topic Re: Online Masters Degree in Electronics

Online Masters Degree

violann — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:37:40 GMT

How can I prepare myself to be tech savvy enough to do this? Which Apple device do you recommend (I have the course requirements for computer services but I want opinions)? Has anyone here ever undertaken a completely online Graduate degree?

Re: Online Masters Degree

Harpa — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:52:18 GMT

Hi, violann! I've never done an on-line course myself, but I teach on-line!

I don't think you need any other device. You already have the computer requirements, so that should take care of things. Usually, they suggest one browser over another, so that's simple enough.

Each course should be self-contained. It really depends on your Instructor, if they are going to gather the group together for any live participation, but the distance program the college/university is working with should provide for all of that.

Hope you have a great experience!

Re: Online Masters Degree

Nuttmeg — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:02:12 GMT

I have a friend who got a MA degree in Educational Leadership from Kaplan University online. It cost her $26,000. She is a retired teacher, and wants to run a school or work in a related field. My friend is currently working part time. I would say find a regular program at a college or university.

Re: Online Masters Degree

lulu2 — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:46:33 GMT

I agree you should find a program from an accredited B&M college or university. I had a few teaching colleagues who enrolled in programs you see advertised on TV. After the fact they learned many school districts did not recognize coursework from these diploma mills. Our board reimbursed us for graduate course fees. They did not reimburse for many of these online schools.

Choose your program carefully and good luck.

Re: Online Masters Degree

terrier3 — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:49:51 GMT

There are a lot of B&M universities that now offer a combination of on-line and classroom MBAs or MAs.

I think your degree will be more valuable from a B&M school. They have great opportunities to be mentored and to socialize with other grads and have placement departments too.

Re: Online Masters Degree

Harpa — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 14:13:03 GMT

Any college/university offers both distance and in-house course studies. That's what we do. I don't know anything about institutions that are solely on-line. Apart from accreditation, what else should she look for? I don't know. All I know is that all our students' credits transfer.

Re: Online Masters Degree

violann — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 19:41:52 GMT

Oy- I've already chosen the program, and it's one of several run by one of the oldest universities in the US. I'm a little shocked that you'd think otherwise! I DO appreciate your concern though! All that aside, do any of you have any thoughts about the 3 questions I actually asked? I'm going to take the technical requirements list to the Apple Store later this week and see what I can find out there. The degree I'm interested in is fully accredited/supported by the B&M university, by the way, and there are about ten other graduate degrees also offered online.

Re: Online Masters Degree

terrier3 — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 19:43:34 GMT

On 7/22/2014 violann said: Oy- I've already chosen the program, and it's one of several run by one of the oldest universities in the US. I'm a little shocked that you'd think otherwise! I DO appreciate your concern though! All that aside, do any of you have any thoughts about the 3 questions I actually asked? I'm going to take the technical requirements list to the Apple Store later this week and see what I can find out there. The degree I'm interested in is fully accredited/supported by the B&M university, by the way, and there are about ten other graduate degrees also offered online.

My son edits movies and commercials on Apple computers.

They are very helpful at the stores...he goes there a lot.

Re: Online Masters Degree

Mandy Moo — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 19:54:38 GMT

On 7/22/2014 terrier3 said:
On 7/22/2014 violann said: Oy- I've already chosen the program, and it's one of several run by one of the oldest universities in the US. I'm a little shocked that you'd think otherwise! I DO appreciate your concern though! All that aside, do any of you have any thoughts about the 3 questions I actually asked? I'm going to take the technical requirements list to the Apple Store later this week and see what I can find out there. The degree I'm interested in is fully accredited/supported by the B&M university, by the way, and there are about ten other graduate degrees also offered online.

My son edits movies and commercials on Apple computers.

They are very helpful at the stores...he goes there a lot.

We have two iMacs (desk top computers) and two Macbook Pros (laptops). My son's MBP was purchased last year and he loves it! It met all university requirements (did not even know this was such a thing...I'm getting old) and when he is home from school his Mac desk top just sits there gathering dust because he enjoys the laptop so much. My Macbook Pro is over 7 years old and going strong. I love it and wouldn't sell it for love nor money The only issue with mine is because it is so old it is quite a bit heavier than my son's, his is light as a feather compared to mine. The Apple stores are very helpful and even some Best Buys have mini Apple Stores/departments in them. Good luck!

Re: Online Masters Degree

ahoymate — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:00:27 GMT

There are also many diploma mills. Recent example, our veterans who get full paid tuition & have chosen these type of colleges R ending up with no job because these "universities" lack credibility. No one will hire them!

Do your homework. Online course work is credible and for those who aren't in their 20's anymore, good option for continuing your education.

Re: Online Masters Degree

Gooday — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:02:40 GMT

Both my nephew and his wife finished their BA's through University of Phoenix where they were both employed. My nephew went on to get his law degree elsewhere and his wife is finishing her Masters Program in psychology. They do work as long as they are accredited. They had no special computers.

Re: Online Masters Degree

ahoymate — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:05:35 GMT

On 7/22/2014 Gooday said:
Both my nephew and his wife finished their BA's through University of Phoenix where they were both employed. My nephew went on to get his law degree elsewhere and his wife is finishing her Masters Program in psychology. They do work as long as they are accredited. They had no special computers.

This is one of the universities mentioned regarding zero jobs after completion by our veterans. University of Phoenix. It was mentioned today on NPR. Go to their website for details.

Ok, I guess I didn't answer your ? Go to an Apple store and speak with them about your requirements for a computer. They R really helpful and knowledgeable about their products.

Re: Online Masters Degree

chrystaltree — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:13:08 GMT

Not completely online but I did take about half my courses online. I wasn't and I'm still not particularly tech savvy. But when I enrolled for online course work, I was given all the information that I needed to access the material. I did have some minor problems but my school had a designated help desk person who walked me through everything and fixed some access issues. Online is very, very different from a standard college course and I struggled a bit with the first two courses I took. I was fine with the class work and the exams. I didn't particulary care for the discussion board format that substituted as "class participation". But eventually, I got the hang of it.

Re: Online Masters Degree

ChynnaBlue — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:20:50 GMT

I don't recommend Apple computers, so I can't be of much help on that front. (They're good machines, they're just not for me.)

I can say that I've taken online courses and you don't need a special device or computer. You need a good internet connection and good software for writing papers and doing presentations. I used Word, PowerPoint and Excel for all of my work, but Apple equivalents should be fine. You need a computer that will reliably run all that and the processing speed to handle the kind of work you'll be doing. I don't know what that is for you, but the specs your school sent should help the Apple team help you.

You need a solid internet connection so that it doesn't drop when you're trying to download an assignment or, worse, drop while you're trying to upload your paper or presentation. If you're expected to contribute to forums on a regular basis, you need to make sure your connection is reliable for that, too. Have backup plans - if you go on vacation when a paper is due, make sure you have a way to upload it beforehand or a laptop and access to the internet while you're away. I had to upload a final while I was on vacation and visiting my parents. They did not have internet and I had to go to a Starbucks to upload my paper. That was when you had to pay by the hour, too. The library has free internet, but the local library was in transition that week and moving to a new site. My parents live in a small and very affluent town where there was no free wi-fi at the time, so I had to pay. In some towns it's easy to find internet, but in some places it's not easy at all, so keep that in mind whenever you make plans. You might also need that backup plan if the power goes out. It pays to know where all the free wi-fi hot spots are in your area and the surrounding area.

Make sure you have an anti-virus system and a way to back up your work, whether that's cloud storage, a flash drive, or whatever. If your hard drive crashes while you're finishing up your work and you have no backup, you might be late and have points taken off your grade. It's just stress you don't need and don't have to have if you have a back up system in place.

Good luck - it's a lot of work, but it should be a lot of fun, too.

Re: Online Masters Degree

iminthesouthwest — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:43:47 GMT

I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to pursue your grad degree online. Undergrad online is fine, but for your professional degree you should attend a B&M school. I was given the advice I just gave you, and I am so thankful that I listened. There are a lot of people on here advising you the same thing, so take heed.

Re: Online Masters Degree

ahoymate — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:46:51 GMT

On 7/22/2014 iminthesouthwest said: I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to pursue your grad degree online. Undergrad online is fine, but for your professional degree you should attend a B&M school. I was given the advice I just gave you, and I am so thankful that I listened. There are a lot of people on here advising you the same thing, so take heed.

Do give details of why B&M vs. online? We're all working adults with busy lives. Going back to school is hardly convenient. Therefore, online makes sense for adults. Provide details to make your statement convincing.

Re: Online Masters Degree

Mandy Moo — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:52:41 GMT

On 7/22/2014 Skylands said:
On 7/22/2014 iminthesouthwest said: I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to pursue your grad degree online. Undergrad online is fine, but for your professional degree you should attend a B&M school. I was given the advice I just gave you, and I am so thankful that I listened. There are a lot of people on here advising you the same thing, so take heed.

Do give details of why B&M vs. online? We're all working adults with busy lives. Going back to school is hardly convenient. Therefore, online makes sense for adults. Provide details to make your statement convincing.

I think if it is an online degree program tied to a B&M school that is accredited then it should not matter. Where I am there are multiple online degree programs tied to two private and two state universities that are accredited and well thought of schools. When you get your degree from their programs it does not say you attended class online, it is the same as anyone else from those schools. I believe the problem lies in signing up for a program from an online school that has popped up overnight and is not an established school. It seems many people go through those programs but cannot get hired. The OP stated that the program she is enrolled in is NOT one of those fly-by-night schools so I do not understand why she should be warned off.

Re: Online Masters Degree

ahoymate — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 20:56:15 GMT

On 7/22/2014 Mandy Moo said:
On 7/22/2014 Skylands said:
On 7/22/2014 iminthesouthwest said: I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to pursue your grad degree online. Undergrad online is fine, but for your professional degree you should attend a B&M school. I was given the advice I just gave you, and I am so thankful that I listened. There are a lot of people on here advising you the same thing, so take heed.

Do give details of why B&M vs. online? We're all working adults with busy lives. Going back to school is hardly convenient. Therefore, online makes sense for adults. Provide details to make your statement convincing.

I think if it is an online degree program tied to a B&M school that is accredited then it should not matter. Where I am there are multiple online degree programs tied to two private and two state universities that are accredited and well thought of schools. When you get your degree from their programs it does not say you attended class online, it is the same as anyone else from those schools. I believe the problem lies in signing up for a program from an online school that has popped up overnight and is not an established school. It seems many people go through those programs but cannot get hired. The OP stated that the program she is enrolled in is NOT one of those fly-by-night schools so I do not understand why she should be warned off.

Yes, for example: University of Phoenix as University of Buyadegree.com programs. Not taken seriously by the business world.

Re: Online Masters Degree

iminthesouthwest — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 21:04:58 GMT

Mandi and Skylands - the schools often say that. I was told that, but I sought advice from my professors (I wanted unbiased opinions). I asked multiple profs as a lot of money was on the line. They all said the same thing: don't earn my grad degree online. A B&M school carries so much more weight. As I said, I followed their advice and am very happy I did.

Re: Online Masters Degree

ChynnaBlue — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 21:05:48 GMT

On 7/22/2014 iminthesouthwest said: I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to pursue your grad degree online. Undergrad online is fine, but for your professional degree you should attend a B&M school. I was given the advice I just gave you, and I am so thankful that I listened. There are a lot of people on here advising you the same thing, so take heed.

You might want to take a look at this article. USC and Syracuse are both schools I considered when I was in high school and they're both well known universities, as are other names in this article. Pick a good school with a good reputation and it doesn't matter if it's online or not.

http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/01/08/us-news-releases-2014-best-online-programs-rankings?page=2