The development of the Internet at a fast pace in the past two decades has increased the opportunities for taking up education online. The best online schools operating in this field are profiled below…
Online school programs are mainly used by working professionals who cannot pursue their higher education due to limitations of time and money. Courses that are offered online allow people to learn in the comfort of their own home. There are few online schools which provide students with quality education.
Top Online Schools
The time and money saved are important benefits of going to an online school. There are many online education schools which offer degrees, however, not all of these are reliable.
Kaplan University
This university is one of the members of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and amongst top online schools.. The Kaplan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The total number of students that enroll for different programs in this university is around 66,000; this university offers 125 degree and certificate programs altogether. Kaplan Inc. is the governing body this online school. The university is based in Davenport, Iowa, USA. The governing body, i.e. Kaplan Inc., is a subsidiary of Washington Post.
Eligibility requirement for applying for a course in this university is that the candidate should have completed at least a high school diploma; those candidates having a GED certificate can also apply for the different programs in Kaplan University. Those who have completed a Home Study program can think about applying in this university; transcripts of the certification is required for this purpose. Even though the Kaplan University offers online programs, there is a provision of attending weekly seminars. 24-hour support through e-mails also is provided to the students by online instructors and professors of Kaplan University.
University of Phoenix
This is one of the popular institutions in the field of online education. A subsidiary of Apollo Inc., this university is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees, along with certificate programs, are offered to students. The Higher Learning Commission has accredited the degree programs offered by University of Phoenix; these degree programs are from different streams.
Eligibility requirement for admission to this university is the completion of at least a high school diploma. Students from foreign countries too are eligible for the different courses offered by this university. It is, however, necessary that the candidate should have an equivalent diploma as the basic qualification. Candidates who do not speak English will also have to appear for a competency test in the English language.
America Intercontinental University
The American Intercontinental University is owned and governed by the Career Education Foundation, and was founded in the year 1970. The Higher Learning Commission has accredited this university to offer Bachelor’s, Master’s and Associate Degree programs. Different courses from streams like business, fashion, mass communication, etc., are offered by this university. Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA is the place where this university is located. Both online and traditional educational programs/courses are offered by the America Intercontinental University. However, out of the total number of students, 80% enroll for the online programs. An interesting feature/tool of online education offered by this university is the My Unique Student Experience (MUSE).
The online form of education is fast becoming popular due to the convenience factor. Students can learn and complete a particular course from the comfort of their homes. It is a time and money saving mode of learning; which brings us to the question, are online schools good? Firstly, it is necessary to understand that online schools cannot replace traditional ones completely. Different courses in fields like engineering, medicine, law, etc., require practical experience. Candidates with such degrees that are earned online therefore, find it difficult to work in the above mentioned fields. As stated earlier, online education should be seen as a medium which complements and overcomes the limitations of traditional form of education.