Online Masters Degree

Welcome to our Online Masters Degree mini website. Here you can find information about Online Masters Degree programs, a directory of accredited programs, the most current news about online education, and a chat room about online degree programs and related topics. Here you will also find a distance and online learning book store. Our book store provides an additional source of information about online education in the United States. This mini site is useful to anyone who is seeking information about how and where to obtain an online masters degree.

The extent of online degree program availability in the United States has increased tremendously over the past ten years. The perceived acceptance within society, along with employer acceptance has steadily increased over the past ten years as well. While some online master degrees are more highly accepted over others, in general acceptance has steadily increased.

Most importantly, today there are many online masters degree programs which are accredited by agencies which are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. For someone who is seeking an online masters degree program, accreditation is the most important requirement.

Another positive development has also taken place which makes online masters degree programs more attractive. A law was passed back in 1992 which said that in order for students to receive federal financial aid, at least half of their online program needed to be on campus. This was known as the 50% rule. In February of 2006, this law was repealed and now there no longer exists the requirement of having at least one-half of your program on campus. Students which are in an eligible program which is entirely off campus, and their program is in an accredited Title IV-eligible institution, can receive federal financial aid in the form of federal loans, grants, and work-study in the U.S.

An online masters degree program is designed for busy professionals and the flexibility of most of these programs fits this type of individual. While you will work hard for your online degree, in most cases you not need to quite your job in order to complete your online degree program.

There have been several studies which have been completed which provide further evidence for the increase in acceptance of online master degrees. The Distance Education and Training Council performed a survey and found that employers felt that 100% of employees who earned a online degree, performed better on the job after obtaining the degree compared to job performance before earning the degree.

Conversely, the Chronicle of Higher Education performed a survey and found that 55% of employers prefer traditional degrees, but that 41% said that they would not give one preference over the other when looking at the individual as a potential employee.

A headline of note reads Online Degrees More Acceptable in the Workplace, According to New Vault Survey. After reading this article, you will see that indeed, online degrees in general have gained acceptance among employers. Specifically, 85% of employers surveyed believe that online degrees today are more acceptable then they were compared to just five years ago. Also of significance to the online degree earner is the fact that when employers were asked if a particular candidate would be hired if that candidate had everything they were looking for, and the candidate had an online degree, 91% said they would go ahead with the hire. Many employers today realize that to earn an online masters degree requires a high level of discipline.

From our research on this topic, it appears that some online degrees are less accepted by employers compared to others. For example, a degree in library and information studies may be less acceptable, but a degree in computer science may be more acceptable, which from a general perspective makes sense.

So if you are thinking about pursuing an online masters degree, first make sure that the degree you are seeking is acceptable by employers for your given area. If you are currently working, you can talk to those people within your company who you need to impress, in order to advance in your job. Find out if an online masters degree would be beneficial when seeking advancement. An online masters degree involves a large amount of work, so the prudent individual will do his or her homework before starting the program. You need to know that the degree is worth your effort.

For sure, do not even think about purchasing a masters degree from a diploma mill simply because in the end, you are only cheating yourself and your employer will know you lack the education. Obviously, employers will check and make sure your program is accredited. Diploma mills are obviously not accredited. Usually candidates for the master degree are at a higher level of educational maturity and most will not even consider this.

The following is a directory consisting of accredited online master degree programs. This directory is provided by eLearners.com.

Arts & Humanities General Arts, Design, Religion, Communications …	Health & Medicine Health Care Management, Nursing, Psychology, Public Health…
Business & MBA Accounting, MBA, Global Business H.R., Marketing, Project Mgmt.…	Science & Engineering Aviation, Engineering, Mathematics, Engineering Mgmt., Science…
Computers & I.T. I.T., Computer Engineering, Software Information Systems, Tech Mgmt.…	Social Sciences Public Administration, Law, Criminal Justice, Political Science…
Education & Teaching Curriculum and Instruction, K-12, Ed. Administration, Ed. Technology…

Online Masters Degree - Conclusion

Here we have provided some information we believe is helpful if you are seeking a online masters degree. There has been a steady increase in the general acceptance of these degrees by employers, and a general increase in the acceptance of these degrees by the general public as well. Some areas of study are more conducive to an online program compared to others, and the type of master degree you earn can also determine whether or not a degree is acceptable by your employer or a future employer. The prudent online master degree candidate can look into the level acceptability for his or her area prior to the start of a degree program, so that in the end you can be assured that the degree you earn is worth the effort.