The world is changing rapidly; the information revolution has altered
our day-to-day experience. We now bank with ATMs and date using social
networking sites. All manner of knowledge is available at our fingertips
with the help of search
engines that return results in split seconds. Even
the article you are reading right now would have been hard to conceive
of for anyone pondering the future just a few short decades ago—an
article on a very specific topic, easily accessible over a global
information network.
Other enormous Information Age changes may not be as obvious to all of
us. Telecommuting has radically altered the experience of “going to
work” for millions around the world. Not too long ago, the arrival of
the fax machine changed how people looked at the mail. Just a few years
later, the rise of email made fax machines seem positively quaint.
Another enormous shift has occurred in education. The traditional model
of the on-site university has undergone a sea change. Online
universities are enrolling a larger number of students every day. Online
education is increasingly becoming an ordinary part of the university
landscape.
But not all online educations are created equal. Just as with
brick-and-mortar universities, there are some worth your time, money,
and effort and others worth avoiding. One simple way to tell the
difference is to look at which schools are accredited. But accreditation
does not tell the whole story. Try to talk to students who have
graduated from each of the schools you are considering. There is no
campus to visit to get a sense of what an online school is like, so
extra effort is required.
The best online universities are often the ones that have been at it the
longest. Some, associated with traditional universities, may not yet
have mastered the intricacies of the online classroom, and should be
given a careful look before enrolling. Generally, the quality of online
education has consistently been improving. This trend is expected to
continue, as software grows more sophisticated and students and faculty
bring greater prestige to the medium.
The following are ten of the very best online degree programs out there
right now, ranked according to quality of course work and quality of
online experience:
1. DeVry University
2. University of Phoenix
3. George Washington University
4. Strayer University
5. Walden University
6. Villanova University
7. Kaplan University
8. Ashford University
9. Axia College Online
10. Ellis College Online
Each of these online educators earned their way onto this list by
delivering consistent, high quality academics with a minimum of fuss and
bother. Different online schools offer differ courses, and your
decision about which to attend may be determined more by your chosen
course of study than by the school’s ranking on this list.
Online education first caught fire with people above traditional college
age, returning to school to improve their job marketability. Today,
online schools are becoming a standard avenue for people of all ages to
get the degrees essential for a rewarding and remunerative professional
life.
The savings of time and expense with online education have long been
obvious. The time has come where sacrificing quality for convenience and
budget are no longer necessary. For dedicated students, the schools on
this list can and will provide a rich and valuable experience and a
top-notch education.
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