Do You Need an Online Associate Degree?

Posted by bposton on November 10th, 2008 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey there my dorm room buddy. Hope that you’re having a great fall.

Somebody stuck their head into the online dorm room a few days ago and asked:

“What can you tell me about online associate degrees?”

They came to the right place, of course :-)  

OK, so here is a primer:

Online associate degree programs are two-year general programs that are accessible completely over the Internet.

This degree is best for people who want to give their college careers a head start or wish to complete their two year degree prior to moving on to a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
There have been studies that show that folks who start out by getting a two year degree and then move on to a 4 year college tend to have a much better transition into the college world. Most even finish on time! :-)

You don’t need any previous college credits to start your quest for an online associate degree. But if you have them, great - you can try to transfer them to your online college or university in order to acquire your degree quickly. The basic requirement for enrollment in an online associate degree program is that you must possess a high school diploma or G.E.D.

At a traditional campus-based college or university, it takes about two years to earn an associate’s degree, while the same can be earned in merely six months through an online or distance education process (assuming you can handle the workload). This major difference in “study time” is beneficial for those who aspire to enter the job market as early as they can, or those who do not have money to spend on a traditional college. All that is needed for an individual to study via online education is a computer with an Internet connection that can download software and study material.

Much more to come…

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Associate Online Degree Programs | South Carolina grows it’s online degree programs

Posted by bposton on November 30th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Both the University of South Carolina and it’s Community Colleges are seeing rapid growth in online enrollements.

The University of South Carolina Upstate has offered 56 online courses during the last two semesters. The courses are in the arts and sciences, nursing, education and business departments.

The number of online courses that the university has offered has more than doubled over the last two years and they expect the number to increase even more over the next two years.

They’ve had great success with its “RN to BSN program,”

This a program designed for registered nurses who already have an associates degree who want to earn their bachelor of science degree in nursing.

Of the 98 students enrolled in the program at the university, 30 are earning their degree online. The rest are taking course in a traditional classroom setting or through a partnership with state educational television (ETV).

Spartanburg Community College’s online courses have grown steadily since the college began offering them in 2001.

The community college currently offers three online degrees: an associate of arts degree, interpreter training program and a management degree. And they offer 60 online courses each semester.

They report that these online courses fill up as fast as are developed. And the school is finding that many students are taking traditional classes, and then adding online courses because of their flexibility.

They’re also finding out that online courses are often less expensive for colleges to offer since there’s little overhead, and textbooks can be updated often and downloaded easily.

According to college spokesmen, the South Carolina college system as learned that online classes can be just as good, or better than the traditional class environment,

And as long as the technology continues to expand (which it will, online courses are the way of the future.

Ben

 

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Another Success Story

Posted by bposton on November 30th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Janet Ward is a 50-year-old single mother of three children who worked as a paralegal for several years before heading back to the classroom in a very non-traditional way.

She found Limestone College’s Internet Management degree program, and never looked back.

She works at the college’s Eastwood Library, maintaining its Web site during the day, and plans to graduate next month with a bachelor of science degree in computer science and Internet management with a concentration in Web development.

Then she’s off to get her master’s degree.

Here’s a quote from her:

“You know, I’m a single parent, and it’s wonderful to work at your own pace. There are so many benefits to online courses, and the way the program was developed, I’m more than comfortable going into the outside world with the knowledge I have.”

Ward said the coursework required her to develop and maintain a Web site from scratch, to set up computer hardware and to act as a system administrator.

The Virtual Campus for Limestone was created by Doug Hulsey in 1997 and continues to teach the Internet Management courses. The program offers five bachelor of science degrees, an associate of arts degree and 24 majors. Limestone offers new online courses every eight weeks.

The Virtual Campus program began with between 30 and 40 students, and now around 2,000 students take online courses through Limestone.

Way to go, Janet, and Limestone!

Ben

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