Online College Programs: How To Find An Accredited Online School

The slow economy has had a negative impact on small businesses, real estate, banking, and even college enrollment. Fascinatingly, the nation’s economic status has had a clear impact on enrollment in online education programs. This area of education has seen the highest boost in demand of all learning formats.

In 2009, online class enrollment was up 17% among students enrolled in on-campus colleges and universities. This means in 2009, more than 4.6 million students took online courses last year, which is a total of 25% of college students. Progression in higher education overall was only 1.2%.

The University of Phoenix reported enrollment of 165,373 students in 2006. This figure is more than triple the digit of students enrolled in the top 20 largest degree-granting institutions. In addition to University of Phoenix, there are literally thousands of online campuses across the U.S. While there are many programs to choose from, not all online college programs have been qualified. So when searching for an online college program, you should try out the status of each program before applying.

Online college programs that have been qualified by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education have met a certain (high) academic standards In addition, qualified online programs are eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs. The following are just a few national and regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education:

Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
North Inner Association of Colleges and Schools
Northwest Fee on Colleges and Universities
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Just as vital as accreditation are admission requirements and curriculum. All qualified online college programs will have akin, if not the same, admission requirements as on-campus programs. The following is an example of admission requirements for a traditional degree program:

A completed application
ACT, SAT, GRE Test Scores
Transcripts
An Application Essay
Interview (in some cases)
Minimum B average (in many cases, students with lower averages may be admitted on probationary basis)

Online college program curriculums at qualified schools are not much uncommon from on-campus college curriculums. For freshman, programs should include several semesters of general education courses, followed by several semesters of major courses, electives, and an internship. At the graduate level, course curriculums will consist of advanced coursework in the student’s focus area and advanced foundation courses. If an online college program lacks a coherent curriculum, traditional admissions requirements, and accreditation, it is most likely not a feature program.

Finding Online College Programs

To locate qualified online programs, students may explore the offerings at traditional brick and mortar universities (try out the online division) or you may search through comprehensive online directories such as Top Online Colleges. Well loved search engines such as Bing, Question, or Google may be useful as well. Each online college degree program will offer information on accreditation. To make sure the program’s accrediting agency is listed with the U.S. Department of Education.

Tip: Critics of online college programs argue that in an online environment, there just isn’t enough interaction with classmates or teachers. The opposite is right. In a traditional classroom setting, you can choose to sit in the back of the classroom and remain silent for most of the semester. In an online classroom environment the professor tracks your interaction or lack of. You must interact with classmates and the instructor on a daily basis, post meaningful and articulate responses, chat, and post critiques on a fixed basis — or your grade will endure.

Assets:

For more information in this area online college programs, including tips to balance work and your online education, visit top-online-colleges.com.

To try out that your top choice teach is qualified, visit the U.S. Department of Education.

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