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With the ability to keep working, take care of a family, and receive a quality education without relocating, distance learning degrees have continued to increase in popularity. Unfortunately, the Internet also provides a venue for bogus diploma mills sprouting up to make money on the sale of fake degrees. In a report published in 2003, USA Today says 400 such businesses are currently in operation, and the numbers are increasing as these dubious businesses continue to make approximately $500 million annually.

However, despite all the unpleasant information going around about distance learning degrees, the fact is there are plenty of legitimate universities and colleges offering online degree programs. These colleges are legitimate and not involved in any way in offering dubious and fake diplomas. Instead, these colleges are going the extra mile to provide quality education online by taking advantage of all available instructional resources such as quality instructional design coupled with video lectures, online digital libraries and proctored exams to ensure their students get quality education and a valid, qualified diploma. Unfortunately, numerous employers have not yet been sold into this alternative way of acquiring education, thus they still regard such degrees as invalid or dubious.

In an effort to change the negative perception, the U.S. National Education Board has established 6 accreditation agencies to evaluate and provide accreditation to the higher learning institutions meeting the minimum criteria for a quality education, thus differentiating between the bogus degree programs. For example, the Distance education and training council provides accreditation for those institutes solely dedicated to online degree programs. The agency is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

For the students looking for specific programs of specialization, various associations are available to assess the excellence of these distance learning degrees and grant the necessary accreditation to qualifying schools. For example, accounting programs are scrutinized and accredited by the International Association for Management Education, and health programs answer to the evaluations of the American Health Management Association. Only the agencies recognized by CHEA or the Department of Education have the authority to grant institutional accreditation.

So, to verify the educational quality of any institution, students, parents, and potential employers should be concerned about accreditation status. If any college or university has that coveted seal of approval, it means distance learning degrees have met the same basic standards of excellence with the support and facilities necessary to adequately offer online degree programs. Conversely, specialized accreditation concentrates on evaluating the course curriculum based upon the established standards of the university or college.

Accreditation assures employers, parents and students that a respective college awarding degrees has undergone and passed a stringent test of excellence in offering quality education in the respective areas of training. On the other hand, diploma mills and fake colleges don’t meet the same standards of education imposed by the agencies since they don’t possess any legitimate accreditation. Thus courses taken by prospective employees that are accredited by the respective agencies would have met standards imposed on the respective specialized areas.

Nevertheless, in the end, it all comes down to the discretion of the employer. He or she must decide whether potential employees have satisfactorily completed an online degree program. Hopefully, with accreditation through a well recognized agency, the confusion can be eliminated, and a valid resume will make it to the short list of excellent candidates with their distance learning degrees as an impressive symbol of fortitude and dedication to personal achievement.

The author contributes articles about online education and distance learning degrees programs including campus information on colleges and universities around the United states.

For those students who cannot afford the time or money to take full-time courses on campus, an online education degree has removed many roadblocks. In fact, there are several advantages over traditional degrees. Nevertheless, because the methods of instruction and learning are quite different, students need to consider the adjustments and changes necessary to receiving a quality education degree online.

1. Choosing an ideal online education degree college – One of the ways to succeed is to select the right online education degree college. There are many dubious “fake colleges” out there that are only interested in selling their diplomas without providing any quality education and support to their online students. As a result, the diplomas acquired from these fake colleges may not be recognized by prospective employers who simply term then as fake degrees. To avoid this pitfall, it’s important to do background work on the college you wish to pursue. Before you enroll, check it out with relevant accrediting agencies to ensure that it is a legitimate college.

2. Evaluate the cost and benefits – Generally, obtaining an online education is a costly venture. Most people do not realize the cost is often more than a traditional education. So, it is important to evaluate the desired online education degree, and determine whether the benefit of future income opportunities will offer the reward for gaining an online degree.

3. How do employers view an online education degree? – There are many instances where employers were skeptical about the legitimacy of online education degrees. With so many “diploma mills” out there, it’s warranted for employers to be cautious. Although an online education degree might be legit, it would be very helpful to the employer if you provided the type of accreditation your college has beforehand to avoid any misunderstanding. By letting the employer know in advance that your institution was accredited by an institution that is recognized by CHEA and US department of Education, you will be a step ahead in qualifying for that dream job.

4. Practice discipline, time management and be determined to succeed – During the course of learning, many students simply lack discipline and are unable to focus. This makes it difficult to keep up with their online lessons and coursework, it is thus crucial for students in pursuit of online education degree to have a great determination to succeed. It is very easy to lose focus and motivation when studying alone. Exercising good time management and keeping in constant touch with classmates would increase the morale to succeed.

5. Utilize all the facilities provided by your college – Many education degree online courses provide online lectures and email access to facilitate communication among students, lecturers and administration staff. It’s important to take full advantage of these services as they keep you “connected” with your accredited online college. It helps further your motivation in your studies when you make use of these facilities to stay in touch.

6. Make use of credit transfers – Many online education degree colleges allow students to transfer their credits from courses they took in previous colleges, whether online or traditional. By doing this, it means students don’t have to repeat courses they learnt before. For this to be effected, it’s important for a student who intends to pursue an education online to make sure they get transcripts and results from their previous universities or colleges and make them available to their accredited online college so they can be passed as transfer credits.

7. Make use of the educational technology – Accredited online universities offer a plethora of opportunities for doing necessary research and other facilities to ensure adequate completion of the course. Normally, the cost of virtual libraries, the programs to access online lectures, and even student online access and e-mail accounts are factored into the cost of the course. Therefore, it only makes sense to use all the technology available to make the most of the educational opportunity in achieving an online education degree.

Mary Jackson writes information about various education degree online programs and accredited distance learning colleges where you can pursue your online education.