An
online degree is an academic degree (usually a college degree,
but sometimes the term includes high school diplomas and non-degree
certificate programs) that can be earned primarily or entirely through
the use of an Internet-connected computer, rather than attending college
in a traditional campus setting. Improvements in technology, the
increasing use of the Internet worldwide, and the need for people to
have flexible school schedules while they are working have led to a
proliferation of online colleges that award associate, bachelor's,
master's, and doctoral online college degrees.
Accredited Online CollegesThe goal of educational accreditation, according to the United States
Department of Education,
is to ensure that programs provided by institutions of higher education
meet acceptable levels of quality. ENQA, the European Association for
Quality Assurance in Higher Education, describes the role of external
quality assurance in education as one that "combines both accountability
for the reassurance of the public and an objective and developmental
role for enhancing quality in institutions".In the area of online
education, it is important to avoid unaccredited diploma mills that
offer fake degrees, as these are unfortunately common. Students seeking
valid online degrees should obtain proof of accreditation from an
appropriate national or regional accrediting body.
In the United States,
online colleges
that are fully accredited have earned a widely recognized form of
university accreditation from one of six regional accreditation boards.
Each of six geographic regions of the United States has one of these
boards, a non-governmental agency that oversees and accredits
degree-granting institutions headquartered in their areas. The U.S.
Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA) recognize the Distance Education and Training
Council (DETC) as the accrediting organization for distance learning
institutions and education programs that offer online degrees. However,
DETC accreditation is commonly (though not universally) viewed as
inferior to regional accreditation, and regionally accredited schools
may refuse to accept transfer credit from DETC-accredited schools more
often than they would refuse credit from other regionally-accredited
schools.
Online education enables individuals living with
physical disabilities, busy full-time employees, soldiers, those living
abroad, and stay-at-home parents, among others to have access to
accredited higher education.