• Western Association of Schools and Colleges
At: www.wascweb.org

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
At: www.sacscoc.org

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
At: www.msache.org

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
At: www.neasc.org

• North Central Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities
At: www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org

In addition, you can contact the commission that handles online accreditation with your questions about specific E Degree schools.

The Distance Education And Training Council
At: www.detc.org

Or, contact the governmental organization that helps to provide this information. Visit the U.S. Department of Education
At: www.ed.gov

As a student, then, what are you to do? When it comes to finding out if a school is worth the cost, you should take into consideration accreditation. But, you should do so knowing a few things.

First, realize that accreditation is done for online schools just as it is done by those in traditional form. Some of the standards may not fit well. Nevertheless, ask questions. Find out if the school is accredited and who has done the accreditation. The online accreditation organization is that of The Distance Education and Training Council. Yet, some are being accredited by the standard accreditation organizations as well.

In either case, ask these questions.

• Is the school entirely or specific schools within it accredited?

• If not, is the school in the process of getting their accreditation at this point?

• If not, why not?

• If the school is accredited, take a few minutes to verify which organization accredited the school.

• Is this organization legitimate? You can find this information rather easily on the web just by looking at the Better Business Bureau or doing a search.

• If the school is not accredited or in the process of getting it, find out if they were turned down. If so, find out why?

Why go through this trouble? It is quite simple.

Your degree, your education and your funding is going towards that Online Education. You deserve to make the best decision possible and you can only do this with all the information in hand.

Taking accreditation seriously is important. Getting these answers is essential. With so many bad apples on the web looking to take your money, you do need to know what you are investing in as well as what it will get you.

Finally, the bottom line is that you should take into consideration this fact.

If it is too good to be true, it probably is.

Before you begin learning, learn about your school’s ability to provide for you.

Major Accrediting Commissions

To learn more about accreditation, the processes and what is included in this certification, contact any of the major accrediting commissions located throughout the US. Here are 6 of the major commissions to contact.

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges

• North Central Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities

In addition, you can contact the commission that handles online accreditation with your questions about specific E Degree schools.

The Distance Education And Training Council

Or, contact the governmental organization that helps to provide this information. Visit the U.S. Department of Education

“You can get your bachelors degree in just 30 days!”

“You can become an MD in just 6 months and four easy payments of just $199 each!”

These are schools that you need to stay away from. Short and sweet, just stay away from them.

There is no way that these companies can offer you the full fledged education that you will need to get the job or the career that you are after. You can even call these companies diploma mills because all they are doing is writing out some type of diploma and mailing them out after your final payment has been mailed.

Sure, they may make it look like you are learning something, but their degree is not going to stand up in the real work place. Each day, people get taken by these scams and unfortunately lose their money.

The sad part is that employers are not dumb. They know completely which schools are accredited and which are holding your resume down.

Not All Are Bad, Though

It would not be fair for us to say that all schools that do not hold accreditation are bad schools. This is in fact untrue. There are several reasons for this. For example, an accredited school will get their accreditation from a private organization. In the United States, many of these organizations are not regulated and, therefore, their standards may be quite different.

On the other hand, some schools just do not pursue accreditation. In fact, this is very much true of schools that have religious affiliations. Here, the simple fact that the accreditation process is very costly can cause the school to lose a good amount of money.

On top of these things, it takes several years for a school to become accredited. New schools may even have the latest advancements in technology, be fully staffed and provide cutting edge training and education but not be accredited. They could be in the middle of it or may not even be pursuing it.

“The act of granting credit or recognition, especially with respect to educational institutions that maintains suitable standards.”

This really does sum up what you need to know.

What does this have to do with you and your Online Degree? It is quite simple. You need to enroll in a college or university that is going to provide you with the highest level of education for your money. When you get your degree, you should know that you have what it takes to make it in that field.

Not only will employers want to insure that your education has come from an accredited school, but you need to know how to do your job well.

What Does Accreditation Mean, Then?

What does it take for a school to be accredited? Why is this type of school better? An accredited school is one that has demonstrated that it is teaching what is required to educate students in that field. Schools will need to have an outside company come in and observe their school. They are looking for the board to decide that the school is approved for teaching the highest quality of information.

They will find out things like how the school provides education, what their resources are like (are they adequate) as well as determine if the school provides basic educational services that meet the demands and the minimums that are in place.

There are several different ways that a school can be accredited. Most of the time, the school will entirely be accredited, meaning that all of their courses are considered approved. In other cases, just certain schools within the college or the university are accredited. When you are applying for admission into the school, you should insure that it is fully accredited.

For any school to become accredited, they will need to pay a considerable amount of money to do so. In addition, the process is not easy nor is it everlasting. The school is going to need to be recertified as accredited every several years. In addition, the accreditation process can take several years to complete.

Why does any of this matter to you? A school that is accredited is one that has gone through great lengths to insure that you are provided a good education by attending there. A school that goes through all of this expense and time is a means of showing that the education they provide is effective in the field.

But, before you can do this, you may be required to take entrance exams as well as determine where your education stands as of now. To get into college level courses, you will need to provide information as well as records stating that you have a GED or have graduated from high school levels. In the cases where you will be able to attend prior to completing high school, your school is likely needed to sign off onto this.

If you have not been in school in a while, you may also want to consider taking some refresher courses to help you get back on track. If you are continuing your career education, this is not needed in most case.

Finally, what you need to know is that you are not in this process alone. You will be working with counselors and others that will guide you through finding the right program, Online Degree and courses to get started with. This is a rewarding type of education, not something you are doing alone without anyone to guide you.

You have already gone to college or perhaps you never were able to go to college in the first place. No matter what you did then, you are older know and not too sure if entering the college scene is right for you again. If you are considering it then it is by all means the ideal choice for you. Any person that is looking for an education can succeed in getting one now that this type of opportunity is available to you.

Never Received College Education

There is no reason why you can not enroll in an online school now, no matter what you are doing with your job and family. Online education allows you to get the most out of life by providing you with the opportunity to become educated without having to stop life in its tracks to do so.

Certification

Perhaps you are already out of college and now you need to recertify to keep your education up to date to keep your current position. Online education and E Degree programs are in place to provide that for you. There are plenty of schools around the web that offer all sorts of recertification programs for those that need them.

Advancing Your Degree

If you currently have a degree but you would like to take it to the next level, Online Education programs can help you to do that as well. These are designed in such a way as to allow you to move to the next level of your education without worrying about losing your position at the same time.

If you are in a current position but would like to further your degree to earn a better position down the road, then Distance Learning programs are designed to allow you to do that.

As you will see in later chapters, Online Education schools is designed from the beginning of educational goals through many levels. Sometimes, you will be able to get your Doctorate from an accredited online E Degree school. So, advancing your career can be done ideally on the web through these programs. The best part is that you do not have to stop working to make it happen.

Just For Information And Fun

Anyone can enroll in an Online College, MBA or High School program if they are just looking for an education. Let’s say that you are retired and looking for something to do. Perhaps you would like to study history in detail. Or, perhaps you would like to learn to do something new such as becoming a writer.

These are things that you can do no matter what age you are or what your goals for using this information are.

In fact, there are plenty of individuals that are senior citizens going back to school to learn something new or to expand their knowledge. The fact is that online E Degree programs are ideal for just that use. Educating you without you having to stay behind in life is a great tool to actually have and to use.

As you can clearly see, E Degree programs and online learning is designed for just about anyone out there looking for an opportunity to excel with more of an education.

Just like in any other type of education, you need to have a foundation of knowledge to enter into the programs. If you live in the United States, you will need to have completed high school in order to earn a degree in a university, although you may be able to begin earning some credits for that degree beforehand. But, there are various programs to think about.

Online Learning Before College

One thing you may not realize is that online learning is not just for the college level and ready student. Well before this time you can be learning through the help of the web.

High School

Those that are in high school can often learn through the process of online learning. They can seek out their beginning level college courses to get them started in the process.

Here, you will want to work with the administration of not only the college but also with your high school to determine your ability to qualify. You may need to meet specific GPA status before being allowed to do this.

Home Schooling

Parents that have children that they are home schooling can take advantage of online education as well. There are many curriculums that are already computer based, many of which will you CD ROMs designed by top educators.

Now, children are able to get online to get the education they need. This allows for several key benefits including instruction that is in the home but is still taught by a certified teacher.

These programs are offered to children as young as elementary school and provide for every level of education. Some parents find that enrolling their child into a program like this allows them to get the certified education the child needs that perhaps the adult can not provide as clearly as needed.

Preschool

Yes, even the preschool aged child can get into the process of learning on the web. Working with an adult, usually their parents, they can tap into the world of online learning to learn all sorts of academics in various types of environments.

In fact, some children that have done this have shown to go on to do even better in a standard school setting down the road.

Another benefit of E Degree programs is that there is no travel involved. You do not have to have transportation to and from the school. You do not have to waste your time traveling in rush hour traffic to get to your class before it starts, again. This is not only an added bonus, but for those that have a hard time moving from place to place, it is a great way to take full advantage of educational opportunities.

If you are handicapped, unable to leave your home or just do not drive, then the E Degree may be a great opportunity for you to get into the field that is important to you.

In addition, you will find that there are no commuting costs either. With the rising cost of fuel, people will appreciate this. No gas money is needed, to parking tickets for the school’s lots, and no fees for usage. You just get to attend school.

Of course, we should mention that in some courses, you will need to attend lab learning classes. For example, in a nursing degree program, you are still required to get your clinical rotation in. To do this, you may need to travel to the school, if local to you. Or, you may be able to secure these hours through a local business that has a working relationship with the school. Most of the time, if these opportunities are needed; your school will have the ability to provide you with the locations to complete them.

Internet Skills

As you get into the school of your dreams, you may find that you are learning more than just what you set out to do. One of the benefits that you receive second hand through online learning is the ability to use the Internet. While some teens of today have absolutely no problem with doing anything and everything on the web, some older individuals might.

You will learn things like researching, using communication technologies like files, various software programs, web cameras, and much more.

Why is this important? Not only has it become a very important skill to have for life in general, but more and more businesses are relying on the internet skills of their employees to do their jobs. You are going to find that the skills you learn here are ideal to take with you into the working environment.

Save Money

We saved this one for now because you will need to do a bit more research on your specific school to determine if in fact you will save money when getting an Online Degree or not. Not all schools are the same cost and therefore you need to consider this based on the specific school that you decide on.

But, in most cases, you are undoubtedly going to save money. The cost for an education on the web runs much lower, in most cases, then the state or national colleges and universities. The simple cost of enrollment is much lower in this method. But, you are likely to save more money on tuition anyway.

• You will save on travel costs, no fuel costs, no parking fees, and no cost for having the car in the first place.

• You will save on meals. You will not have to pay top dollar for a cup of coffee to keep you awake during class.

• You will save on material fees. In most cases, you will have software to use rather than large textbooks filled with information you probably will not cover. Some courses may require textbooks, though.

• You do not have to pay room and board. This alone can save you thousands of dollars for each year you attend. You do not have to rent a dorm room, apartment or other second living arrangement to be close enough to the school to attend.

Comparing the costs of an Online Education school and a local community college may be a different story. You may have to spend a bit of time comparing this yourself, based on the location of the school and what it offers.

Yet, it is important to note that some community colleges do not provide as many courses to study as the online options. You can get a higher degree in some online learning schools as compared to some local community college degree programs.

Again, these are just some of the many reasons why you may be interested in getting an online degree. What are your reasons? Take a minute to jot them down. Determine if they are met by what E Degree programs can offer. The flexibility alone is more inspiring than most realize.

The fact is that there are many reasons and we will take a look at the top ones here. When you read through this e book, you should spend some time determining just how well E Degree learning fits into your life. Does online education meet your specific life?

These benefits that we are about to share are really only the top ones and you may have many more. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that there are many benefits to online education.

Time

If you ask most people what they would like more of, their answer is time. We rush here to there and there is just not a whole lot of time for you to spend your days in school. In respect to the E Degree, the fact is that you can learn while the rest of your life is in full swing. Let’s compare.

If you graduate high school and enter a college in your local area, you are going to spend probably the next four years dedicating your life to your education. Well worth it, of course.

Yet, this time for education includes time to drive to and from the school, or perhaps you will forgo this all together and live on campus, sucking all of your time to put to school. You also get not much of a choice in when you take your classes. Often students have classes so spread out that finding a job to work around them is impossible.

Or, you can use online education. Here, you can live your life as you are and get in your coursework when your schedule fits it. Some people are naturally night owls and work better during the late night hours. Here, you can do that. Or, you can take a class at four in the afternoon one day and then find that you can sneak another one in at eleven in the morning the next time.

What E Degree programs give you is the option to use your time as you need to. You can study faster, complete that degree in much less time than a traditional school. Likewise, you can take more time if you need to so that you can better stay on top of the other aspects in your life. Time is one of the most crucial benefits that E Degree learning offers you.

In many ways, the dedication, motivation and the self study are much harder to maintain in an E Degree program.

If you are looking for an easy way to get your degree, the online learning community is not necessarily it. For example, let’s say that you enroll in a 2 year program to earn your nursing degree. You are a mother and have a job. You figure that you can easily get in a class here and there and end up finishing your degree.

Now, as you are going through your life, you will need to find a place for the E Degree within it. After a long day of fighting with the kids, you have to make a decision. Do I want to stay up for another hour and do my studies or should I just go to bed? If you do not have the motivation to complete your E Degree, you do not earn anything. You have to persevere through each day and each class.

Although the work is no more challenging then you will find in your traditional school, you now have to keep your schedule and do the work on your own, without a teacher pushing you to complete it. You still have that teacher and you may still have deadlines to meet, but you do not have a class at 10 am everyday, necessarily.

The E Degree may be the perfect way for you to get your education. Keep reading to learn more about it as well as to really answer the question, “Is this for me?”