06-25-2009, 10:29 PM
johndoe2 Wrote:Is an online degree completely worthless?
Are online universities merely money making machines perpetuating the rote memorization of facts and parroting of opinions?
As useless as a fifth tier college degree major, in say, sociology is, is an online degree any better than this?
If your name is Levicoff, you can go piss up a flagpole.
Of course an online degree isn't completely worthless. How valuable it is and how much utility you get from it depends on individual circumstances. In 2009 and beyond I'd venture a guess that the degrees themselves are accepted at face value and the biggest factor in determining perceptions is the same as it is for B&M schools-reputation of the school or program awarding the degree.
In the case of an online only school, a number of them have developed good reputations (Capella at or near the top of that list) and their degrees are accordingly valued by knowledgeable HR people. Numerous graduates have found their degrees widely accepted. This is where the individual circumstances come into play. A poster at degreeboard and elsewhere named Shawn ("Capella Rocks") teaches at a community college on or adjacent to an Indian reservation. He recently completed his PhD at Capella and it was completely accepted by his employer. Numerous posters at these various fora teach at public schools and their degrees are accepted as well.
However, due to competition for scarce positions, don't plan on a degree from any online program to make you a candidate for a tenure-track position at any major university. Here is the dirty little secret that no one says aloud: "You were not going to get one of those jobs anyway." Such jobs are not filled by nontraditional candidates of any type. Look at the bios of the tenured profs at those schools. undergraduate-masters-doctorate, research and teaching assistantships, publications, post-doc research, grants and the other indicia of the professional academic in any field.
Paradoxically, outside academia online degrees are much better received. If you want to work for the government at any level, though, you need to make sure that you choose an accredited school. You can thank that asswipe Alan Contreras for that!
