Online program dipoma that looks the same as if you attended on location

The main thing I would like is to have the transcript to look the same as if i attended the school at location. I would also like the college to have some brand appeal, ie be nationally known. The public perception on how academically good the college is not important.

I've found penn state's world campus and Oregon state to fulfill my requirement on the degree not saying online or mentioning a branch campus. Are there any more colleges besides those two aforementioned schools?

Penn state would be perfect, but 500 a credit is pretty expensive versus oregon states 250...

thanks

 

There are a lot of places that issue diplomas identical to their B&M cousins, probably too many to list. However, you're not really going to be able to cover up your DL involvement. After all, how are you going to explain to the interviewer how you lived and worked in Cincinnati while simultaneously earning your degree from Oregon State?

 

Kiz is right, but many employers will not investigate that deeply or even care where you earned your degree (unless you are going into academia, they care big time) You would have to check on a school by school basis, but many state schools do not differentiate between online and on-campus on transcripts or diplomas. At Liberty U, where I attend, there is not distinction whatsoever.

 

Oh the irony! I'm completing my doctorate at a school in Pittsburgh while living in Alexandria, Virginia. I drive or fly the 250 miles to school once a month for either seven or three days in a row, depending on how far along we are in the semester. People frequently ask me if I'm in a DL program. (No part of it is via DL.) One of our students lives in Saudi Arabia and last year one of the students was a sitting US ambassador living in Africa. Talk about frequent flyer airline miles!

Kizmet and SurfDoctor are correct. Most schools issue identical diplomas and transcripts for their online and on-ground courses and degrees. It's more unusual to find schools that distinguish between the two.

 

I feel your pain. I am flying to Virginia from California once or twice each year for my program. I am actually doing more on-campus work than is required but I will have made at least 6 or 7 trips before I'm done.

 

thanks for all the good replies. I really appreciate it.

 

Mine was the exact same as the B&M folk, the only distinction on the transcript is that is says Ellis under the program at the bottom outlining the program ELLIS - Interdisciplinary Studies then the three concentrations.

Nothing to hide, so many folks do online programs now that it's almost a gimme!

 

With distance education exploding, literally, into >95% of public colleges/universities, it would probably be easier for you to pick the brand/college you like and see if they offer the degree via distance. In many cases, even butt-in-seat degrees can be filled with online classes, so it isn't even an "online degree" it's online course work.

Usually, but not always, each college/uni has a division or college within the uni that handles online learning. It might be the continuing education division, the extended campus, global campus, or some other name, but it won't take too long to locate. Sometimes, but not always, you can get a degree similar to the butt-in-seat degree for cheaper if you use the online option. For 100/200 level community college work, you're looking at >98% offer online courses, and most are not going to say on the transcript that they were online any more than they'd say they were "weekend college" or "night college" or whatever. Some do (I have classes that have DL or X in the alpha-numeric) but again, the degree is still from the campus. You can easily do 2 years at a CC and then transfer. Your 2 years can be at really any CC, but likely your local CC already allows you distance learning options!

 

University of Massachusetts diplomas for DL programs are identical to the ones earned residentially.

 

I agree except that I'm not sure that higher education is as accepting of online degrees as you suggest. That will come, but my experience has been that there is still a great deal of prejudice against online degree holders in the hiring of tenure track professors. Not so bad on the city college level or for adjuncts, especially online adjuncts.

 

its important not because of future employers, but mostly just to myself. One of the main reasons to going back isn't just to get a better job (hopefully), but for self satisfaction.

If my diploma was hanging on my wall and it said online, to me that would bump it down a notch.

Maybe weird, but it's something that is important to me.

 

You're going to know it's online, even if it doesn't say so on your diploma. If it bothers you that much, maybe online education isn't for you.

 

Regardless of how many people on this board who would argue that the education one receives via DL is just as good, or better, than what can be learned via the traditional butt-in-seat approach, it's important for you to feel good about the hard work you will surely put forth to earn your degree. As GeeBee mentioned, "maybe online education isn't for you."

As an alternative, you may want to consider a short-residency program. I've completed an entirely DL masters and an entirely on-ground masters. I don't think I learned more by sitting in a classroom, but I did make many more and far stronger connections with my fellow students and professors in my traditional, on-ground master's degree program. My doctoral program, which consists of one long week and several long weekends each semester, has been the best of both worlds -- great connections with students and faculty while learning a lot.

Maybe a short residency program would be a great alternative for you, too. You'll spend enough time on-campus to become enmeshed in the college experience while still advancing your professional career.