The Online Degree Dorm Room

online degree programs psychology | CSU’s little secret…

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

Hey my dorm room buddy - can you keep a secret?

Well it seems like CSU can - but now the cat’s out of the bag. And that’s a good thing. 

Colorado State University’s graduate engineering distance degrees offered through the Division of Continuing Education have been ranked a “Best Buy” by GetEducated.com.

OK, so what does that mean?

Well, it means that this online degree program has been reviewed and judged to offer a high quality distance degree to a national audience at tuition rates well below the national average.

If you’re looking into distance programs ratings like this are what you should be looking for. Takes some of the quesswork out of it.

The online degree clearinghouse reviewed 46 schools offering 216 distance-learning engineering and allied graduate degree programs offered through regionally accredited universities throughout the nation. Colorado State’s master of science degrees in Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Mechanical Engineering Materials Engineering and Statistics programs ranked 18th  in GetEducated.com’s list of the top high-quality, low-cost programs.

The survey found that the average cost for distance learners seeking a master’s in engineering or an allied technology career is $23,203. Colorado State’s is significantly lower at $15,600.

And with the shortage of engineers in the United States, if you invest now in online higher education you could insure job security - a very good thing in these challenging economic times.

About the Division of Continuing Education at Colorado State University

The Division of Continuing Education at Colorado State University develops and delivers quality programs and educational opportunities in support of the university’s land grant mission with degrees; online, credit and noncredit courses; certificate programs; and, custom training for businesses and industry, throughout Northern Colorado, Denver, at business sites, and via distance education using a variety of delivery methods. DCE has over 40 years of experience in the field of distance education.

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online degree programs psychology | Economy Drives Up Demand For Online Degrees

Posted by bposton on July 29th, 2008 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

WOW, talk about pain at the pump!

With the super high price of gas, and the fact that nobody can explain why it is so high, the country is coming to terms with the fact that these gas prices might just be here to stay.

While that is a scarry thought, at least it appears to be increasing demand for online degrees.

Cases in point:

Hodges University’s campuses have seen an online enrollment increase of nearly
150 percent.

At Florida Gulf Coast University, students taking at least one course online numbered 3,872 out of a total of 9,388 students last fall. In the spring, 4,312 students were enrolled online, or about 46 percent of the student body.

Edison College is looking at a 140 percent increase in students who take online classes.

Now, to be honest, no one has officially attributed this increase to the econony or high gas prices. In fact, some colleges point out that their marketing campaigns are the result. (yeah, right )

But I think anyone with half a brain can tell that if you factor in the cost of gas for communting, and the other costs like parking, etc, the cost of online degree programs is become more and more reasonable. And the overall weakness in the economy is causing a lot more folks to consider upgrading their education.

But hey - that’s what I get for thinking

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online degree programs psychology | Save the planet - get your degree online

Posted by bposton on April 23rd, 2008 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hello my little dorm room buddy

In case you were too busy cramming for those exams, yesterday was Earth Day.

Of course, isn’t EVERY day Earth Day? :-0

Anyway, I thought I’d instill upon you some interesting fact regarding the “green economy” and how you can benefit from a “green job”.

Today, jobs with a green focus are growing faster than the average for all occupations.

OK - let me repeat that -

Jobs with a green focus are growing faster than the average for all occupations!!!

Want proof? OK - here’s what the US Department of Labor has to say about it:

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the employment of environmental scientists is predicted to increase by 25 percent from 2006 to 2016.

That’s HUGE… 

The strongest growth is expected to be in private-sector consulting firms as more businesses realize the importance of going green.

So if you’re wonderin what kind of job you might be interested in or what your next major will be (assuming you’ve already got a major and will change it soon ) How about an online degree in environmental studies?

This is a rapidly growing industry that is constantly seeking knowledgeable and highly skilled professionals to lead the charge.

And you could be one of them…

…think about it…

You could pursue an online graduate programs in Environmental Management or get Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences.

And getting a “green” degree online verses on campus is an exercise in being green as well!

So help save the planet - in two ways…

Get your Environmental Management or Environmental Sciences degree, and get it ONLINE!

:-)

Ben 

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online degree programs psychology | economy goes down, degree search goes up

Posted by bposton on March 5th, 2008 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Ahhhhh…

Spring Break…..

So I decided to take some time during the break to do a little research, and here’s what i found.

(I thought it was very interesting…)

It seems that every time the U.S. economy starts to fail, the search for college degree programs increases.

According to a February 21, 2008 Conference Board report, the US leading economic index steadily decreased between October 2007 and January 2008.

And during that same period, resources for online degrees showed an increase in visitors. Some, like SchoolsGalore.com, experienced a whopping 27% increase in visitors searching for higher education.

So this proves that our national labor force identifies a need to be better educated at times when the US economy seems to be slipping.

It can also be seen as those that have put off getting their degree have gotten a wake-up call from the rush of forclosures and stock market declines.

:-(

It’s a well know fact that the competition for good jobs is extremely tight, even more so in a falling economy. A college degree is always highly regarded by employers. In fact, a college degree is almost always required to qualify for employment these days. There is little room for the uneducated laborer without college level credentials.

So hang in there, get that degree, or - if you haven’t started yet, today’s economy is proof that now is good time to get going!
 

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online degree programs psychology | military spouse discount tuition at Kaplan

Posted by bposton on January 29th, 2008 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

If your spouse is in the military, then first of all you have my deepest thanks for all that you do for them and our country.

In a very small way, I’d like to post this as a way of giving back to those who have given so much.

I recently learned that Kaplan University is giving a 10 percent tuition discount for military spouses. And also that President Bush has asked Congress to allow service members to transfer unused G.I. Bill education benefits to their spouses and children.

So if you have a dream of earning or finishing your degree, then here is an opportunity to do so.

Just so you know, Kaplan is a leading provider of online higher education. They offer more than 100 academic programs that can be completed from anywhere in the world. So now, no matter where the military tells you to go, you have the flexibility of earning a degree online that could help you move to a new career or improve your current career.

By the way, Kaplan also offers a 15 percent tuition discount to all active military personnel, which they’ve been doing for a while now. They even have a dedicated military admissions team that understands the issues that active duty military personnel and their families face every day. 

The military spouse tuition discount will be available starting Wednesday, Jan. 30. If you’d like more information just call them at 866-889-4582.

And again, thanks so much for your sacrifice for our country!

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online degree programs psychology | Cool stuff going on…

Posted by bposton on October 24th, 2007 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

Hey my little online dorm room buddy.

There’s some interesting stuff going on the world of online degree programs:

First off, Capella University, a fully online university based in Minneapolis, has announced four new specialization degree programs. They include Gerontology, a specialization within Capella’s Master of Science in Human Services, and Early Childhood Education, a specialization within its Master of Science in Education. Also on the new list are two bachelor’s-level specializations, Homeland Security and Security Management, both within Capella’s Bachelor of Science in Public Safety online degree program.

So what do these four specializations get you if you get them?

Well, for one - they were designed to address employment needs in fields that are experiencing a lot of growth. The Gerontology specialization, designed around the recommendations of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), was developed to help address the shortage of workers with skills and experience in caring for the nation’s growing population of older adults, which is expected to more than double between 2000 and 2030, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging.

Professionals who work with the other end of that range, the preschoolers types, are find that they are going through alot of change as well, not the least of which is an increase in educational standards. According to the National Institute of Early Education Research, 28 states now require lead teachers in state-funded prekindergarten programs to have specialized training.

The new Early Childhood Education specialization is designed for the licensed teacher who has a passion for education at the early stages of development and wants to pursue specialized training.

Capella’s new bachelor’s-level specializations in Homeland Security and Security Management reflect the growing need for security professionals in both the public and private sectors.

 More cool stuff to come…

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Associate Online Degree Programs | What colleges offer the most online degrees?

Posted by bposton on November 26th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

The annual report on the state of online education has found that the number of colleges and universities offering 4 year and associate online degree programs has increased.

Which is good news for everyone.

However, the last 3 annual reports showed a very uneven distribution of online course and program offerings by type of institution.  Public colleges and universities and the very large institutions in the US have always been first with online degree offerings.

Private, small 4 year colleges have been least likely to offer online courses, and typically have they’ve received the most negative opinions about online education in general.

And this year’s report is pretty much online the same line. This year’s results show no major changes from this type of pattern. The same large and public universities are still offering the most degrees online.

More than 96 percent of colleges and universities with more than 15,000 total enrollments have some online degree programs, which is more than double that of the smaller, private institutions.
The proportion of colleges and universities with completely online programs rises as the size of the instituion increases. 

About two-thirds of the very largest institutions have degree programs that are completely online programs, while only about one-sixth of the smallest institutions have such programs.

Interestingly Doctoral and Research institutions have been shown to have the greatest depth of online programs and courses. Over 80% of these colleges and universities have some form of online program, either courses or full programs.

So you probably need to look toward the public university or a very large college to find an online degree program with a lot of depth and selection. The private colleges have them also, but you might not find exactly what you need.

Ben 

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Associate Online Degree Programs | One Dean’s View of Online Education

Posted by bposton on November 25th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Andy DiPaolo is the executive director of the Stanford Center for Professional Development for Stanford University. He’s also the associate dean of the Stanford School of Engineering.

Here’s what he had to say about online education:

Online education is not appropriate for undergraduates, who benefit from on-campus socialization, he said. Nor does it work for doctorate candidates, who work one on one with faculty.

(I personally disagree with him on that one. I beleive online education is just fine for folks getting an undergraduate degree. Sure you may miss out on some socialization, but if you’re focused it works just great) 

But a masters-level degree from the School of Engineering is a good fit for older students who are working and so cannot attend class, he said. Many employers help pay for a worker’s graduate degree.

Now that I do agree with

Ben
 

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Prestigeous Schools go online

Posted by bposton on November 24th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Online education has grown much more popular since the advent of the Internet. But to be honest, most online degrees are still coming from for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix, and not from the traditional brick-and-mortar colleges.

In fact, a lot of the country’s most elite universities have pretty much avoided the trend towards online degrees, thinking that a computer cannot replace the intellectual exchange offered by attending classes in person.

But that is changing - finally

The new online engineering master’s degree offered by Stanford and a handful of other respected universities are embracing online education. Or a least giving it a try. 

Duke University’s new “Global Executive MBA'’ is completely Internet-based. Johns Hopkins University offers an online master’s degree program in bioinformatics.

This is important because it’s a sign that online education is becoming mainstream when these prestigous universities are sticking their toes in the water to see if it’s warm.

It’s a very good sign to me

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by bposton on November 22nd, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Hello, my online degree dorm room buddy!

Just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna be skipping a few classes and taking a little time off from my postings to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.

I want to thank you for putting up with my crazy sense of humor and I hope you’ll continue to come back and learn more about getting your online degree.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (if you’re in the US, that is) and I’ll be back soon!

Ben

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