Difference between an Online Degree and a Traditional Classroom Degree ?

I am taking up an online Degree program but before I do so I have these doubts in mind about the differences in a Online Degree and a Traditional Classroom Degree , request you guys to help me out :

1. Is there any doubt between the Diploma document of an online degree and a classroom degree, if so what are they ?
2. Does the online Degree Diploma say "online" or "Distance learning" mentioned on the Diploma or any University campus name mentioned on the Diploma ?
3. I would like to know how many Transcripts do i get for my 4 yr Online Degree ?

Thanks

 

Depends on the school, which you did not mention.

1. Depends on the school, which you did not mention.

If the school offers both online and traditional degrees, both the diploma and the transcript will be exactly the same as that of the traditional students.

2. Depends on the school, which you did not mention.

"Distant" or "online" will NOT appear on the diploma. Whether or not a campus is listed depends, I'm sure, on the university, but many (if not all) do list which campus. For example "University of Massachussetts, Lowell" "University of Connecticut, Stamford" and the SUNY umbrella of colleges.

3. Depends on the school, which you did not mention.

 

When you go to an online school, you have to be careful about the accreditation. The great people on this board have taught me a lot recently about insuring that you are not signing up with a diploma mill, and there are quite a few out there. There are many very reputable and high-quality schools that deliver the course content online but there are others that you should avoid.

A regionally accredited school will yield a legit, regionally accredited transcript and diploma. There is noting on the diploma that says "online". My master's is a good example. However, if you go to a school that is only online, like me, then people will know that you got it online. But, that's not a bad thing, in most cases. If you are looking to teach at a traditional, brick and mortar (B&M) school and expect tenure, you should avoid online degrees. Other than that, I believe that they are just as useful as a B&M degree.

The most important thing is to make sure that your school is regionally accredited by a recognized accrediting body. You even have to be careful about that too, because we recently discussed a fake school that was touting "accreditation" from a made-up accrediting body that had been given names that were designed to sound similar to the real accrediting bodies.

Like ManiacCraniac suggested, post the name of the school you are considering and these guys (and gals) will let you know if it's legit.

 

PS. I earned my teaching credential and my master's degree online about ten years ago and the state of California never questioned its validity. My degrees have been just a good as they would have been had I earned them in the traditional way. I have now been teaching Jr. high for quite awhile and have never once regretted my online studies.

 

I'm not entirely sure what question you are asking.

The biggest doubt that many employers might have when hearing the word "online" is that the school is a degree-mill. It's a sad fact that there are probably more mills on the internet than legitimate distance earning programs. (Comedians can get laughs with the phrase "internet university".) This means that it might be best to choose a school that has an existing reputation for its on-campus programs, a state university perhaps - something that isn't likely to be questioned. Whatever school you pick, be very certain that it's accredited by a recognized accreditor. There are fake accreditors too so be careful, the con-artists are crafty. If the school is American, it's a good idea to verify the accreditor with the US Dept. of Education or with the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). For British schools check the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). It varies by country. Here in the US accreditation by one of the six regional accreditors will generally be most useful.

Another potential doubt might concern the compromises that were necessary in order to offer a program in distance learning format. There might be concern that your program didn't include the kind of laboratories and practical hands-on experiences that your major typically requires. This is why we rarely see distance learning programs in the laboratory sciences. My belief (which I think is widely shared) is that distance learning is more appropriate for some majors than for others. So be alert to that.

A related concern might be whether the online program will qualify you for whatever state licenses that might be required in order to practice your profession. Licensing boards often require specialized accreditations (in addition to regional or other institutional accreditation) that distance learning programs often don't have. The difficulty is usually the labs and practical experiences. If you are anticipating entering a regulated profession that requires a license, you will need to consult with your local licensing board before you commit to a program to make sure that the distance learning program is satisfactory.

It depends on the school. Usually the diploma won't say that the degree was earned online, but it could. You might want to ask propective schools about that if it concerns you. My own distance learning diploma is identical to those earned on-campus.

Another thing to be aware of: the diploma itself might not say that the degree was earned online, but your transcripts might include some indication of how the credits were earned. At my school, the distance learning courses have different prefixes than the on-campus courses.

Are you in the United States? In this country, the accepted procedure is for you to request that your university send a sealed copy of your transcript directly to whoever needs it (another university or an employer). You do that by sending a written request to the records office of your university. Usually a modest transcript fee of a few dollars is required to cover clerical costs. The addresses and fees are on the university's website and in their catalogue. You can repeat this as many times as you like, provided that you pay the transcript charge for each transcript that you request sent. If you want a copy of your transcripts for yourself, tell them to mail one to you. Employers and universities will usually want to receive it direct from your school though, to make sure that you didn't fake or alter it.

 

I am planning for BS in Business Mgmt from Phoenix University online, so would the diploma say "Online", which campus will be mentioned, how many transcripts will i get and how many yrs program wud be for ?

 

You started a separate thread with this question, to which I responded.

Contact the schools you're interested in directly.

 

The University of Phoenix (UoP) offers good business degree - but it is expensive and I believe there are better and lower priced options. My last employer paid all college tuition and several fellow employes took UG business degres with UoP at their satellite campuses in So. Cal.

Fexample this Penn State degree is lower cost ($30 peer unit) than UoP:
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/BachelorinBusiness.shtml

Personally I would go with an Excelsior business degree:
https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_of_Business_and_Technology/Business_Programs

Most schools give you one free transcript when you graduate.

 

These have all been answered, but:

1) No, that I'm aware of no degree says "Online Degree", It will simply state "Bachelor of Arts" etc.

2) Not usually. The only thing that comes to mind is some institutions only offer certain degrees through their extension programs and oftentimes will only offer a Bachelor of Science degree, or a Bachelor of General Studies, or Bachelor of Professional Studies, etc. Of course, Harvard offers it's degrees as "...in Extension Studies".

3) Always depends on institution, I don't know of any that distinguish between on-campus and off-campus students in this area.

 

The answer to your question is no, your diploma and transcripts would not say "online".

 

Your transcripts & diploma would not say "online", but UofP is so well known as an online school that they might as well say that. (Yes, UofP has large B&M campuses as well, but they are probably the most well known online school IMHO.)

As others have noted above, there's nothing wrong with UofP's program but you can probably find similar online programs elsewhere for much cheaper.

 

I agree, they will usually know it has been achieved online because of the school you attended. There are a few B&M state schools that offer master's degrees online. U of Florida, U of California and U Mass are the three that come to mind. If you chose one of those, no one would have any way of knowing that your degree is online. HOWEVER, if you wish to teach online classes, many administrators prefer individuals that have earned their degree online. So an online degree would actually be better for this.

Like everyone is implying, there is no panacea; you have to decide what best fits your goals and lifestyle and then choose a RA school that works for you. Just make sure it's not a diploma mill. UOP is not a mill in any way.

 

Some University of Texas System institutions DO designate differently. For instance The University of Texas-Dallas designates their online MBA as the Global MBA (GMBA) or MBAO (Master of Business Administration Online) for UT-Permian Basin, UT-Pan American, UT El Paso, UT-Brownsville, UT-Tyler, UT-Arlington, and UT-San Antonio – and so designate the degree that way on the diploma and transcript. http://telecampus.utsystem.edu/catalog/programs/programinfo/mba/mba_general_management.aspx

 

I only remember that once students complained that the American InterContinental University actually stated "ONLINE" on their transcripts.