local vs non local distance learning

So here is my next question. On the subject of local schools. I just got off the phone with the accounting manager at my company. I had been considering peru state for my accounting degree. However, she wasn't onboard with this because it is an out of state school with no reputation. There is however a local school Eastern Oregon state with an accounting program. However my issue here is cost. It is $157 per semester credit at peru state with 124 semester hours that equals roughly $20k eastern oregon is $149 for 180 quarter hours for $27k That is 7k. That's a lot of money. What do you guys think. Is $7k worth it for a local school?

Thoughts?

 

First, it depends on whether you plan to stay with this employer. If so, then doing what they want seems prudent.

Also, the reality is that there is still prejudice against on-line degrees. If one does an on-line degree with a school one physically could have been present at, a future employer may not know the degree was on-line. This could be an advantage worth $7K over a lifetime.

Of course if the distance school you could not have physically attended is much more prestigious then the local one, the distant choice might be better. But here Peru and Eastern Oregon are on about the same prestige level.

 

I guess that my first reaction was to think, "Well, since the employer isn't paying for the degree why do they even think they have a right to comment. Of course, if you're planning on using the degree to obtain a promotion within your current organization then maybe they're trying to tip you off to their own prejudices (I mean, let's face it, it's not like Eastern Oregon is some sort of elite school.) However, all things being equal, I'd say it's best to go with the local alternative. You are bound to have better networking with the local alumni group and it's easy to imagine that there could be times when you'd like to go to campus for a meeting, a seminar or just to use the library. You're right when you say that 7K is not a small piece of change. If you spread it out over a period of time it doesn't sting quite as much. How fast do you plan on completing the program?

 

I would say yes it is worth 7K. I got a grad certificate from UF just for that reason. I was recently speaking to someone about a side consulting job and he said, "How can you be bad, you graduated from UF and so did I".

 

Randell's point about local schools is a good point, but were you looking at DL schools because the local schools aren't accessible to you?

Dave

 

Oh, the UF certificate was DL. I got a DL certificate from a somewhat local school. I am also looking into a local AS degree also. More to come on that-

 

My sense of the situation, based on my reading the above posts, was that the local schools are also distance learning schools, just a bit more expensive. Accessibility is a slippery idea. A school may not be accessible in the sense of driving to classes twice a week. On the other hand it might not be a big thing to drive to campus once per month on a weekend. My own experience is that when it comes to job seeking, having a degree from a local school "enhances your chances." If you're plannng on staying in that area then you should give serious consideration to enrolling in the local school.

One step you might take is to contact the alumni office of the local school and ask them to put you in touch with some people who have graduated from the program that has caught your interest. It might help you to make up your decision.

 

thanks guys. I guess I liked perus program a bit better overall especially the fact that it had the 150 cpa option, but I want to maximize my opportunities.

 

For what it's worth, I chose an almost local university for my MBA (but did everything online). I could have saved some money by enrolling elsewhere, but I was able to combine flexibility with name recognition.

 

funny.. my local school of eastern oregon just lowered their tuition to $141 per credit hour for D/L making it $25.5k so it is only about 5 grand now.. I guess that is the decision made for me then. of course being local I can get many of the lower divisions online at my local community college and that is only $80 per credit. So thanks guys for the advice. I will stay local.

 

This is an interesting thread for me also. I recently completed an M.P.A. degree at Troy University through their online eCampus program. Prior to completing this degree I had accumulated several hours of CJ graduate-level courses and am now planning on finishing a second master's degree in the Administration of Justice at the University of Louisville.

I had originally enrolled in a CJ graduate program at the University of Cincinnati and didn't really like how the program was set up and administered. I contemplated finishing a second graduate degree in CJ at Troy until my job transfer to Indianapolis last month opened up other possibilities. I looked into Indiana State's M.S. in Criminology program but they only offered the online or on-campus options, not a mixture of the two. I checked out Indiana University's M.S. in Criminal Justice program but it was offered only on the main campus in Bloomington.

The University of Louisville's M.S. in Administration of Justice program offers both online and on-campus courses and that is the route I decided to take. Actually this upcoming Tuesday I will begin a statistics course on the main campus while also working on another online course simultaneously. The opportunity to take on-campus courses along with online courses from a major university that is well-known and located near the area where I plan to live for the next 15-20 years was a big factor in my final decision.

abnrgr275

 

UF keeps pushing their new slogan in their TV commercials "The University of Florida is in Gainesville, the Gator Nation is everywhere." It reminds me of the Borg.

 

It reminds me of Red Sox Nation (in which case resistance really is futile)

 

Who do you support for President of Red Sox nation? I say the obvious choice is Jerry Remy.