Online college courses today offer more interaction with professors and with other students than you may expect.
MAJOR SCHOOLS
SPECIALIZING IN
ONLINE DEGREES

Santa Ana-based school with a low cost per credit, CCU provides 100% online degree programs to over 8,000 students nationally. Credit transfer and financial aid can potentially reduce your total cost further. The school offers bachelors and masters degrees in:
- Business
- Education & Teaching
- Health Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Psychology
Get information on California Coast University Online

A private school that's one of the lowest-cost online schools in the U.S., but has solid accreditation. Founded 100 years ago, the school offers online degrees in:
- Business
- Computers & IT
- Criminal justice
- Health sciences
Get info on Baker College Online

Liberty is not only the largest online Christian school, it's one of the very largest of all online universities. The school offers a vast array of associates, bachelors and masters degrees in many subjects, has quality regional accreditation and tuition that is moderate. Online degrees offered in:
- Accounting
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Psychology
- Religion
- Marketing
- Nursing
Get free info on Liberty University Online

Offers a very wide range of bachelor's, master's and associates degrees in
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Health Care
- Nursing
- Computer Technology
- Information Systems
- Legal Studies
Learn more about Kaplan's degree programs
Moderately priced school offering online degrees in:
- Nursing (RN to BS & Various Masters Degrees)
- Computer Science
- Information Systems
- Web Design
- Game Programming
Get Free Info on American Sentinal University Online

Penn Foster has been offering college degree programs since 1975, has taught over 100,000 students, and calls itself "America's online community college." (It originally started operating back in 1890.) The school is unusually affordable. Penn Foster focuses on associates degrees:
- Associate in Business Mgt
- Associate in Criminal Justice
- Associate in Retail Management
- Associate in Human Resources
- Associate in Veterinary Technician
Get free information on Penn Foster College Online
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Online College Courses: More Choices and an Improving Payoff
It used to be that if you
wanted to take college or university courses to boost your career, you either found a
school near your home (if there were any) or you took correspondence
classes by mail. No more. Nowadays you can take online college courses
at your dining room table, as long as you've got a computer and
a modem.
See a list of good, low-cost online bachelor and associate degree programs.
Respect And
the payoff from an online education is getting better.
Students who take accredited online college courses get more respect
from from employers today than they did just a few years ago.
Carolina State
University researcher Thomas Russell recently told U.S. News & World Report
that an in-depth study of the full range of online college credit
courses showed
that there is "no significant difference" between the quality of
learning in traditional classrooms and distance learning. Some schools
even report that their online college course students are scoring higher on tests than
the ones who attend live classes.
Today, the choices
in online career development college
courses are tremendous. Over 2,000 different schools now offer bachelor
online college courses, and give everything from associate degrees to
graduate and even Ph.D. degrees to e-learners. And your opportunites go
far beyond Phoenix College online college courses and the other well-known web-based schools. You can take classes
online from top schools like Lehigh, the University of California at
Berkely and even Harvard University.
But some of the prestigious
"big name" colleges have only recently started offering college degrecollege degree onlinee online courses.
A number of lesser-known schools have actually spent more
time working out the "kinks" in their online accredited college
courses, and perfecting the online training they offer adult elearners.
Here are the key questions to ask when you're comparing online distance education degrees:
- Can you get the full range of college courses online?
Students who physically attend college usually get to choose from a
wide range of subjects covered in each major. That's not always true
with
online degree programs and online college courses.
- Does the school fit your learning style? Some
e-learning courses "meet" at the same time each day or week. Other
online courses for college credit allow you to pursue your studies on
your own schedule, taking tests and handing in assignments when it
works best for you.
(
Top advantages and disadvantages of online courses to know about.)
- Will you get support from professors?
If
you're the kind of student who likes to discuss (or argue) things with
the
professor, look for bachelor online college courses that give you that
direct contact. Be aware that college online courses where there's
little
direct interaction with professors have a high dropout rate. (On the
other hand, find out
why being a "shy learner who doesn't like the classroom situation can
actually be one of the key
advantages of online classes.)
- What about interacting with other students?
The ability to communicate with other students varies too. Some schools
allow you to speak with other students on discussion boards, and
actually grade your contributions to these boards.
- Is it purely online?
Some schools make a visit to some live classes a requirement for any
online degree. Depending on your schedule how close you live to
the school, this may be a plus or a minus for you. (Read our article
on
Current definitions of online training, including hybrid online-offline courses, flex courses, online degree coxrse college and others).
Comment: Some commentators have criticized online college credit
courses, saying that schools don't have their "star" professors teach
them but give the work instead to graduate students or "adjuncts." It's
a weak criticism. Even the nation's top colleges have adjuncts teaching
classes, both online and in lecture
halls.
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MORE ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING:
Good, Low-Cost Online Bachelor & Associate Degree School List
Paying For Your Degree
Online College Courses
Why Shy Learners Like Online Classes
Pricing Online Internet College Credit Classes
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Online Courses
Do You Have The Right Personality For Distance Learning Study?
What's The Definition Of Online Courses?
Learning Needs Of Adult Distance Learners
Will Employers Take Your Online Degree Seriously?
How To Initiate A Distance Education Course
The Meaning Of Blended Learning
Online Computer Training
Credit Requirements For Various Distance Learning Programs
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