Reception of distant learning degrees

One of the things that I have noticed when talking with several friends is that when they go for job interviews and so forth that some have received poor reception when it comes to the degrees that they have earned via online or by distance learning.

A few of my friends in particular went to some job interviews and they had received similar receptions. A few had mentioned that when they went for a job interview that the people who were reviewing their degrees had noticed that they had earned them from various locations such as different states and so forth. Many of the questions that the person reviewing the applicants credentials was how did you earn these degrees and they were being honest and had stated that they had earned them online or through distance learning.

Another friend has graduated from one of the Big Three and it was asked how did you earn the degree and them being honest had tried to explain to the person reviewing their credentials how the school is an assessment college and that they took courses at various places and had them transferred to the Big Three school. In all cases, the interviews didn't go well because of it and they knew that they weren't going to get the positions that they were applying for.

When we were discussing these situations, the thing that is frustrating is that each of these people had worked hard to get their degree and it is unfortunate that there is still a stigma against online or distance learning. The thing that should matter is that the schools are accredited and that is the standard for acceptance of a degree.

Have any of you had similar situations that have occurred and if so, how did you overcome them when discussing them with those who had questioned you and treated you like you were not as good as a brick and mortar graduate?

There was one person that had stated that they went to an interview and received the opposite reaction as the person reviewing the candidate was familiar with the schools and was receptive of the way that they had received their degree.

Do you think that part of it is that many managers or those reviewing applicants are ill informed as to the fact that the Big Three schools exist or of the part of online or distance education?

There will always be some stigma as some people only feel that the way to get an education or a degree is that it has to be traditional in nature or from a brick and mortar situation but this is unfortunate when the issue should be whether the candidate is qualified and whether or not the candidate in question has received their degree and that it is properly accredited.

Some thoughts....

 

I am curious about where your friends were in their careers at the time of their unsuccessful interviews.

I can see issues with new dl grads competing for entry-level jobs with new B&M grads. My big-three degree was not an issue for me - I had a roughly ten-year career history at the time I completed my degree. Employers simply checked off the 4-year degree box and the interview was primarily about my experience and fit for the job.

I have not been a fan of traditional college age students pursuing a big-three degree for this reason.

 

It might help to know if your friends work inside or outside academia. I work in academia, and while I am sure there has been bias; it is hard to pinpoint as during the high employment season I might send out anywhere from 20-30 applications and receive rejections from maybe 5-10 and the rest I hear nothing until I get a few phone calls from interested schools. Perhaps the rejections are due to my online credentials, perhaps not. In regards to academia, I know having some residential aspect to the degree helps "soften" the blow. I can explain that during the summers I went in person to the campus. Why this residential aspect has some sort "legitimacy", for lack of a better word, on the perception of the hiring committee, beats me, but when I am in a face-to-face interview, I can see the relaxing of the perplexed look on their faces when I explain that I actually "attended" the school, if only for a few months.

However, I have found that in my experience, smaller organizations seem to be more open to academics with nontraditional educational degrees. On one phone interview, a department head told me that one of the instructors was studying another degree through distance learning thus allowing her to teach a class related to that degree in the upcoming semester. So, perhaps two things might be considered for those with the same concerns. One, attend campus classes if and when plausable or two, target smaller organizations that might be more open and give you a chance while you build up your reputation and then transfer to a larger organization who might take your reputation and professional skills and experiences into account over your online degree.

Another suggestion, which others have posted, is to wait until you are at a company/job to start or finish your online degree and use it for promotion purposes allowing you to probably have the same result as the second suggestion that I made.

I also agree that in due time distance learning in the US will be more acceptable .. .perhaps like they seem to be in England, Australia and South Africa, who are the kings and queens of open and distance learning. In the end, no matter what you do, there will be no clear-cut route to an easy path to getting employment, especially in this economy. A degree, hard earned or not, does not automatically equal a job.

 

I wish we still had the like button for this!!

 

This is a good example why accomplishing your degree online at a B&M school may be the best option moving forward. I hate to say that, but that would be a good way to accomplish your degree and avoid the DL stigma. I understand the "Big Three" hold some weight here on this forum, but 9 out of the 10 people walking the planet view them as just another online school.

Moving forward, if I decide to go for my MBA, I will be going for it online at a B&M school.

 

That’s true as regards the B&M option vs. a virtual only university; however, one’s physical location in relationship to the B&M location and when one completed the degree might surface that the degree was accomplished online (?). Some traditionalists will snub an online /DL degree merely because of its delivery format no matter where it was completed ... be it through a B&M or virtual university.

 

That is the problem as I see it when discussing this issue with my friends. If an interviewer asks them how did you earn your degree it isn't like they can say they earned it in a traditional sense and therefore it makes it very hard to be able to get those that have a stigma to see anything differently.

In other words, if one already holds the opinion that traditional or brick and mortar degrees are the only acceptable education that is already something for which really can't be overcome. A couple of the people who have experienced this felt like explaining to the people who were interviewing how they had earned them but it is a no-win situation before they even start to explain.

It is such a shame that people who legitimately earn a degree have to be put in such an obstacle. It makes them have to defend something for which is legitimate and they earned their degrees from an accredited school, but the fact is that a person who graduates from a brick and mortar school doesn't have to justify how they earned their degree, but with the online or distant education graduate it is a reality.

 

But an online MBA from Texas Tech (or something like that) when you live in California will be DL. The only way to "mask it" is to do a DL program at your local school. By the way, where does the "9 out of 10 people" thing come from? What is this based on?

 

That is a good point, attending a local college would mask the fact that a degree was obtained online, but I think most B&M colleges have superior reps compared to DL colleges; thus, even if the degree was accomplished online, it would be more excepted because of the B&M colleges rep.

The 9 out of 10 people statement was just a way of describing the lack of general knowledge regarding DL education by the majority of the motoring public, which includes the general knowledge involving what the "Big Three" means or what those colleges have accomplished in terms of creditability.

 

This behavior belongs in 20century. I wander what was the age of the interviewers?

Well not all older generation professionals know or understand how advanced the DL really got.
Today earning degree online from a B&M school with name recognition seems to have higher acceptance or preference.

In many cases degree is most important for getting the first and maybe second job. Once you got experience and training your value is changing as I stated in the past.

Professorial = Education + Training + Experience

 

There's always going to be a stigma. There will always be rankings. You know which schools have good reputations even among the state schools where you live. It's likely that even a degree from the lowliest state school continue to be seen as a step above a degree from the "big three." That's the nature of academia - it's not going to change any time soon. I find the arguments on this board very interesting. I'll give you an example of my perception of hierarchy in my state (Georgia). Note that it's PERCEPTION - as the OP stated, the interviewers had a perception, one that influenced their bias, of these online degrees/schools. It's an opinion and perception that has been created from growing up here and being educated here. Let's all remember that we all have different perceptions and we're all entitled to such
Emory > UGA > Kennesaw State > Columbus State > University of Phoenix

In other words:
Private > Large R1 > Smaller Doctoral-granting > Regional State U > Online/for-profit

Carnegie Classifications

 

Hopefully people aren't blaming the lack of comfort with their degree when the real problem is that they are not qualified for the job they are seeking.
I tend to blame myself for my failures and not my situation or other external factors.

 

Where's Georgia Tech in your hierarchy? Is it before or after UGA?

 

This is a good point, but they are getting the interviews so they must look decent on paper. I wonder if they need to brush up on their interviewing skills?

 

Haha...well, I wasn't going to name all schools in Georgia. In this particular scenario I think UGA and GaTech are equal (as research institutions). GaTech and UGA offer two very different specialties in education.

 

Then again, if you are dealing with such people, you are probably "sunk" anyway. If state schools aren't acceptable, most DL-earned degrees won't help.

 

It is true that many discriminate against DL degrees. It is also true that acceptance of DL degrees is climbing and will continue to do so. Acceptance of DL degrees is lowest for those seeking full-time, tenure-track faculty positions at traditional B & M universities. However, even at these universities, many of those who are already members of the faculty or administration are seeking DL degrees, which are accepted by their institutions (DL degrees, were, after all, created for mid-career professionals who could not quite their jobs to pursue their degrees). Acceptance in community colleges and K-12 is relatively high.

I knew an employer of a meduim sized business who would not consider any applicant with a degree from a religiously affiliated school. He did not care whether the applicant graduated from the University of Notre Dame, Brigham Young University, Boston College or Pepperdine University. Hiring is an extremely subjective process.