Really Need some Advice: Online Degrees from U.S.

[BubbleKiller]

Hi Everyone, I am in tough decision and would appreciate some insights or advice.

I got my 4-year BA a few years ago in Canada. Currently I am working full time. My main duties: marketing and event planning in a non-profit organization.

My hubby is with the military, so we are not going to stay in a place for a long time. We foresee that we will relocate every 6-8 years, depending on his rank in the future. Because of my family, I cannot leave home and go somewhere else to get more education.

I notice that not many schools in Canada provide graduate-level distance education. I saw a few like UVic, Waterloo MSc. Management and Athabasca. But I either don't meet their requirement (e.g. years of relevant experience) or their programs do not interest me. So I have been thinking about pursuing my graduate studies through distance U.S. university programs. I saw a few that I am really like:

- Penn State World Campus MPA

- Northwestern University MPA

- Boston University MSc. in International Marketing Management

- Durham University (in UK) MS in Marketing

I know this is my dream to get a masters degree from a reputable (+ highly ranked) school, so I really want to get it and in something that I like. I also hope that the degree will increase my chance of getting a stabler job in the future. I'll study part-time, work full-time and take care of my family at the same time.

I was wondering if anyone can share some insights on:

1. The reputation of these schools

2. How do Canadian employers in general see distance education, especially from U.S. education?

3. If not, what else do you suggest?

Remarks: I live in a small town now, with about 80,000 people. Nearest university is Vancouver Island University and UVic, but none of their programs interests me or suits me. I would love to go to SFU or UBC, but way too far from my family...

Thank you very much for any advice!

[Usmivka]

I'll start by saying good on you for trying to make both education and family work given your limited ability to move. I'm trying to give a very honest assessment below, and not trying to suggest that you can't make distance education work well for you. That said, I perceive some hurdles here that I think you are already aware of, or you wouldn't have asked these questions.

But before I get to that, my first thought is that most of these are 1-2 year Master's programs (or at least their classroom based equivalents are). If you are relocating every 6-8 years, and if your husband gets any say in where (it sounded like you both thought he would be increasing in seniority, and thus, one might expect say over base assignments), why not use university programs in the area you move to as part of your criteria? Or is there a continuing education option available to service members that your husband can take advantage of so that you two move to a University city for a couple years? And if you are on Vancouver Island, is it impossible for you to go somewhere like UBC or SFU and just return every couple weeks (little kids)? Commuter passes on the Nanaimo ferry are not unreasonable. As a military spouse do you get free flights like US servicemembers families?

If you have no other option but to go for distance education, my impression is that most US and Canadian employers view these programs as more like certificates than real degrees (but I don't know as much about the non-profit world--ask some of your peers and coworkers about this!). Certainly the "name brand" schools offering them do so with a profit motive, which is why they cost significantly more than on campus instruction where you might interact more with your peer group and instructors (networking seems like it might be important in your field). Even if you find a particular school this is not true for, that is the perception many others have (ie that you are buying a degree without the accompanying learning experiences found on a campus or with direct adviser interaction). The online programs you listed, while from more respectable schools than some of the for profit types like Phoenix, are probably too new to have built much of a reputation or overcome the stigma previously associated with online degrees. Of the programs you listed, I'd say Northwestern has the best reputation for management/admin/business type fields, but that is going to vary based on the specific department. If any of them are outgrowths of long extant night school/working professional programs, I'd think that would lend the degree more weight.

As for goals, it sounds like the itinerant military life and doing non-profit work in general is more of a challenge for a stable job than what degrees you have, and I'm not sure having a masters will change that. Given this, is the debt going to be worth it? Or is the piece of paper the primary goal here--will you be happy regardless as long as you get the degree?

Edited September 4, 2012 by Usmivka

[BubbleKiller]

Hi Usmivka, thanks very much for your reply. I know for my hubby's job, we pretty much can't request where to locate. We have to go wherever we are told to. And I think there is not much support for military spouse in Canada as compared to US.

Actually earlier this year, I was accepted to a great program at a reputable canadian university in a close-by province. But because of the stress of thinking about leaving my family and risking my relationship, I finally decided to give up. A tough decision, but I realize family comes first while education is secondary.

I guess pursuing a masters is more for my personal satisfaction (and of course hopefully can be beneficial to my job seeking process in the future). But I agree, I am also quite worried about debts. Being a non-risk taker, I am quite scared of going into debts for education.

[Usmivka]

I totally understand, I actually started grad school because my partner was moving and this was easier than finding a "real" job. I'm still crabby about leaving my prior, perfect job, but relationships take precedence.

In this case it might make sense to hold on and see where you end up if you two are moving again soon--you might be happier with the local options then, which will definitely be less expensive than the online route.

If it is mostly for your personal satisfaction, and you don't think you'll be moving soon, and you have a good idea what ti will cost and think that's OK, then it seems like you have nothing to lose by doing this. You could also look at online certificate programs if you are concerned that getting a masters now will preclude you from doing so later. Harvard, Berkeley, and MIT are now offering free online courses (edX program), and I suspect it is only a matter of months or a couple years before they decide to offer certificates of completion.

[imonedaful]

I will agree that there is a stigma attached to online degrees, even ones at reputable institutions. A number of my past business professor who either run a business or work in management told us that they would not hire someone with an online degree. When I got my masters degree I did some of my classes online since that is how they were offered when I wanted to take them. Some subjects are fine to take online, such as finance which is mostly numbers and understanding rules and formats. However, a lot of subjects should have interaction with other people which will be required in a professional environment. Marketing, to me, is one of those subjects you could not fully learn in an online setting. Have you visited the schools that are near by and talked to anybody in the program? Sometimes schools will let you mold your own program in a sense. You can a set of classes that interests you, do independent study projects or research in an area of your interest. It wouldn't hurt to look into it. Just a suggestion!

[BubbleKiller]

Usmivka and imonedaful, thanks for the input. I talked to my best friend, who said the same thing about marketing. Her background is economics. So actually she said the same thing about marketing, which requires more interaction and networking opportunities.

I was wondering if the situation like this: Let say I am already working in for example hotel industry as an assistant manager. Then while I am working, I study online program in hospitality and tourism. After I complete this degree and after a few years, I decide to apply for manager position in another hotel. Will potential employers value my online degree in this case?

I guess my point is given I already have experience in a certain industry, will a highly relevant online degree be ok? As compared with if I have experience in A industry, study an online degree in B industry, and hopefully I can get a job in B industry afterwards.

Any thoughts?

[Usmivka]

I know this isn't really what you want to hear, but everything I wrote above assumed you were working in the same field you were taking the degree in. imonedaful's comment is particularly apropos as UVic is known, even in the US, for having particularly flexible programs that allow you to spend much or all of your time away from campus and take only very targeted classes.

[wreckofthehope]

Hi BubbleKiller

Something you might want to look into is the University of London International Programmes.

It's a very well respected provider of distance education - the degrees are considered on par with any University of London degree, as all the same content is covered and examined. Your degree certificate just reads "University of London," I believe. I think it began in the C19th as a way for poor students who couldn't travel to London for study to gain a degree. The costs are also quite reasonable.

Maybe they will have a programme that suits you?

Edited September 6, 2012 by wreckofthehope

[BubbleKiller]

Hi everyone, thanks for the suggestion and feedback. I'll seriously look into different options and talk to potential employers to see how they think about DL. Thanks again!!!!!