A major concern for those seeking an online master degree is whether they can get anything out of it. The student has to worry about the value of his degree to those who call the shots in the job market. Do employers recognize degrees achieved via distance learning?
One has to think about that because of the persistent prejudice held against unconventional ways of schooling. This is in large part due to how new the idea is, as well as how often people are being taken in by scammers on the Web. Unfortunately, this taint spread to the perception of Net-based studies.
That said, matters are a little better now that bodies actually accredit programs. Formalised—and recognisable—accrediting bodies have done a great deal to soften HR officers’ attitudes towards online degrees. It helps that many of the members of these accrediting bodies are usually movers and shakers in their respective industries, further strengthening the value of the accreditation they bestow.
The process of finding a suitable institution is nevertheless one of difficulty, however. According to them, majority still hold some form of prejudice against the online options, so you want as recognisable a school as you can get. Later on, this shall be of great benefit to your job hunting.
The warning is that even accredited schools, if not well-known, can be held suspect. Accreditation should not be the be-all, end-all of your ideal school. The best thing to do is to combine the two criteria for your search.
Entirely Net-based universities are unwise. It can be tough to get around in the job market with a degree from these purely online academies. Unfortunately, the exceptional instances are few and far between for this.
Web-based bachelor's courses elicit another response. Recent surveys have shown that there is more of a negative attitude among HR officers for graduates of baccalaureate programs online than for graduates of a master degree online. Thus, it is largely unwise to seek a bachelor's online.
Despite all of this, studies indicate growing acceptance of the new format of education. Studies have shown that majority of the HR officers at the moment do credit masters diplomas from online courses now. However, majority still do consider them less desirable… although that is slowly improving.
Be warned that you must do your part in convincing others that online education does not translate to lower quality graduates. You could do a lot of preparatory or extracurricular work to be credited to you, for example. You could even start working earlier to get more experience or projects under your name.
The best thing to do if you want your online master degree to be taken seriously, though, is to take care in choosing one in the first place. The student should not shirk extra effort towards determining the ideal program for what he wants. It is wise to expend effort now instead of repining later.
