Until just recently, students enrolled in online degree programs were ineligible for federal student aid unless at least half of their program was campus-based; based on a law, which was established in 1992 and known as the 50-percent rule. Many people are earning a bachelor, masters or doctorate degree online in their field of choice whether it's an online nursing degree, online education degree, online psychology degree, or even an online criminal justice degree without conforming to a traditional time-consuming schedule. One recent survey found 55 percent of employers preferred traditional degrees over online degrees.

Many long-established colleges and universities are now offering online courses and online degree programs. The term online degrees refers to college degrees (sometimes including high school diplomas and non-degree certificate programs) that can be earned primarily or entirely through the use of a computer that's connected to the Internet, rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting. According to one report, about two-thirds of the largest institutions have fully accredited online degree programs.

Some experts argue that degrees in certain fields are more accepted online than in others, while some programs are less suited for the online-only schools. Working on your online degree at home enables you to learn in your own way and will allow you to decide how quickly you want to earn your degree. Today there are even consortiums formed of universities; in Canada there is the Canadian Virtual University, which offers no courses or degrees, but simply acts as a portal for courses from 14 universities across Canada.

Some of the degrees available include: business degrees online, online nursing degrees, online education degrees and psychology degrees, criminal justice degrees, accounting degrees, mba degrees and teaching degrees. The offering of successful job placement by the institution, after graduating or completing your online course, may be the deciding factor in your program search. Try to find online forums or chat rooms with students who are actually attending the school you have in mind.

To determine whether you'd make a good online student ask yourself if you're someone who gets things done ahead of time or puts things off until the very last minute. Ask the institutions that you're considering for references. Its been reported that many employers feel that an employee receiving an online education degree compared favorably, in terms of knowledge learned, to someone with a resident degree.

Types of online degrees include: associate degree, bachelor degree, master degree and doctorate degree online. Your reading skills should be above average to make a good online student.

And, very important, make sure that any online credits you earn are transferable; ask the institution you plan to transfer to directly because most schools vary from course to course and with the individual school policy, perhaps even get it in writing. Getting your online degree today may require some computer knowledge, a computer of course, and lots of self-discipline, but it's definitely easier than it used to be. And choosing the best program is a lot easier because so many well-established institutions now offer them.

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