Archive for the ‘Degree Levels’ Category

There are many differences between online degrees and on-campus degrees. When trying to figure out which path to take on the way to a degree, there are a lot of things to take into account. Let’s examine a few of the major areas of concern when selecting an on-campus degree or an online degree.

Access

On-campus: Whenever the class is scheduled by the school

Online: 24 hours a day/7 days a week

Commute

On-campus: Anywhere from 5-minutes to an hour depending on location from the college. May have a delay due to road traffic, accidents, delays in public transit, or weather conditions.

Online: 30 seconds, from your kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom to your computer. May have delay due to traffic caused by scurrying pets, children, spouse, or “roadblocks” by objects in the hallway.

Social Aspects

On-campus: Always availability for interactions with students and faculty: whether it is in the classroom, in the cafeteria, student center, or atheletic events.

Online: Although the “face-to-face” interactions may be limited, course discussions are conducted through online chat and bulletin boards through the school’s online portal.

Cost

On-campus: Varies from school to school as well as degree type. Then there’s the cost in gas/public transit to get to class on time. Tuition usually does not cover course materials.

Online: Varies from school to school as well as degree type. No commuting needed, except to get back home from your current location. If you already are home, then no commute required! In some cases, course materials/books are included!

Degree Programs Offered

On-campus: Associate’s Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Programs

Online: Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Programs

Materials Needed

On-campus: Books, noteebook, laptop, books, calculator, pen, pencil, more books…did we mention books?

Online: Most course materials including lectures and readings are found through the online course portal. There may be some books required, but you won’t have to lug them around in a backpack.

Greek Life

On-campus: Upside- Going to fraternity and sorority parties!
Online:  Upside- Not going to fraternity and sorority parties. Since many online courses are accelerated, the ability to get the studying out of the way faster is definitely an advantage to getting your degree completed, so you can have more enjoyable times ahead….hopefully with much better beer.

While this doesn’t cover every aspect of on-campus or online learning, it can give you a brief idea of the type of college learning that may be right for you.