Can someone explain to me the advantages of taking a degree through Coursera as opposed to directly through the school? For example, Coursera offers the U of Illinois MBA. Why go through Coursera? https://www.coursera.org/degrees
Unfortunately, I don't think that you're going to find any clear answer that is universal. Realistically, even the universities themselves are often questioning the value of these relationships. For some of the degrees that can be obtained through Coursera, the "institution" doesn't even off on their own. For others, like the one you've mentioned, it appears that Coursera is more of a marketing intermediary. At which point, my view of the value proposition would primarily be if Coursea has an arrangement with your company for discounted tuition. The most common "benefit" of Coursera that I hear, is that it let's people try courses for personal enrichment.
I don't usually pay a lot of attention to costs but I think that in general the Coursera degrees are among the cheapest. Maybe that's no longer true but it's the first thing that comes to mind.
Coursera offers it's first Bachelors degree https://www.educationdive.com/news/coursera-launches-first-us-online-bachelors-degree/571069/
URL: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/unt-online-bachelor-completion/academics Actually, it is second...after University of London's Bachelor in Computer Science. The University of North Texas offers Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science in administration, organizational supervision, social services, hospitality, media innovation, consumer behavior, and information technology. Students get credits from Google IT Professional certification courses from CourseRA.
