Monday, December 1, 2008

Important Facts About Online Associate Degree Programs

By Kaye Fretz

Online associate degree programs are something to think about. The right program can lead you to the company of your dreams or a position that you have always aspired for. There are however, some crucial points that you must know about online associate programs before you can decide to get into one.

Fact 1: Associate degrees offer a variety of options.

Different people have different personal reasons for taking associate courses. Others may settle for this option because it is cheaper than a four year course. You can easily complete an associate degree in more or less two years. This will also work to your advantage if you are in a hurry to get a job. An associate degree can easily fetch you an entry level position. Others also take associate programs just to see if they like the field of study well enough to pursue a bachelor's degree. Depending on your program of choice, you can use your degree to work directly or transfer to a bachelor program.

The different degrees that you can earn in an associate program are: Associate of Science, Associate of Arts, Associate in Applied Science and Associate in Occupational Studies. Depending on your chosen degree type, you can hope to prepare for work or further studies in such areas as performing arts, marketing, management, health, information technology, law, education and criminology.

Fact 2: Good online schools are in equal footing with established physical schools.

It is no secret that online associate degree programs were once belittled. The truth is that there are still some people who look down on graduates of online programs. It is a typical misconception that online graduates miss out on some crucial aspects of learning available only to classroom students. This negative idea is probably due to actual scam schools and diploma mills that really aren't worth anything. There are however, genuine online programs that are really legitimate.

In order to get a degree that will be respected by others, you need to get into a reputable school. Online schools that are of good standing have academic programs that have been thoroughly reviewed and accredited by regional education boards. Accreditation is an assurance that you are under a useful, comprehensive and meaningful program.

Fact 3: Some online associate programs are not easy to complete.

Some people take online associate programs thinking they are easy. This is a common misconception. The truth is that online programs can be just as challenging as courses taken in classrooms. If you enroll in an online school with a physical campus, they may offer you the exact course curriculum and requirements. Like classroom classes, online ones require effort too. For some people, it may even be more difficult because of the level of individual online research that has to be accomplished.

Fact4: Much of your potential to succeed depends on your inner qualities.

One of the best advantages of online degrees is the level of freedom you get from it. Online degrees are quite flexible when it comes to schedule of lessons and requirement submissions. You are able to plot your study time better to fit your work and home schedules. This arrangement however comes with a price. It automatically means that you are also your own police. You have to be responsible and driven enough to push yourself to study at your scheduled time.

Online associate degree programs are truly worth a shot. Check the details of associate degrees first before enrolling in a program.

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