Rich is a 49 year old truck driver who is tired of the road. Today, he’s also a student at an online college. Rich is studying on his own time, majoring in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He takes one class at a time, turning in assignments each week and getting feedback from his teacher and other students. He will graduate in four years with a Bachelor of Arts degree – and he never has to step into a classroom.
When is an Online Degree Best?
Going to college online isn’t for everyone, but it is definitely for some! How can a prospective student decide which type of college is best for her? Here are some guides that may help.
The student is employed during normal daytime hours and needs to stay that way.
This may actually vary between online schools. Some, like Ashford University, have no set “class time”. Assignments are turned in once a week and discussed online with classmates. When the student turns those assignments in is up to his discretion, as long as it’s no later than Thursday night.
Students with night jobs may also benefit from online employment if they need those daytime hours to sleep. Not a good thing to be doing in a resident history lecture!
The student has good self-discipline and study habits.
There is no teacher standing over the student asking, “Where’s your research paper?” Either the student performs or she doesn’t. It is entirely up to her. Simply put, online college is not for the “maturity-challenged”.
The student can earn more on the job than he would receive in excess Stafford Loan money.
This one may catch the student by surprise. Online schools aren’t cheap! Ashford charges $349/credit hour. University of Phoenix, $530 (for Bachelor’s degree – varies by degree program). Books at Phoenix are $85/course. Each course three credit hours, costing a total of $1,132 to $1,675/class including books. In one year’s time, that garners approximately 10 classes at a total cost of $11,320 to $16,750.
California residents attending UCLA can expect to pay for one year $8851 for tuition and fees, $1,600 for books/supplies. In that time, the student is required to take a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester, totaling at least 24 credit hours/year. Many take as many as 16 credit hours/semester. This gives a total cost of $10,451, a bit lower than the cost for Ashford and a significantly less than Phoenix.
Tuition Costs Vary – A Lot!
For other resident universities, however, those numbers may differ. At Montana State University, tuition and fees are only $5,990/year and books/supplies an estimated $1,100, totaling $7,090 per year. If a student is using financial aid, this could mean several thousands of dollars going to an online school that he otherwise could have put into his own pocket for living expenses.
Online Classes Don't Always Work
There are other considerations that may or may not make a difference. If the student wants to learn a foreign language, residency is generally the better option. Very few students can learn French effectively by themselves.
The same can be said about “hands on” classes like Anatomy. Trying to discern cranial pits and sutures is difficult enough in the laboratory. Looking at a computer image without having a professor right there to help can be a real disadvantage.
Taking all things into consideration, there are definitely times when an online degree program works. For those who are properly motivated, who choose a major that can be effectively learned online, who need the flexibility of the online schedule, these programs can meet a need no resident school can.
Elizabeth Linehan - Elizabeth studied American Sign Language at Brigham Young University. She has worked with hearing impaired and multipli-handicapped ...
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