Monday, January 2, 2012

Discussing The Online Masters in Education

Distance or online learning is here to stay. Distance education allows students wishing to pursue a Masters in Education degree to attend classes without the need to physically be inside a classroom. Thanks to advances in the internet, you could now complete your masters online.

A big draw card for doing your master in education online is that you can structure the classes to suit your schedule. Because you can fit in classes when you have time, anyone has the ability to finish this kind of program - from moms to businesspeople. Another advantage of doing your online masters is that it will be cheaper than traditional options, plus you get direct, personal attention.

Just as there are people who believe in online learning, an equal number of individuals stress that the design of e-learning for graduate education students has many limitations. Some students struggle with the responsibility of meeting deadlines when it comes to assignments and logging on for class. What's worse is that you could get scammed.

If you are considering an online masters degree in education, it is vital that your chosen course is accredited. This means that the course has been tested and evaluated so that you can be sure you are getting a high standard of education. Once the course you have selected has been found to be of a high standard, it will receive accreditation - the stamp of approval regarding educational quality.

If you sign up for any online program that has not been fully accredited, your degree may be worthless. This degree is of no use to you - employers don’t recognize it and you cannot get credit for it elsewhere. A secondary problem is that you won't get any kind of financial assistance from your employers if you study while you work.

Remember that not all accreditations are equal, and some are government approved while others are not. There is a separate body in America that deals with the whole accreditation process - the local Department of Education is not involved at all. The Council of Higher Education Accreditation and US Department of Education do have the final say though.

Be sure to check if your selected program has national, regional or specialized accreditation. Regional accreditation is generally the standard accreditation type for most graduate education. Most legit online schools that offer a master's in education program will present their accreditation information in a way easily noticeable on their website.

One of the biggest scams regarding online masters in education program is the phenomenon of diploma mills, or the so-called schools which give students an instant diploma in exchange for cash. In general, these programs involve little or no coursework. They tell the students that they can complete the degree by using their work experience or personal career for course credit.

Again, any school that has poor admission standards or offers regular courses in a shorter time. So, if you get offered an online master's in education that you may complete over one semester without previous course credit, something is wrong. False accreditation agencies are sometimes set up to add to the appearance of professionalism.

You could be rewarded by taking an online masters in education, but always do your research beforehand. Always check the URL of the site that you are consulting, as bogus schools cannot get a valid address. If a URL ends in '.edu', it can be trusted.


When in need of reliable info about masters in education programs, do not hesitate in hitting the links.