Title: Are Online Degrees as Respected as Traditional Degrees?
Headings: Are Online Degrees as Respected as Traditional Degrees?
Are Online Degrees as Respected as Traditional Degrees?
Do Employers Respect Online Degrees?
Tips for Finding a Respected Online Degree
2. Accreditation
3. How quickly can you earn the degree?
4. Quality of the school’s graduates
Further Reading
FAQ
What is the Most Respected Online University?

Content: The total of 5.8 million fall 2014 distance education students is composed of 2.85 million taking all of their courses at a distance and 2.97 million taking some, but not all, distance courses
Unlike a decade ago, the majority of employers are now embracing online education. As more and more trusted schools offer online degree programs, respect continues to grow. Online education is no longer an oddity but the norm as online course enrollment climbs for the 10th straight year. According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, 83 percent of executives say that “an online degree is as credible as one earned through a traditional campus-based program.” When asked, employers said that accreditation of the school, quality of its graduates, and the reputation of the college or university were among other things that make an online degree more credible. Although employers see online degrees as reputable, the rest of America is slow to adopt the new education platform. According to a recent Gallup poll,
“Public perceptions about online education’s ability to deliver education in a format most students can succeed in, as well as its ability to tailor instruction to the individual, are more mixed, but tilt negatively”
The majority of Americans call online degree programs “only fair” or “poor” while 34 percent rate such programs as “excellent” or “best.” Adversely, 68 percent of Americans rated 4-year schools as “excellent” or “good” and 64 percent rated community colleges as highly as 4-year schools. An online learning study conducted by the United States Department of Education addressed the topic of online vs traditional face-to-face- learning at the higher education level. The study, undertaken from 1996-2008, concluded the following: