Albany Business Daily

Are online degrees respected as much as degrees from traditional on-campus schools?

I am really interested in pursuing my education online--the flexible schedule would be really helpful. But I wonder if employers really view online degrees the same as traditional "hands-on" degrees.

Public Comments

1. No they are not, they are often looked down upon by employers and other people. I would strongly advise against doing one of those online degrees. Trust me, go to a 4-year university ... you will never regret your choice.
2. I don't know if there is a blanket answer to that. It will get often get you an interview just to HAVE a degree, no matter where it's from (not always). But you have to be prepared to sell how that education was as rigorous as a tradtional college and how you excelled. I can honestly say I haven't been impressed seeing it on paper, and frankly the candidates with online degrees haven't always been the best in my experience, but sometimes I see great candidates with online degrees, especially for a Master's Degree.
3. No
4. It should be respected by your employer. Just make sure that the college you choose is accredited.
5. In my world, at least. . . no. However, a lot of the things we study need to be hands-on, have labs, etc. -- things you can't really do somewhere else -- and so most employers tend not to like online programs since they're missing out on a big part of the education.