure it’s not owned by the school -- and how many schools are accredited by that agency -- too few might indicate it was set up with the sole purpose of accrediting one or two chains of online schools.
You should also be sure to research the school’s reputation online. Look for genuine reviews and not just the promotional materials released by the school or their PR company. A trustworthy school guide can be a good resource for researching online schools.
The basic rule of thumb is to always take your time, do your research, and make sure that you have enough information about the school, available programs, and career options in order to make an educated decision.
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