(source stgnews.com)

Another accredited school, Dixie State College is embracing online education – by providing students with a fast track to communication degree completion. Through a series of nighttime courses students with an associate’s degree or at least 60 hours of college credit can complete a bachelor of science communication degree in as few as 20 months.

The Organization and Leadership Degree Completion Program (DCP) is overseen by adviser who works with students to achieve success in earning an academic degree. Students who have an associate’s degree or who have completed 60 hours and all general education requirements will work with a cohort to map out a fast track. DCP Students will attend classes only one night per week. Each student will complete one course at a time, usually in four weeks, and then move on to the next course with a different instructor. Additional coursework during each week is completed online and at home.

See the full article here at: stgnews.com

It’s great to see more universities recognize the benefits of accredited online degrees and accredited online schools – feel free to check the main portion of our site that list many accredited schools and degrees.

Accreditation ensures a basic level of quality in the education you receive from an institution. It also ensures your degrees will be recognized for the true achievements they are.

To ensure that your academic experience is of the highest quality, all degree programs listed on www.SchoolsandDegrees.com are associated with universities and colleges that have approved accreditation. We also partner with a wide variety of renowned career schools which offer technical and professional training.

Students must understand the importance of accreditation and the dangers of receiving a degree from a school without accreditation.

As a top resource on the Web, we strive to provide pertinent and up-to-date information on accreditation in the world of online learning. This section of our comprehensive, informative site serves that end.

The purpose of accreditation is to:

1. Use standards of evaluation to ensure quality education
2. Encourage institutions to improve quality of education
3. Ensure the accountability of educational institutions
4. Provide public confidence in educational institutions

What should you know about accreditation?

When assessing the quality of an educational institution, students should know about the institution’s accreditation status.

Accreditation status is provided by accrediting bodies, which are private, nongovernmental organizations that have been created specifically to review higher education institutions and programs. These accreditors are reviewed for quality by entities such as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE).

The accreditation process ensures the review of a school’s faculty, recruiting practices, admissions procedures, course content, and more. Influenced and affected by the role of accreditors, schools are accountable for continually working to improve the quality and results of the education they provide.

Why should you care about accreditation?

Enrolling in an e-learning program with accreditation is important for:

• Federal Financial Aid

  CHEA states that in the United States, “students who want federal (and sometimes state) grants and loans need to attend a college, university, or program that is accredited.” This is also true for e-learning and online education.

• Credit Transfer

  To transfer credits to an accredited school, your credits must come from a school with accreditation.

• Employment

  Employers often look for proof that their job applicants have received a degree from an academic program with accreditation. Often, job applicants are not eligible for employment, and employees are not eligible for advancement, if their degree is not from an accredited school.

Be confident about the accreditation of the e-learning program you choose.

Schools & Degrees provides the information you need about accreditation:

• The importance of accreditation: What does accreditation mean to you?
• Types of accreditation
• The accreditation process and benefits of accreditation
• US and regional accreditation
• US National Accreditation Association
• US Specialized / Professional Accrediting Associations
• Dangers of degrees without accreditation

According to the US Department of Education, more post-secondary schools / institutions are offering online degrees and online courses.  This is also referred to as distance education.

In the 2006–07 academic year, 66 percent of the 4,160 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the nation offered college-level distance education courses. The overall percentage includes 97 percent of public 2-year institutions, 18 percent of private for-profit 2-year institutions, 89 percent of public 4-year institutions, 53 percent of private not-for-profit institutions, and 70 percent of private for-profit 4-year institutions.

Sixty-five percent of the institutions reported college-level credit-granting distance education courses, and 23 percent reported noncredit distance education courses. There was a total of an estimated 12.2 million enrollments (or registrations) in college-level credit-granting distance education courses in 2006–07. Of these enrollments, 77 percent were reported in online courses, 12 percent were reported in hybrid/blended online courses, and 10 percent were reported in other types of distance education courses.

In 2006–07, there were approximately 11,200 college-level programs that were designed to be completed totally through distance education; 66 percent of these programs were reported as degree programs and the remaining 34 percent were reported as certificate programs.

For a complete list of accredited online schools check out our home page – see the featured schools.

We are currently exploring the possibility of creating our own ranking system at SchoolsandDegrees.com but unless we analyze the effort involved, we wanted to highlight several good resources and pages:

1.  GuidetoOnlineSchools – Online School Rankings

2.  GuidetoOnlineSchoos – Online School Reviews

3.  OEDb – Online School Rankings

For a list of profile and directory of accredited online schools – check out our accredited online schools page

Enjoy!

Computer software engineers in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland earned more per hour than those in New York, Portland, Vancouver, Dallas, and Fort Worth, in 2008. The top ten percent computer software engineers with a specialty in systems software earned $75hr in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, while the top ten percent in Dallas and Fort Worth earned $56hr. Computer software engineers with a specialty in applications earned a median $50hr in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, while those in Dallas and Fort Worth earned a median $37hr. The lowest ten percent computer software engineers in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland earned $40hr; in the New York, Newark, and Bridgeport area earned $33.hr; in the Portland, Vancouver, Beaverton area earned $30hr; and in the Dallas, Fort Worth area earned $23.hr.

(Source: BLS)

Nursing is a general field of study that includes numerous specialties. Many of the students that take on this level of education will do so with the hopes of getting a degree and continuing their education to earn subsequent degrees. The basic degrees include the BSN, or Bachelor of Science degree in nursing; the LPN to BSN program; and the Master of Science degree in nursing programs. In most all nursing fields there is the need to work with continuing education over the course of their study.

Since the nursing field is in dire need of nursing students with the prospects only looking more demanding in the future, this is a growing field with almost always open positions. The nurse may be able to work in any health care related location from hospitals and emergency care facilities to doctor’s offices in private practice to nursing home and disability care needs such as in home nursing.

Top Online Colleges
1. Liberty University

Liberty offers campus, online, or blended degree programs for students all around the world. Liberty provides a flexible and welcoming experience for students who want to continue their education in a Christian environment.

2. Devry University

DeVry University offers students a variety of different degree choices so they can reach their career goals. An accredited college, DeVry University makes getting a college degree online obtainable for every student.

3. Everest University Online

Everest University offers complete support throughout a student’s educational career. All instructors have real-world experience and are also trained educators. They can offer insights that others cannot because they have worked in these fields.

Whether you are thinking about enrolling in an online school or are just about ready to get your degree, being able to find a job or career when you are finished is a top priority. Online schools are great for getting a degree easily and comfortably from home but how many of them will actually help you find that job? Well, not all of them, but many of the online schools have an amazing wealth of career services that can help with job placement, skill assessment post-graduation, and can tell you what you can expect to be making. Here is a list of the top online schools with job placement assistance.

DeVry University

DeVry is one of the most popular online schools for a few reasons. They use the latest technology, offer fairly cheap tuition per credit, and also have one of the most comprehensive career services areas you will find in any online school. While you attend DeVry, you will be able to speak with DeVry Career Services experts that are located all around the US and Canada. These experts have given DeVry a 92% employment rate for all graduates within just 6 months. That’s pretty impressive. DeVry also has it’s own website for job postings of various levels and many companies will hire exclusively from this site. In addition to these services, you can get resume help, links to salaries for various jobs, and tips for interviews.

For More Information Click Here and Fill Out a Short Form

Walden University

Walden University Online starts you down the road to career placement long before you graduate. You will technically begin planning for your future career immediately. You will work closely with the Career Development Services Office throughout your enrollment at Walden. The people in this office will tell you what the hottest prospects are for someone earning your degree and what specialization you might want to pursue if your degree has many branches. Walden has a great reputation for turning out graduates with the motivation and drive to succeed in almost any area related to their degree and companies recognize this.

For More Information Click Here and Fill Out a Short Form

University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix has long been an extremely popular online school that offered people the ability to get a degree from home long before the Internet was widespread. Even in the 1980’s U of P had a very good Career Services division and they are even better today. When you enroll at University of Phoenix, you will begin preparing for your future career almost immediately and the helpful staff will make sure you are taking the right classes for what you plan to do. You can get job seeking assistance but you will also learn skills and techniques to keep you employed in this competitive age. Long after you graduate U of P will provide you with services to help you find a job if you decide to move, switch careers, or are just unhappy where you are now.

-> For More Information Click Here and Fill Out a Short Form

Most online schools will provide you with some type of career assistance but these three schools really go the extra mile. It can be very handy to learn how to prepare a resume correctly, ace an interview, and really make a great impression on potential employers. These three schools are fairly heavy with technology and in this ever changing digital age, that’s what many companies are looking for.

We can all agree that the US economy is hurting right now and for those in the workplace these uncertain times bring a lot stress and anxiety. Just in the last month, several of America’s top corporations (Citigroup, Merck, Yahoo, Xerox, Coca Cola, Bank of America, Whirlpool, Goldman Sachs, Alcoa) have begun to announce layoffs and the current unemployment rate of 6.5 will continue to increase over the next year. Like with all difficult times, the current financial situation also presents opportunities for growth and development. Without a doubt, this is the perfect time to pursue a degree – whether it’s a bachelor’s or a master’s, an online program or a traditional campus-based program – a degree from an accredited school will boost your standing both in your current job and set you up for future opportunities.

Still not convinced?

According to statistics from the 2004 US Census Bureau, the median annual income earned by college graduates is $50,394. Compare that with the $60,514 garnered by those with a master’s. PhD’s average $77,445, while those holding professional degrees, including lawyers and doctors, earn $97,443 on average. Within each degree level, specializing can increase your return on education investment (ROEI). For example, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, business or information technology will generate a 20%, 18%and 24% ROEI respectively. In these examples, investment in self education provides a significantly higher rate of return compared with investing in the stock the market (especially now!).

So which occupations are growing?

According to the Bureau of Labor, the fastest growing occupations include Networking and Communications, Home Care, Software Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Financial Advisors, Medical Assistants, Forensic Assistants and Family Therapists. These industries are expected to expand rapidly with rates of growth exceeding 30% annually. Many these careers require a minimum of post-secondary education and or advanced degrees as pre-requisites for hiring.

So how do you get started?

Going back to school or pursuing an online degree will require a significant investment of time and money. Similar to other investment, you need to do you homework . Successful graduates research various schools, degrees, and programs. Researching online is easier than ever, there are many quality website that provide free information about both campus-based and online schools, degrees and programs. You can request free information from a few different schools and wait for an enrollment advisor to call you. You should also read school reviews. But ideally, you should travel to the school and check it out for yourself – meet professors and students and ask lots of questions.

Online or campus-based?

Obtaining a higher degree has become more accessible and more flexible via schools that provide online education. Online enrollments are growing at 10% annually, and far exceeding the 1.5% overall growth rates. Many accredited schools are taking their curriculums online and offering both hybrid and online-only programs. Growth in online education has been tremendous due to the obvious benefits. Students can manage their own schedules without giving up their day jobs. The number of schools is huge. Even with the above mentioned benefits, online schools are still not for everyone. Again, do you research and homework and make an educated decision.

The Bottom Line

Times like these force everyone to assess their own situation and develop a plan of action. Investing in education will not only benefit you in your current job but will position you better for the future, when the economy turns around. There are several online education portals that provide resources and free information about various campus-based and online degree programs

The time to start working on your future is now – better schools and better degrees deliver a better future. You can succeed but you need to start now – and believe in yourself.

Henry