Traditional colleges that offer online bachelor programs

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by dinmir, Dec 4, 2005.

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  1. dinmir

    dinmir New Member

    Does anyone know of traditional colleges/universities that offer online computer related bachelor programs?

    So far I found Champlain College in Vermont. This college also doesn't rank too bad on the usnews website.

    http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_3684_brief.php

    Are there any other colleges like this out there?

    Isn't it generally a better to get your online degree from a traditional college/university instead of a "virtual" college/university?

    Is there some kind of (quality) ranking of online colleges/universities?
     
  2. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    There are lots of these sorts of programs available. Here's one:
    http://www.umassonline.com
    As to what is "better" you will find various opinions. Certainly there are some people who will agree that a degree from a bricks and mortar university is better than that of a virtual university but this may not be a universal sentiment. As for rankings of schools, I suppose they exist but they're not always well done so it's never been clear to me if they actually carry the meaning they claim. You can look on the IT forum and you can scroll through the threads. Your question(s) have been asked numerous times in the past and you could find some answers while you're waiting for people to reply to your post. Good luck.
    Jack
     
  3. tesch

    tesch New Member

    Florida State is well recognized and they have a good football team.... go Seminoles <smile>

    http://online.fsu.edu/student/degree/explore/program/undergr/

    Tom
     
  4. CoachTurner

    CoachTurner Member

    You might get more useful answers if we had a little more information about your specific needs.

    If you are starting from scratch with no post-secondary education then the advice may well be different than if you were a military veteran or someone with years experience in tech. or someone with alot of undergrad credit but you never finished a degree.

    As for your question "whether it's better..." -- that question can only garner subjective answers since there is yet to be a definitive answer to the question based on long-term scientific study. There have been a number of studies that show "online degrees" have gained acceptance.

    Now some people will argue that their degree from East Podunk State is just as good as a degree from the likes of Harvard and Yale. It's possible that John Doe got just as good an education at East Podunk State but, it remains a fact that the Harvard, Yale, Princeton grad. is going to benefit from the recognition of his school while Mr. Doe is not going to gain the same recognition.

    Recognition is the key to easiest acceptance. Everyone knows Florida State and U Mass. If they don't know them personally - it's easy enough to check. It seems that few of the highest recognition universities offer DL degrees but some do. Boston U., CalState, U Maryland, etc...

    Not everyone has heard of Excelsior, Thomas Edison, and Charter Oak (the assessment universities) but they generally get clumped into the world with U Phoenix. Universities that either exist at a distance or are perceived to exist at a distance are often in a recognition world below that of traditional B&M (U. of where?) schools that offer external programs.

    As for schools like Champlain -- they don't have really high recognition but then, neither do the hundreds of other "local schools" out there. Any number of tier 3/4 local B&M colleges offer online/distance degree programs that are at least as well recognized as their on campus counterpart.

    At the bottom of the list of "acceptable" are the "meet a certain need in the market" and are accredited (at least marginally), but most employers won't be too terribly impressed when campared to a credential from even a tier 4 B&M. This might include the likes of Ashworth for example. Nationally accredited and inexpensive but mostly going to be thought of as "back of a matchbook"...

    And then -- the diploma mills. Just stay clear of these, they aren't worth the trouble.

    Now, if your question had been "where can I get the best computer education online and by distance" you'd get an entirely different answer. It'd be different if you asked about fastest, cheapest, easiest, hardest, etc... :) "most prestigious?" someone else out there probably has an answer to that one -- it probably equates to the "most expensive"...

    Good luck to you....
     
  5. mbaonline

    mbaonline New Member

    Dinmir

    You might try Regis University http://www.regis.edu/regis.asp?sctn=apg&p1=ua They have a regular onground campus, are RA and offer a variety of computer-related degrees via online and independent study. I completed my MBA via their online program and it was very well-run, very strong.

    Ann
     
  6. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    Columbia College is a B&M school out of Missouri. They are very reasonable too. $195.00/hr or $585.00 for a 3 unit class. Only downside is some classes require proctored final exams but not all.

    http://www.ccis.edu/online/
     
  7. dinmir

    dinmir New Member

    Thank you for the replies!




    I have a couple of years of Economics from a good university, didn't finish. So I do have undergrad credit, but I doubt any reputable college would accept most of these credits, as the courses are unrelated to computer science.

    Exactly! Now if you already have a job and a network, and are trying to move up the ladder in the company than recognition might not be crucial, especially if the company pays for your online education :)

    I think though, that if you are looking for a new job, trying to get into a field, recognition is very important. The sad thing is that in many cases it seems more important to which college you went than what you learned there.

    At the moment I'm self employed, so in my case I think school recognition is an important factor. I want to get my bachelor because it increases my chances of getting a good job, not because I expect to learn so much from it.
     
  8. CoachTurner

    CoachTurner Member

    You may be surprised what RA credit another RA will accept in transfer. At the very least, it will meet your electives requirement which in some BA/BS programs can be as high as 18 hours.

    In many schools, economics is a social science and therefor these may meet your core requirements (at least partially) in the social sciences.

    Most economics programs require considerable math -- math is generally universally transferable.

    Freshman survey courses like Comp. and Lit. and Western Civ. and Intro Biology etc... are also generally easily transferable.

    Remember, most bachelor's degree programs in computer science (or anything else) are going to require at least 30 semester hours (25% program) in core general education courses. Some will require totals nearing 60 semester hours. Many BA/BS liberal arts schools will also require you to complete a cognate (area of related study outside of your major) and economics is a pretty valid cognate area for computer science majors.

    All of those courses you've taken in the past might just be more valuable than you think... :)

    One thing to keep in mind as you make your decision:

    If having a degree from a top level or Ivy school is really important to you, then you will not be satisfied with anything less. Go to one of the top level schools and get the degree.

    If name recognition is your primary need -- then there is no substitute and you will only be happy with a degree from a well known university. If that is the case, and DL is your only option, then the schools the likes of UMass, U Maryland, Florida State, CalState, etc... are where you need to look.

    No matter where you go though, remember, someone thinks that school sucks. Ask a Clemson student about Univ. of SC for example...

    Just my opinions, for what they are worth.
     
  9. CocoGrover

    CocoGrover New Member

    Dinmir: take a look at the online program at DePaul University www.snlonline.net
     
  10. JoAnnP38

    JoAnnP38 Member

    At the bachelor's level, there are not a lot of options for computer science; however, here are the ones that I know about that may meet your criteria:

    Old Dominion University
    California State University, Chico
    New Jersey Institute of Technology
    Mercy College
    Florida State University
    University of Illinois, Springfield
    Regis University

    BTW, I also believe a DL degree from a traditional B&M institution is the best way to go. There are other factors to consider for sure, but if a traditional school meets your needs then I believe its your best option.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 4, 2005
  11. Xarick

    Xarick New Member

    Man franklin sure gets the shaft on this site

    Franklin

    So does limestone
    Limestone
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 3, 2006
  12. AGS

    AGS New Member

    carnegie mellon university offers

    Carnegie Mellon is a top level school...

    It offers a Masters in Software Engineering through online studies ...

    it is rigorous and the school demands you to have a certain GRE score before entering into their program...

    here it is

    http://www.distance.cmu.edu/SE/paths.html
     
  13. AKelley728

    AKelley728 New Member

    Many people here have mentioned U of Maryland. Here is a link to their online BS in Computer Information and Sciences degree:

    http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/majors/cmis.shtml

    All of their majors are listed here, including a BS in Computer Studies and BS in Information Systems Management:

    http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/mjr_chart.shtml
    I've been in the IT field for over ten years. It's been my experience that hiring managers value experience over education. When it comes to education, more value is placed in certifications such as the MSCE, CCNA, and PMP than where you got your college degree. However, make sure where you get your degree is RA!

    If I were you, I would go for the college/university that is most convenient for you, especially with price. Many on here have gone to the "Big 3" assessment schools (I personally go to Thomas Edison), and haven't found any negative connotations with going to that particular school.

    Good luck in your eduction pursuits!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2006
  14. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Re: Re: Traditional colleges that offer online bachelor programs

    I do believe there is a difference between U of Maryland and UMUC.
     
  15. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

  16. AKelley728

    AKelley728 New Member

    The University of Maryland system consists of five campuses, which include:

    University of MD Baltimore (UMB)
    University of MD Baltimore County (UMBC)
    University of MD College Park (UMCP)
    University of MD Eastern Shore (UMES)
    University of MD University College (UMUC)

    The 'University of Maryland' you referred to is the College Park campus, which is considered the 'flagship' of the five campuses. However, all five are considered the University of Maryland.

    In any case, when people speak of the U of Maryland DL/online program, they are usually referring to the DL and online programs at UMUC, which is specially geared to that type of learning. UMUC will accept up to 90 transfer credits and accepts credit by CLEP and DANTES, and UMCP does not. UMCP is meant for the traditional 18-24 year old college student, UMUC is meant for adult learners.

    UMCP has an extremely limited online program, as you can see by this link:
    http://www.professionalstudies.umd.edu/online.html

    Whereas UMUC has all this:
    http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/mjr_chart.shtml

    Anyway, I know a lot of this since I went to UMCP for two years. It was drilled into our heads that all five campuses were one big university, all one happy family. Underscoring that fact is that the main UMUC campus (yes, they have a regular ground campus) is located adjacent to UMCP. UMUC students also have access to UMCP facilities.

    When I considered resuming my education I seriously considered going to UMUC, but decided on Thomas Edison because of price (I'm a NJ resident). If I was still living in MD, I might have chosen UMUC.


    All diplomas issued by any of the above campuses say University of Maryland, which is what the OP is looking for, if he is looking for a 'prestigious' university.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2006
  17. Jigamafloo

    Jigamafloo New Member

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