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If you thought making the decision to get an online degree was the hard part, think again: Finding the program that fits best with your schedule, needs, learning style, budget and goals can be a Herculean task. To help ease the pain and strain, here are a few things to consider when narrowing down the field.
Accreditation
Choosing an accredited program is important for many reasons. Highest on that list for many is that fact that by attending an accredited school, you are eligible for federal funds to finance your education. Attending an accredited institution may also ease the hassle of transferring credits and classes if you ever have to, engenders employer confidence and assures the quality of your education. In the U.S., accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations that review dozens of areas including curricula, faculty, student support services, recruiting and admissions practices, the record of student complaints, and student achievement before issuing accreditation.
To check if a particular program or school is accredited, check with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA, http://www.chea.org) or the U.S. Department of Education (ED, http://www.ed.gov).
Available Programs
After accreditation, the easiest way to narrow your search is to decide what sort of program you want. Are you just looking for a few continuing education credits or do you want an MBA? Would you like a specialized MBA, such as marketing or human resources? Deciding in as much detail as possible exactly what you want in advance can save days of frustrating research time later.
Instructional Method or Format
Each of us generally learns best in a specific way—through reading, by listening, seeing how things are done, by doing or by speaking and communicating. If you can recognize your style, you can search for a program that caters to it.
Keep in mind, however, that because online programs seek to appeal to as large an audience as possible, most courses combine several different techniques but often one type is more prevalent than another. Use the table below to see what kind of courses you should look for depending on your own learning style.
| Find Your Learning Style |
| If you learn best by: |
Look for a program with: |
| Reading |
e-books, textbooks, and other required reading |
| Listening |
audio lectures |
| Seeing |
illustration-heavy texts and multimedia presentations |
| Doing |
instructors with plenty of real-world experience (who are willing to share their experiences) |
| Speaking/Communicating |
email or chat groups, professors who are readily available and willing to answer questions |
Program Length
Just as with some brick-and-mortar schools, some online universities are more concerned with getting students in than out. If you're serious about finishing what you start, and finishing it in a reasonable amount of time, don't be afraid to ask about a program's graduation rates. Going hand-in-hand with that is the amount of time it takes a student to get their degree from start to finish. Just because a program promises a two-year Bachelor's degree doesn't mean they can deliver on it. Check up on class schedules and talk to current students to see whether they're really on track to finish in the amount of time promised.
Class Size
Ideally, your chosen program should have a large enrollment—that means the program is proven—and small classes. In fact, smaller classes have been linked with more effective learning (no matter what your specific learning type is). Make sure to look at the numbers for classes ranging from introductory to advanced; generally the higher the class level, the smaller it is. The true test of a school's dedication to small classes is the number of students in an intro course.
Faculty
Online universities have many benefits over their traditional counterparts, but one of the greatest may perhaps be with faculty. Just as students come to online universities from around the world, so too do instructors. Online programs can literally seek out the most qualified teachers in the world. But just because they can doesn’t mean all schools do. Handing an unproven local classroom teacher a computer with Internet access is easier than hunting down online-learning-savvy faculty strewn across the country and even the globe. Make sure your program does it homework when it comes to faculty.
Customer Service
Sure it's an online program, but it would be nice to talk to a real person when you have questions about tuition, schedules, exams or any number of other things. Go with an online program that recognizes the importance of excellent, prompt customer service and, if possible, one that assigns you a personal advisor for the duration of your studies.
Satisfied Graduates
Even if you're already guaranteed a job upon graduation, request information on job placement rates for recent grads. Such stats are a great indication of how other employers view the school (you might not want to work at the same company forever). But, because numbers can't always tell the whole story, see if you can talk to some graduates. Ask them what they thought about the program, how flexible it was, how satisfied they are with it and anything else on your mind.
Support
Hopefully you won't need tutoring or technical assistance, but just in case you do, having them handy makes tackling problems easier. Some online classes come with both and more—reference links, library access, mentoring, writing/math labs and other resources—while others leave you to solve any problems alone.
School Schedule
Open enrollment versus traditional scheduling is another key question. Some online programs allow you to start whenever you want to and learn on your own time (open enrollment). Others follow traditional scheduling and have semesters or quarters. Both types of scheduling have their advantages and disadvantages; it's up to you to decide which fits you best.
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