Monday, January 2, 2012

How to Avoid Being Scammed in Online Masters in Education Programs

Distance or online learning is here to stay. It is now possible to do a Masters in Education without ever having to attend an actual class. Thanks to advances in the internet, you could now complete your masters online.

One huge benefit of completing your online masters in education is that you have the freedom to schedule your own classes. This means that anyone can make use of these programs, from full-time moms and professionals to those trying to change careers. Another advantage of doing your online masters is that it will be cheaper than traditional options, plus you get direct, personal attention.

However, there are two sides to every story, and many people tend to feel that online learning, particularly at a postgraduate level, is very limited. Some students struggle with the responsibility of meeting deadlines when it comes to assignments and logging on for class. What's worse is that you could get scammed.

You should only consider courses that have the right accreditation. This means that the course has been tested and evaluated so that you can be sure you are getting a high standard of education. Once the course you have selected has been found to be of a high standard, it will receive accreditation - the stamp of approval regarding educational quality.

If you take a course that is not accredited, you are looking for trouble. One may find that their degree is practically worthless to prospective employers and worse, the credentials may not be transferable to another school. A secondary problem is that you won't get any kind of financial assistance from your employers if you study while you work.

In some cases, the government itself can approve a course. In the US, accreditation is not done by the Department of Education but instead conducted through different education boards in a peer-reviewed process. However, the government checks the quality of these accreditation-giving agencies through the Council of Higher Education Accreditation and US Department of Education.

When you are comparing online masters in education learning options, you also have to consider the aspects of national, regional and specialized accreditations. More often than not the general standard for graduate education is regional accreditation. Look for a school that shows their accreditation details on their home page.

Look out for diploma mills - these are schemes that pose as schools where you will receive a diploma in exchange for cash. A tell tale sign of such a scheme is the fact that they give little or no schoolwork. Above this, they often say that course credit will be given for work experience or your personal career.

Keep an eye out for low admission standards or shortened course duration. So, if you get offered an online master's in education that you may complete over one semester without previous course credit, something is wrong. In extreme cases people even set up false accreditation agencies so that they seem more professional

Even though doing your master in education online can be incredibly helpful, you always need to exercise caution. Always check the URL of the site that you are consulting, as bogus schools cannot get a valid address. Keep an eye out for the '.edu' suffix that denotes a legitimate academic institution.


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