Online education: Graduate schools are more accessible than ever

In the past, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for one person to support a family, have a full-time job and pursue a master’s degree at the same time.  But now, in an age of webinars, webcasts and revolutionized educational methodology, students and workers alike are multitasking and earning degrees a new way: online.

Starting September, The George Washington University (GWU) will launch an online program for a master’s degree in political management. “We started the program because we received a lot of inquiries from people working in state capitols who wanted to take the classes we offered but were not in the position to because of their jobs or families,” said the Dean of the Graduate School of Political Management, Christopher Arterton.

GWU’s online program targets students with substantial professional experience who have worked in careers associated or directly involved with political management. “If we’re careful to make sure that most of the people coming into this program are in their early mid careers, it will solve the problem of [online degrees viewed] as less credible than traditional ones,” Arterton said.

Rep. Bill Sali’s (R-Idaho) Chief of Staff Robert Schwarzwalder said while most of the staff in the office received degrees from traditional universities, one of his colleagues attended a partially online law school.

Schwarzwalder said he would be open to hiring an applicant with an online degree if the program was credible, but he has not done it yet. “I would be very leery if somebody came to me [for a job] with a degree from a school that has a reputation as a diploma mill,” he said.  “Generally speaking, the people whose resumes we see are from well-known, accredited schools.”

John Ellington, 49, who completed an online MBA program at the University of Phoenix in January, said online degrees are better for people who have considerable work experience. “I got a lot out of it, but I have a lot of professional experience. Someone who is younger may have [difficulty] associating the concepts they’re learning in class,” he said.

At the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), students can earn online undergraduate degrees, with minors in fields such as political science, and graduate degrees.  Lena Collister, UMUC Graduate Enrollment Specialist, said many of the students have had prior work experience. “The average age of students is 35. We get a lot of students that have their masters in [one subject] and want to change and [study] a different field.”

Schwarzwalder said one of his colleagues with a degree in economics will pursue a graduate degree in math through an online program at the University of Illinois. “If the program is from an established university, I would definitely encourage colleagues to pursue [the degree],” he said.

Ellington, who was somewhat apprehensive about how employers would view his online degree, said, “I don’t think that when these programs were started a few years ago that they were initially accepted, but [they’re] becoming more accepted every year.”

But despite online institutions’ rising popularity, many employers are skeptical of them, preferring traditional degrees.  In 2005, a professor asked 269 hiring managers to choose between two fictional applicants, one with a traditional degree and one with an online degree, and 96 percent chose the applicant with the traditional degree.

Rep. James Moran’s (D-Va.) Chief of Staff Frank Shafroth said he would consider hiring applicants with online degrees depending on their qualifications, but applicants with traditional degrees are more desirable:  “Then you have a better track history of accomplishment, gain and accreditation,” Shafroth said.

However, some employers view the degrees as equal.  No one in Rep. Frank Wolf’s (R-Va.) office has received an online degree, but Chief of Staff Dan Scandling said an online degree would not affect the hiring process.  “Obviously there’ve been some online programs that have raised eyebrows, but that’s not a reason not to hire somebody,” he said. “For example, what happens if you have someone in the military or Peace Corps who got their master’s degree online? You have to look at the circumstances.”

With two children and a full-time job, Ellington chose a virtual institution because of his time constraints.  “The [class] schedule was based on my schedule.  The degree of flexibility is so high — I had [students] in my class from other countries and in different time zones.”

The structure of degree programs at online institutions varies at each school, but is typically interactive, where students can communicate with each other and professors through the Internet. In most programs, students can log onto the class at any time, and there are deadlines but no set time to complete class work. The grading can be based on tasks varying from writing assignments to group projects.

“There is no room for slacking,” Ellington said. “You have to be on target all the time and make sure that you’re committed.”

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