Online degrees vs. Traditional degrees

[Thump]

Reading the thread about MBA's got me thinking about something that I've pondered for awhile, Do you think of an online degree any less than a traditional degree?

I do and here's why.

Anyone can sit on their fat butt and get an online degree. I know online degree's are a matter of convenience for many people and offer people the chance to get a grad degree who otherwise could not have. But that's not what getting a degree is all about. Getting a degree requires getting out of bed after a late night rager to get to class. I also feel that a degree without any face-face contact with a professor or classmates is less (In my eyes) than one that requires message board chats for HW.

My brother got his Masters in Education online and it was a FREAKING JOKE compared to the MEd that I got through Ohio State. One Quarter in grad school we had to take 22 credit hours!! Grad school mind you!

His Masters consisted of watching Videotapes and message board posts. Are you kidding me?

I'd be embarrased to say I got my Masters at Nova Southeastern or wherever the hell my brother got his degree from.

I also wonder if employers differentiate between, online and traditional degree applicants?

I feel that the online degree's have "cheapened" the importance we place on an education.

Sorry to vent bought thought this would be a good topic for discussion.

 

[exhawg]

I think less of online degrees as well. It's probably a good way for teachers to go because they get a fat raise when they get their masters regardless of where they get it from. I got my MBA right after undergrad and would be pissed if an employer thought the same of my MBA as someone who got one online.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

Most employers hold them in less regard than a traditional program.

There are some good online programs, I believe Duke has one but you still need to meet on occasion to get the group dynamic.

 

[buckeyefool]

This is something that I debated back and forth for the last year while I have been trying to decide what to do about getting My Masters degree. After really looking at it, I could have gone through a online college and gotten My Masters very easily, but instead I decided that it was much more important to Me to take the classes the traditional way.

As a matter of fact I had My first class this morning

 

[osugrad21]

It's probably a good way for teachers to go because they get a fat raise when they get their masters regardless of where they get it from..

Damn skippy...I could care less how much prestige comes with my Master's. Just give me the freaking money...besides, I actually enjoy the classes at the Sports Academy. Shit, getting a fat pay raise for writing papers about MoC, sports gambling, and promoting my own minor league baseball team is bad? How many educational philosophies does one need to learn anyway?? Either you can reach kids or you can't....

 

[DEBuckeye]

Thump- excellent question. I've often wondered the same thing. We've got people here at work who have done e-MBA's or gotten one from a little local business college in town. I'm almost finished with my MBA at a real university, and I've wondered if any of the management here would put the two degrees on equal footing. I hope not.

I think less of those as well, and I agree with everything you said. You can't substitute face-to-face contact with a professor, or the experience you get working in a group on projects. I don't see how an online MBA can even come close.

Here's another thing that bothers me. Obviously, you'll get out what you put into your degree, and many schools (top-ranked or not) have good, challenging programs. However, I've seen people squeak by with grades that are just good enough, or skate through a group project by relying on others to do the work and earn the grade. It pisses me off that I could go on an interview, competing against one of these people, and we'd both say "I've got my MBA from the university", when the other guy learned much less than I did, and isn't as qualified or educated as I am.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

DE

Amen brother!
I got my MBA with 50-55 others.
I probably would only hire or work with a dozen of them.
I worked in a group and fired one SOB.
Talk about group dynamics.

 

[FKAGobucks877]

I agree as far as the graduate schools go, but I don't have a problem getting an online degree to get into a graduate program. For instance, I have a friend of mine who only went to college (at OSU) for a couple of years. Then he ended up married with a kid, and got an online degree from some chintzy little school, but then actually attended law school to get his law degree. I don't have a problem with that, but if he would have attempted to do the whole thing online, then I would.

 

[Buck Nasty]

His Masters consisted of watching Videotapes and message board posts. Are you kidding me?
QUOTE]

Fuck! I have a masters and did not even realize it. How much would they pay a guy with a masters in Porn and Buckeye recruiting. I have put way more than 22 hours per quarter into this, so my dedication, and effort can not be questioned. I have the carpal tunnel, and penis abrasions to prove it.

 

[Thump]

Bucknasty,

 

[The KSB]

...I'm almost finished with my MBA at a real university...

...However, I've seen people squeak by with grades that are just good enough, or skate through a group project by relying on others to do the work and earn the grade...

If you don't mind me asking DE, what university are you attending?

And that was the thing I always hated about group projects. Everyone bitching about having to do my share of the work. I mean if there are five people in the group how hard is it for the other four to pick up my slack (J/K)

 

[DEBuckeye]

KSB:
University of Delaware- the Alfred Lerner College of Business. Not a huge, top-ranked university, but a real one nonetheless.

When I say "real", I don't mean to sound like an arrogant bastard, but I do believe that there are differences in levels/quality of education, job position, etc. And I believe that those differences are important. An education from a recognized, four-year institution (like Delaware, Kent St. or OSU) should carry a little more weight. Does that mean that a person with a correspondance school education or an hourly worker is any less than I am? Not at all; but there are certain things (job responsibility, pay, etc.) that should differ between these levels.

I'll tell you what, though- education, even at very high levels, doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have good business sense, common sense, or a better ability to do a certain job. In my business we've got a fair amount of field sales and support people who came to us from the industry we serve, not from college. There are plenty of these guys who know a great deal about how the business works, and are probably better at their jobs than any college grad might be. I wouldn't replace them with an "educated" person for anything.

Everyone bitching about having to do my share of the work. I mean if there are five people in the group how hard is it for the other four to pick up my slack

 

[osugrad21]

Agree, and don't even get me started on online degrees!

My Master's was 90% online work and I would be more than willing to compare the course work of the program to any traditional classroom program.

11 classes
110 total quizzes
55 Discussion questions
55 "short" projects (3-7 pages)
11 Research papers with a minimum of 15 pages and 10 sources
11 Final Exams with 100 Multiple Choice and 4 Essays (Proctored at a test center)
1 Comprehensive Exam of 10 Essays in 4 hours (I wrote 36 pages total)

The school or the online work may not impress you, but I guarantee you I earned that sumbitch.

 

[bucks4me]

My Master's was 90% online work and I would be more than willing to compare the course work of the program to any traditional classroom program.

11 classes
110 total quizzes
55 Discussion questions
55 "short" projects (3-7 pages)
11 Research papers with a minimum of 15 pages and 10 sources
11 Final Exams with 100 Multiple Choice and 4 Essays (Proctored at a test center)
1 Comprehensive Exam of 10 Essays in 4 hours (I wrote 36 pages total)

The school or the online work may not impress you, but I guarantee you I earned that sumbitch.

I received my Bachelors from an online program. I was able to get my degree while I worked and raised my little boy. I wouldn't trade that time away for anything. I too had a large amount of quizzes, papers, discussion questions, exams, etc. It really was hard work.

I have heard of online colleges that don't require as much work as the university that I attended. Some people will pay to write a paper or two and receive their Bachelor's degree. I think that these so called colleges make it harder for the people that received a REAL education online. They get told that their degree is not nearly as impressive as Joe Blow's who went to tOSU.

I think that if you honestly feel that online college degrees are not worth the paper they are written on, find out the truth for yourself. Just make sure you pick one that provides a real education like the school I attended.

 

[Deety]

Just like a traditional class, the value of an online class depends upon how effectively people communicate. The two courses I took online were pretty worthless because the instructor didn't manage interaction very effectively. He would ask a question, give 5 minutes for everyone to answer, and then we'd wait another 5 minutes while the person he called on typed out an answer (can't copy/paste when you spent those five minutes playing Minesweeper). So, while the reading, assignments, and testing were no different, we covered far less material during class time than we would have in person. Then again, I had professors who did just as poorly in person. Also, this was around 1997, and the idea hadn't quite been refined.

There is no reason a good instructor couldn't be as effective online as in the classroom, though it might take a little more research to find the right program. Given the option, I'd choose the traditional classroom, but I also wouldn't hesitate to take classes online. Nor would I look at an online degree differently than one earned on campus from the same institution.