Finding the Online Degree That's Right for You

Deciding on an Online Degree

Choosing a field of study for a distance learning program is similar to choosing a traditional campus-based program. You look at the coursework, talk to professors and institutional advisors about their offerings, and go from there.

Exploring Your Educational Options

But what if you haven't narrowed your options to a single discipline? If you're just starting your online degree, you can work on general coursework requirements while your figure out which degree to pursue. Such courses typically include English composition, literature, history, philosophy or some other critical thinking course, along with a statistics or other math course.
Your core coursework provides a great opportunity to explore different disciplines. Think about the classes you enjoyed most in the past--was it your American history course or the class on biology? Think about the skills you enjoyed using most. Do you like solving tough problems that you're confronted with in a math or science course? Or do you prefer to think things through in writing, employing a critical thinking process that evolves with each step.

Talk to Other Distance Learning Students

In choosing a distance learning program you might also want to talk to other students completing the degree you're interested in. What do they have to say about their professors? What is the general mood among the students with respect to the quality of instruction in their degree program?
With these tips, you'll be well on your way to getting closer to deciding on the online degree program that's right for you.
Source:
National Center for Education Statistics

Sarah Clark is a freelance writer specializing in career development.