Monday, January 2, 2012

Online Masters in Education - Do Your Research

It appears that online learning, also known as distance education, is here to stay. Some people are now using this avenue to pursue a Masters in Education, because they can attend class without leaving their home. Some people have benefited from this, and can earn their masters degree online.

For most people, the fact that you can schedule your own classes is a very attractive possibility. This means that anyone can make use of these programs, from full-time moms and professionals to those trying to change careers. These courses are normally significantly cheaper, and they offer more personalized attention.

While there are many people who believe in distance learning at such a high level, others point out the limitations of such systems. For some, the full liberty enjoyed in distance learning makes it hard to develop self-motivation when submitting assignments on time and logging onto classes. Arguably, the major drawback to online programs is the possibility of being scammed.

The first thing that you need to look at is whether or not your chosen online master's degree in education program is accredited or not. All good courses go through this test process which evaluates the standard of education that you can expect to receive. 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 take a course that is not accredited, you are looking for trouble. One may find that their degree is practically worthless to prospective employers and worse, the credentials may not be transferable to another school. A secondary problem is that you won't get any kind of financial assistance from your employers if you study while you work.

Look for a program that has been approved by your government if possible - not all levels of accreditation are the same. In America the Department of Education has nothing to do with accreditation in these kinds of courses - a separate body figures out the standards. 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. You will find that in general, graduate education programs only have regional accreditation. A good sign for any online school is the fact that they display all of their accreditation information on their website where it is visible to all visitors.

Look out for diploma mills - these are schemes that pose as schools where you will receive a diploma in exchange for cash. A tell tale sign of such a scheme is the fact that they give little or no schoolwork. Above this, they often say that course credit will be given for work experience or your personal career.

To add, such a school’s admission standards often appear to be very lax or may tell students that they can complete the degree for a shorter time than what is normally required to earn the degree. 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.

Even though doing your master in education online can be incredibly helpful, you always need to exercise caution. Even though fake schools go to a lot of trouble to appear legitimate, the often forget about their website's URL. If a URL ends in '.edu', it can be trusted.


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