Master's degrees: Brick & Mortar vs. Internet

[helmet91]

Does anyone know how the boards feel about master's degrees and how or where you earned them?

The reason I ask is that there is no way I could go back to a traditional school to work on a master's degree. The main reason revolves around the fact that I have a great Federal job that pays me entirely too much money to merit quitting to go back and become a professional student.

I have heard lots of good things about the American Military University ( http://www.amu.apus.edu/index.htm ). It's entirely online, affordable and seems to be reputable. Is a piece of paper and transcript from there going to be laughed at though?

I'm currently a drilling IS (so I have a bit of VA $$) and I want to DirComm at some point. My BA is from a state school and it's in Poli Sci. AMU has some extremely interesting sounding courses and I feel they could help me in my civilian as well as military careers... I'm just curious if a degree from an "internet school" is worthwhile? Obviously an MA/S from Harvard is going to look better, but what are those of us with actual careers supposed to do?

Thanks and Happy New Year!

 

[Harrier Dude]

I got mine from Boston University. If you're near DC (Henderson Hall), Cherry Point (where I got mine), MCBCLNC, or Ft Bragg, you can do it there. It's a satellite program, so they fly in profs from BU to teach on the weekends. I thought I would learn better in a classroon setting, plus I didn't want the percieved stigma of an online degree (which I don't think is the actual case anyway).

What do you want to do with it? If it's just to get the "check in the box" for military purposes, I doubt that it would matter to get any particular Masters from any particular place. If you want to lure a potential employer, invest the time and energy to get a real degree (MBA v. Basket Weaving) from a good school.

There are a few good on-line MBAs out there that I know of. Univ of Phoenix is the most popular, but there are ones from Oklahoma, Maryland, and others. I heard that BU will offer one soon, too.

Good luck.

 

[Schnugg]

Can't believe I found this on line...


Or go the real easy route: http://www.instant-degrees.net/

Get a Doctorate Degree for what you already know!
» Without taking admission exams
» Without attending class
» Without taking tests
» Without studying course books
» Without paying a hefty fee


Then again....

It's only really worth anything as the paper liner to the cat litter box.

 

[BackOrdered]

Instant Life Experience Degrees Online: Earn a degree for what you already know!

Irony so thick you can cut it.

 

[helmet91]

Oh no, this is by no means a "check in the box."

I'm looking at some sort of strategic studies/intel/national security type course. I already read related books, so I might as well get credit for them... I'm not really an MBA type person.

My current job is with a Federal Law Enforcement/Intel agency, so a masters can help me there or with a transition to a different job within the government. I would assume that it will also help add to any commissioning package I might submit in the reserves (DirComm).

Unfortunately, there are no such programs in my area (Minneapolis-St Paul). My work schedule is completely random too and quitting or taking a leave of absence for a year or two is out of the question. Basically, it's online or nothing. A few guys that work for my dad have completed programs from AMU and I've read lots of good things about them online. I just don't want to invest the time, money, etc for a degree that while improving me as a person, is blown off by the military.

Thanks for the quick reply...

BTW, AMU is completely acredited and 'taught' by profs from many traditional schools from all over the country. It's not some fly by night place by any means.

 

[Harrier Dude]

Can't believe I found this on line...


Or go the real easy route: http://www.instant-degrees.net/

Get a Doctorate Degree for what you already know!
» Without taking admission exams
» Without attending class
» Without taking tests
» Without studying course books
» Without paying a hefty fee


Then again....

It's only really worth anything as the paper liner to the cat litter box.

I'm trying to decide on which doctorate I want from these highly accredited scholars. Right now it's a toss up between "General High School" and "Women's Spirituality".

Then again, maybe I'll just get a "doctorate in medicine" and just change careers completely. I wonder how hard it is to get accepted to a decent residency with my degree from "Rochville University".

 

[FLYTPAY]

Then again, maybe I'll just get a "doctorate in medicine" and just change careers completely. I wonder how hard it is to get accepted to a decent residency with my degree from "Rochville University".

Go practice in Somalia.....you might do more for the people than the resident witch doctor.

VR,
Dr. Dirt
DAviation

 

[phrogpilot73]

I'm working on my Master's completely online. I find that it's actually tougher than being in class, because I have to teach myself and the instructors may or may not respond quickly to your questions.

 

[Schnugg]

I went to night school for 14 months to earn my MS. Glad I did it while the kids were little.

 

[Harrier Dude]

I went to night school for 14 months to earn my MS. Glad I did it while the kids were little.

You could have done it in just 5 days! It was YOUR link, after all.

 

[phrogdriver]

I am but 3 1/2 short months from my MSBA from BU, myself. I have gotten a lot out of the program, though it has taken a toll on the fam.

Which you choose, online or in-person, depends entirely on your learning style. From those I've spoken to, online degrees are not quite as flexible as they're made out to be. The ones that have online class meetings are inflexible as to the times, and since there is no "class participation" as such for others, the written assignments become king.

I really don't think there's a significant difference in reputation between online and part-time programs anymore. If anything, its based more on the name of the university than the program, e.g. Tuauro is not quite as much a name as Boston. On the other hand, some of the part-time programs aren't exactly name-brand, either.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

From those I've spoken to, online degrees are not quite as flexible as they're made out to be. The ones that have online class meetings are inflexible as to the times, and since there is no "class participation" as such for others, the written assignments become king.

If you've never taken courses through an online setting before, you should be aware that every university's "online rules" differ, and some greatly. I have heard that a lot of universities that offer classes online do require students to be logged in at the same time for an actual live class discussion. However, there are universities that do not actually require "live participation".

For example, the University of Phoenix never once required me to be online at a certain time. Yes there were participation requirements, which made it mandatory for me to log in 4 out of 7 days in the week and respond to student / facillitator comments in the forums. The only way that I found the University of Phoenix to not be flexible is with the assignment due dates. At the beginning of the course, you are given a syllabus. in that syllabus, each week in broken down by assignments which include the dates and point values. You can even work ahead if you know you will be swamped one week and won't have enough time to complete all of a given week's assignments. I found the University of Phoenix an excellent alternative to a traditional school, with me being active duty navy. I have heard of a lot of other good online schools though.

Also, as far as what the navy thinks about the school's name...As long as it is on their list of accredited schools, I really don't think it matters.

 

[snake020]

What is your goal?

If the graduate degree is to make yourself look more promotable down the line, it doesn't matter how you do it.

If you are looking for it to help you in the non-military civilian life, you are missing the point with an internet school. Most of getting a masters degree is about the networking.

 

[BourneID]

Another school that has a great online program is Southern New Hampshire University. For undergrad military, it utilizes every last penny of TA, but at least the only thing out of pocket would be the books, for a masters, it gets a little more pricey, but you can use TA, and MGIB topup. They don't require live participation, but do require interaction. I learned more from these onlne course than any other classroom session, due to the fact that every student had to weigh in on issues, and you get to see things from so many more perspectives, rather than just sitting in a classroom where very few want to volunteer their information.

 

[Schnugg]

You could have done it in just 5 days! It was YOUR link, after all.

But I earned my MS long before Al Gore invented the "internets."