Online Degrees: Stay Home and Get Smarter


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We all know that an education can improve your standing in life. A college degree can increase your opportunity to enjoy a better standard of living, and also bring you career fulfillment. But what if you don’t have the time or ability to quit your job and go to college full time?


Many busy people choose to attend night classes on a part time basis. While this is a good solution, it can take many years to earn a degree this way. Plus, you have to take the classes when and where the college offers them. Not much flexibility in that.

Thanks to the Internet, it’s now possible for you to earn a college degree in your spare time at home.



Don’t confuse legitimate college degree programs with diploma mills. When you enroll in a legitimate online college degree program, you will have to follow course guidelines and do your homework – just like every college student. The only difference is, you won’t be sitting in a physical classroom.

You’ll have the benefit of studying under top-notch teachers and instructors who will guide you in your studies and be available via email to answer questions. One-on-one support is very important, especially when studying long distance. You’ll want to make sure your online degree program offers this type of help.

To avoid being scammed by unscrupulous degree mills, you’ll want to do your research and make sure the online degree program you’re interested in is fully accredited. It won’t do you any good to have a degree that isn’t recognized by employers and professionals.


Whether you’re looking to earn a bachelor’s degree, masters degree, doctorate, or earn a certificate of training, you have many fine online degree programs to chose from. So go ahead and investigate your options in advanced education. You are no longer restricted by time or location from reaching your goals. If you aspire to improve your status in life, a diploma is only a click away.

By Donna Monday
About the author:
Copyright 2005
Donna Monday
Earn a degree online in your own home

Scholarship Information


If you want to change your career or to earn a better job, it’s a good idea if you get a degree from a college or university. If you don’t have enough money you can apply scholarship for yourself, your kids or your friends.

Here are some resources for finding scholarship information:

Lowe’s Scholarship: Open to all high school seniors who plan to attend any accredited two-year or four-year college or university within the United States. Winners are selected based on leadership qualities, community involvement and academic performance. 373 scholarships awarded ranging from $1,000 to $15,000.


Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program: Open to graduating minority high school seniors who have been accepted by a four-year accredited college or university. You must have a minimum 1000 SAT score or 21 ACT score, be a United States citizen and demonstrate academic achievement, leadership potential and financial need, and provide a personal essay and a letter of recommendation from your high school guidance counselor. This is a four-year award of up to $7,500 per year. Deadline: March 31.




Annual Signet Classic Scholarship Essay Contest: Open to high school juniors and seniors. This year’s essay competition is based on the book “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
” by Robert Louis Stevenson. You must write an essay on one of three selected topics listed on the Web site to be considered for this award. In addition to the $1,000 scholarship awarded to you if you are a winning student, your high school will also receive a Signet Classic library. Five $1,000 scholarships. Deadline: April 15.

The two best Web sites are fastweb.com and collegeboard.com. Look for things that reflect your interests, what you can do. The Web site will take you through a process and generate scholarships that you should apply for. Some kids don’t have Internet access. They should see their guidance counselor and go to the library to look at books and catalogs with scholarships.

Get more information about scholarship today.

Good luck.

Online College Accreditation

Are you to ready to change your career? What is your preparation before you submit a resume? It's a great idea if you upgrade your knowledge and your skill before you change your career or job. Online college or distance learning program is smart solution to earn a master degree or other degree, but make sure that you choose a good school or university.


When obtaining your degree online, it’s important that you make sure you’re receiving your education from a college that is fully accredited. This ensures that your degree will be widely recognized as legitimate by employers, as well as guarantee that you’ll be receiving a quality education from a school that you can trust with your time and money. Without proper accreditation, you have no guarantee that the degree you have worked hard and paid dearly for will be worth anything, so it’s incredibly important that you don’t skip this step when researching online schools.



Schools become accredited by being validated as legitimate educators by a third party, also known as an accreditation agency. These agencies generally investigate the school to ensure that the quality of education is acceptable for students. They will also find out whether or not the school operates legally, so by studying with a properly accredited school, you can rest assured that you won’t be taken for a ride.
These are a few things to consider when evaluating an accreditation agency:

• Is the organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the US Department of Education? The Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has an international directory of quality assurance organizations, accreditation agencies, and Ministries of Education in 175 countries. Additionally, the US Department of Education offers a searchable list of recognized accreditation agencies.

• Do all of the schools they accredit appear to be legitimate? Check your gut feeling about the schools your accreditation agency is endorsing. Find out if they are listed as legitimate by any organizations, such as the International Handbook of Universities, the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook, and the US Department of Education’s College Navigator.

• Is the accreditation agency associated with the schools in any way? Just like with online college rankings, there’s a chance that the accreditation agency you’re checking out is a front, created to offer credibility to an illegitimate online college. Accreditation agencies should be an independent third party, so any accreditation organization that has connections with a school is cause for concern. Check out their addresses, Whois information, ownership, and other identifying details.

By following these guidelines, you can be sure that the accreditation agency that you’re trusting to evaluate your online college is legitimate, and will offer a truly helpful and independent endorsement of the school. By finding an accreditation agency and school that you can trust, you can feel confident that your online degree will be viewed as legitimate and offer you a quality education. (More information please visit: www.bestcollegesonline.com)

How to Choose a University Course


Universities have a certain number of course requirements that must be met in order to graduate and earn a degree. Some courses must be taken before others. This can make scheduling more complicated. The university doesn't assign you the courses, it is your responsibility to choose the courses and pick them on sign-up day. It is important that you choose the right courses to stay on target for graduation.
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Course outline List of courses
Instructions: Difficulty: Moderately Easy
  • Step 1
See your guidance counselor and get a list of courses required for your particular field of study
. For example, those studying accounting will need to take Accounting I and II while those majoring in education have to take Child Psychology.


Step 2
Put your courses in order in which they need to be taken. For example, you must take Accounting I before you can take Accounting II. There are courses that are also not available until you reach your junior or senior year. These requirements should be listed next to each course.


Step 3
Use a scrap piece of paper to finalize your list by sorting all of the courses out in to semesters. You will need two semesters for each grade. So, you will have semester 1 freshman year and semester 2 freshman year. You could take Accounting I in semester 1 of your freshman year and then Accounting II your second semester of your freshman year
.
Step 4
Get a list of dates and times you are allowed to call in your courses for the next semester. The university will supply this list to everyone. Seniors usually get the first day, with the other grades following in succession.

Step 5
Get a list of available courses for the next semester and match them with the courses you need to take.

Step 6
Organize your schedule so that none of your classes overlap.
Step 7
Call in your courses on the dates and times allotted. You will need to follow the automated phone system's prompts.

By Alicia Bodine, eHow Editor