5 Biggest Myths About Getting an Online Degree

The field of online education is growing every year and more students are expected to enroll in online programs than ever before. Even with this said, though, there are still plenty of myths about getting a degree online. Below are a few of the most prevalent.

It’s Not a Real Degree

The biggest myth about getting an online degree is that it is somehow not a real degree. This probably comes from the old days of correspondence courses, but the truth is that an online degree is, in every practical way, exactly the same as a degree that you’d get in the traditional manner. There’s no special asterisk that gets put on a degree that you get online, and there’s certainly nothing that separates one of these degrees from an in-person degree on your resume.

Online Schools Aren’t Real Schools

It should also be noted that the schools from which you can get an online degree are increasingly the same as those schools from which you can get a traditional degree. While there are plenty of online-only programs, more and more traditional universities are offering degree programs online. Not only does this help schools with the often-difficult process of offering classes to larger groups of students, but more traditional schools see the value of offering certain types of classes online instead of offering them in person.

Getting an Online Degree is Easy

Of course, there are also some myths that tend to work in favor of online programs. Some people assume that getting an online degree is somehow easier than getting a traditional degree. In truth, getting a degree online is almost exactly the same as getting on in-person. While you might not have the same kind of lectures, you’ll certainly end up doing the same kind of work. The truth is that some students really do excel at taking classes online, but there are also plenty of students who find online schooling to be incredibly challenging. It’s important that you know what kind of student you are before you take an online course.

Online Schooling is Still Experimental

This myth largely springs from a lack of understanding of how online school works. There are some people who somehow think that online schools are still new or experimental, with the teaching methods being used there still being tried out and the technology not quite stable. The truth is that online schools have been around for quite some time and there are teachers who have spent their entire careers teaching online. Online schooling is not only no longer experimental, but rather it is incredibly well-understood by this point.

Employers Don’t Like Online Degrees

Finally, there’s the myth that employers look down at online degrees. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that most employers aren’t even going to know if you got a degree online if you get it from a traditional university. Even if you do get it from an online-only school, though, the average employer really won’t care. Again, online schools have been around for quite some time and the degrees are fairly well-understood by those in the business world. What employers care about is that you got a degree from an accredited school, not whether you spent time in a physical classroom.

It’s important that you educate yourself about online degrees before you enroll for classes. The truth is that your experience will be unique depending on the school you choose to attend and the degree you choose to pursue. The only thing that’s for certain is that you will have the chance to pursue an excellent educational experience.