Living in culture that wants results faster, easier and more conveniently, the world of education is no different, where many courses ranging from Bachelors to PhD degrees are being offered online.
Earning a college degree requires time, effort and money and to cut corners, you might be tempted to get your degree through a mail-order or online program you see being advertised at the back of some tabloid.
Online education undoubtedly is a workable option for those seeking an alternative to brick-and-mortar classes but you must do your due assiduousness and make sure that the distance learning school you are considering is accredited.
Accreditation guarantees that the online institution is provides quality education you could learn in the third grade.
As well as governmental agencies in the United States, accreditation involves non-governmental entities.
Accrediting organizations are private educational associations of regional or national scope that develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether those criteria are met.
Institutions and programs that request an agency's evaluation and subsequently meet that agency's criteria are then accredited by that agency.
Without such an approval what you will get after graduation is really a worthless piece of bond paper, not a bona fide degree.
Here are some pointers how you can tell the unscrupulous online colleges from the good ones:
1) Be cautious of life experience courses. Some warning sign of a bad school is if it claims to offer an accredited life experience degree without any classes or examinations. These possibly will be a BA or an MBA. Don't be tricked. There’s no an accredited degree that is based purely on life experience.
2) Check the accreditation agencies that they mention as many are usually non-existent and so getting their certificates are a waste of time and money. If these are certified by the following agencies then they are not solely a diploma factory.
a) DETC: Distance Education and Training Council
b) MSA: Middle States Association
c) NCASC: North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
d) NEASC: New England Association of Schools and Colleges
e) NWCCU: Northwest Commission on College and Universities
f) SACS: Southwest Association of Colleges and Schools
g) WASC: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
How do you check their accreditation? For the first ask the school.
Reputable online schools will have no problems at all telling you if they are accredited. Furthermore, they will tell you in what State they are accredited and which educational governing bodies have accredited them. To be sure, you can check with the institution itself that accredited them.
However, some schools can seek their very best to give the appearance of being accredited. They can reach this by using such words as "authorized", "legitimate" or "pursuing accreditation." Don't be taken in by this. Evaluate an online school by their association; not by their buildings, address or the persuasive advertisements they placed in the tabloids.
3) Another central thing to look out for is the online school's operating license. Every higher learning institution must have a charter for operations in a particular state. Otherwise, then they are operating illegally and most likely a fly-by-night. You have to turn clear of them also.
4) Applying for Federal Student Aid (FSA) Tuition Assistance can also help to validate an institution's credentials. For a student to receive financial assistance to pay for his education, the school must petition the federal government and demonstrate its accreditation status in the first place. In a case the school isn't up to par, it won't qualify. As a result, if the government won't pay for you to go there, chances are there is a lack of accreditation.
The main thing is that you are going to have to spend time, energy and money getting your degree. To make sure that you do not waste either of those things, check out the school first. By doing this, it will ensure that your school of choice is accredited before you enroll will save you a ton of heartache later.
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