Advice on which masters program to pick

[Zach Smith]

I want to get some advice about a major decision I am struggling with. I received two offers; one from the Oregon State Masters in History program in person and one from the University of Edinburgh Ancient Worlds program online. I ultimately want to get my PhD in Ancient History, but I am not sure if doing an online masters program in the U.K. would be looked down upon by admissions to PhD programs in the United States. I have a good relationship with the professors at Oregon State; I got my bachelors degree there. The history program at Oregon State is allowing me to write my masters thesis on an ancient topic. The professor I am close to at Oregon State has a PhD in Ancient History from Princeton, and he agreed to be my advisor and work with me on my thesis. The history program at Oregon State also said they would let me take some of my elective graduate courses in ancient history, even though the degree is history. 
 

The University of Edinburgh has a good sized ancient history department, and the masters program is specialized for ancient history. The dilemma is that it’s online, and I don’t know if I can get good letters of recommendation from professors online, and can I get into PhD programs in the United States by getting an online masters from the U.K.?