Online colleges earning respect — to a degree

Fly-by-night operations that offer fake degrees haven’t helped the overall reputation of online degree programs, he says, and even reputable online schools often tout how easy their programs can be. That doesn’t boost  confidence among hiring managers, he says.

“And all Americans are really brand-sensitive,” he adds.

That said, Arbogast believes online courses today are substantive and gaining credibility, but it will take some time before they are on a level playing field with face-to-face programs.
“The whole conversation about online degrees and if people take them seriously is a familiar conversation we were having a decade ago about weekend MBAs,” he notes. But today, these part-time advanced business degree programs are all the rage.

One of the keys for recruiters when it comes to evaluating an online degree is the school that’s offering the program.

“A recruiter evaluates the caliber of a university or college,” says Angela Pertrucco, director of the career center at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. “While many schools are providing online degree formats for students, not just any school with an online degree will be attractive to a recruiter. It still depends on the strength and national recognition of the program as a whole.”
More and more schools, including well-known names like Harvard and Yale, have gotten into the online degree act -- and that’s good news for many of you who don’t have the time but want to continue your education.

But there are things to keep in mind before you sign up.

First, make sure that the school you’re interested in has accredited degree programs. The last thing you need is to spend years finishing up a degree only to find no one recognizes it.

Experts suggest checking for accreditation on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation Web site.

Beyond a school’s credentials, it’s up to you to figure out what a degree from a particular institution will do for you career aspirations.

Petrucco suggests doing a bit of homework to find out what the “perceived value of that degree is in the marketplace.” That means calling alumni from the school and also recruiters. The institution, she says, should be more than willing to share this information with you. If not, then forget them.

Also, if you want to advance at your firm, or want to get a job someplace else, it’s a good idea to find out which degrees are held by the people in the jobs you want. Finding resumes of individuals online these days is easy thanks to social networking sites like LinkedIn, so do a bit of snooping.

Giblin-Mason says she knew Excelsior had an “excellent” reputation and talked to alumni. “I then went online and called a counselor to see how it would work best for me,” she says.

Next thing on her plate: to get an MBA from Excelsior.

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