Master's Degree Online?
 

Anyone here have experience with getting a Masters online?
I keep waiting around for a good time to go back to school and I'm becoming convinced that'll never happen so I'm looking into Distance Learning.
One of my jobs is midnights where I have a lot of free time so I could get some done there, plus I won't have to drive an hour each way to the nearest school that has my program.

What I'm wondering is:
Do employers take online degrees seriously or are the seen as "less than" other degrees?
FWIW the only schools I'm looking into are ACTUAL accredited nonprofit 4 year universities in my state.

Only if it's a real university will people respect it. For instance, Penn State World Campus is a respectable online school and very military-friendly. If the online school is a REAL school and not like University of Phoenix, Capella, Walden, or any other for-profit diploma-mill university, you should be fine. Lots of reputable schools have online programs. Cincy, Syracuse, Penn State, University of South Carolina, Oregon State, University of Southern California, Boston, etc. are just a few examples of reputable schools with an online presence.

My brother and my sister in law got masters degrees online, but both were from respected, brick and mortar type state universities. I think if you're disciplined, it's a great option from a (for lack of a better word) "real" school.

I don't think an employer would have a way to differentiate an online degree from a classroom one if it was from a state flagship.

A friend got a bachelors degree online, the degree looks the exact same as the people who drove to school and sat in a classroom. I am not sure how other schools identify things, but in this instance there is no way to tell the difference.

It really depends on your end-game. If it's just for the bump in pay (government jobs and the like) it doesn't seem to matter as much. If you have aspirations in the private sector, you may want to consider the added value having the brand name.

I work in a very technical field (tax and tax law) and I noticed that some masters degreed employees were very weak in research and writing (which are heavily emphasized in traditional programs.) These employees had online masters. Now I ask specific questions in interviewing and have not hired any more online grads.

Here's another thread that might help: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums...d.php?t=132253

I'm doing my masters at a private non-profit brick and mortar (Webster--based in St. Louis, but with satellite campuses everywhere), but we can do any/all of it online. It is VERY research and writing based. I'm not choosing to do any of it online, because I really love the interaction with my classmates and the professors. All of the professors have been really well respected in their respective fields, and are wonderful. :) There is no distinction on your diploma that you've done any of it online, but I've heard that the online classes are actually more difficult, because you do not develop the relationships with professors and faculty like you do in person.

I just finished my Masters and took all online courses to do it. Some parts of my program were very research/writing oriented- like our capstone project and the classes in Information Security related law & ethics and Risk management. Other parts were very hands on for the IT digital forensics specialization. You cannot tell from my diploma whether I took classes at the brick and mortar institution or in classrooms. There's no way to tell.

I got my Master's online through a state university. It was a rigorous program, and I feel it did prepare me very well for my current job. One selling point for me was that I was taught by the very same professors who teach the students at the ground school. I also had face to face interaction with the faculty as they actually traveled to observe me teaching.

We've transitioned a couple of our master's degree programs into on-line versions. The courses are taught by the same professors who also teach face-to-face classes, and there isn't any distinction on the diploma.

I don't teach any on-line courses, nor do a I have an interest in doing so, because I don't think my subject is well-suited for on-line instruction, and I love teaching and the personal interaction that goes along with it. I have had students tell me they either love or hate on-line courses. Most people are basing this on experience with on-line learning. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground. You might want to try a class and see how you like it. I have some colleagues who really put a lot of time and effort into their on-line instruction, and I know a couple professors who have not been a good fit for this format (and I've heard the student complaints).

I would go with an on-line degree from a brick-and-mortar institution. It just carries more credibility with more people. Brick-and-mortar institutions are well aware of the competition from on-line programs, and many are trying to offer something comparable so they don't lose students.

We have at least one other threads similar to this. I recommend seeing if you can find that thread and seeing what people have to say.

I work for the Extended Studies Division for the Florida Institute of Technology and we have been offering 13 different online Master's degree programs for a number of years now. Being a traditional not for profit, "Brick & Mortar" university, rather than a strictly online university (like say the Univ. of Phoenix) gives the graduate the same level of academic credibility/legitimacy as a student attending our Main Campus, as many of the professors teaching the classes online are the ones teaching the "in-person" classes. I know that with Florida Tech, if you receive your Master's degree from any of our off campus Graduate sites, including the Virtual Campus, it is the same degree program, same requirements as our main campus in Melbourne, Florida and you receive the same diploma. Online classes aren't for everyone, but it is a wonderful way for working professionals, stay home parents or military personnel stationed overseas to further their education without having to attend classes on a physical campus (we offer a BIG discount to Active Duty Military through the Extended Studies Division, with many of our Graduate sites being located on Military bases). Our Virtual Campus tuition rates are also lower than our Main Campus rates, so that is always a nice bonus!

Thanks everyone for your input. The bolded is exactly what I was hoping to confirm before I got any further into the process.

I have worked at the military installation education centers for years. All the schools that are allowed to teach on post are regionally accredited with home campuses and multiple satellite campuses. I know that one of the schools that has been mentioned above requires professors to have taught in that school's in-residence traditional classrooms for at least 2 years before teaching online.

Many of military education center universities have in-residence classes as well as online and the students can opt for either or both throughout their scademic careers. This obviously benefits the servicemembers who deploy or PCS to a location without a satellite campus. Having the same professors who taught them in residence now teaching them online provides continuity and consistency.

To be successful in an online format, one must be extremely disciplined.

I know this is old, but I just wanted to add for anyone looking in the future:
I did my entire Master's degree online (from a state/brick-and-mortar university) and employers have always looked at it in a good way. My diploma does not say it was done online. I even went to the school to walk at commencement.

And for people who are "shy" like me, the online classes helped me a lot with joining in discussions because I never had to raise my hand to speak. It was all like this: typing in a forum-like message board :)