Online Degrees Let Students Tap Their Intellectual

Students interested in the social sciences or humanities can pursue online degrees in English, history, international relations and beyond.

About 11 percent of online undergraduates and 10 percent of online graduate students pursue degrees in the social sciences, criminal justice and law, according to a 2014 study.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree from Virginia Military Institute in 2009, Alex Oliver became an officer in the U.S. Army.
He spent a few years watching with jealousy as his friends went on to earn master's degrees, feeling like he couldn't follow in their footsteps due to his frequent moves with the military. Then, in 2013, he realized he could pursue a master's in international relations online – and anywhere – through American University. Whether the degree led to a promotion afterward was irrelevant.


"I studied it because I had a true intellectual curiosity in it," says Oliver, who plans to graduate in May of 2015. "Maybe it's my bias. I come from a family of academics and that’s the tradition I came from – that education for its own sake is important."
[Understand how to compare online, on-campus graduate programs.]


Online degrees aren’t only for adults looking to switch careers and move into fields like business or nursing. Working professionals who daydream of developing their intellectual side also have options. With the growth of online offerings, adults can choose from subjects such as international relations, creative writing, history, liberal studies and English. In some cases these online courses may lead to jobs; in others, they may simply lead to inspiration.
"Students of all ages are coming back to school to take a course they had always wanted to


take but never had the time, such as literature or courses about stocks and investments," Susan Aldridge, president of Drexel University Online, wrote in an email.
In a 2014 study by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House, a company that helps colleges and universities develop and deliver online degree programs, about 11 percent of online undergraduates surveyed and 10 percent of online graduate students surveyed pursued degrees in the social sciences, criminal justice and law. About 9 percent of online undergraduates and 7 percent of graduate students reported seeking degrees in the arts and humanities.
While those figures are substantial, they are overshadowed by the number of students pursuing more career-oriented fields.


"Nationally, the greatest proportion of courses offered online are in business, education, health care and computer science," says Aldridge. "Courses in the humanities are offered online, however there aren’t as many complete humanities degree programs offered online."
While students interested in pursuing online degrees in the arts, humanities and social sciences may have to work harder to find the right program, they still have plenty of options to choose from, experts say.


[Explore options to study a foreign language online.]
At Arizona State University, for example, students can get an online undergraduate degree in art history, English, film, history and women and gender studies, among other subjects. The options are more limited at the graduate level, but students can still earn advanced degrees online in subjects such as American media and popular culture, English, sociology and liberal studies.
Students may find fewer non-career oriented online degrees at the graduate level, ​because​ traditional, on-ground master's programs in the social sciences and humanities involve close working relationships between students and advisers that can be a challenge to replicate online, says Paul C. LePore, associate dean for students​ for ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 


At Texas Tech University, students can earn online degrees​ in human development and family studies as well as in technical communication and rhetoric,​ says Melanie Hart, vice provost of online and distance education programs. Students can also earn a graduate certificate in book history and digital humanities​ – a program that appeals to librarians and archivists, she says.


There are also online options for aspiring writers. At Southern New Hampshire University and the University of Texas—El Paso, for example, students can pursue online master's degrees in creative writing. 
Pennsylvania resident ​Patrick Leyden is one of the many students who decided to pursue an unconventional​ online degree, earning his master's in creativity and innovation ​from Drexel University's education school in 2014.


[Explore the cost of different online education options.]
He says the degree taught him how creativity can allow businesses and employees to thrive – knowledge he puts to use every day in his role as a project manager in the trade show industry.
"When I would tell people I was getting my online master's degree they would say, 'MBA?' and I would say, 'Not exactly,'" says Leyden. Even though people sometimes seem perplexed by the degree, he says if anything, it's a great conversation-starter.​

7 Myths About Online Education degree

From accreditation to employability, don't let these notions get in the way of exploring an online degree.

While many students assume online learning is easy, it can actually be quite challenging, experts say.

Online education is becoming commonplace. About 5.3 million U.S. students took at least one online course in fall 2013, according to a recent study. Yet, while online education is growing in popularity, myths and misconceptions abound. Below, experts separate the fact from fiction.
Myth 1: Online education is easy. It's not easier to earn a degree online than in a traditional brick-and-mortar setting – just different, says Lynn Atanasoff, a career counselor at Pennsylvania State University—World Campus. Students may have flexibility regarding when they study, but it also comes with challenges.
"At reputable institutions, students have to complete the same material as in-person, except they also have to really manage their time because online no one is reminding them when assignments or projects are due," she says.


Marci Grant, director of the Center for Distance and eLearning at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, agrees. "Online courses require more self-direction than a traditional course where face-to-face instructors are available," she said in an email.
Online education can also be quite labor intensive, requiring at least as much time as an on-campus course, Grant adds.


[See how to tell a good online program from a bad one.]
Myth 2: The quality is lower. While academic standards for online courses may vary from school to school, Grant says the online faculty and online courses at her institution go through a rigorous certification process to ensure they understand the academic standard that all online courses must meet.
In some cases, the instruction in an online class might be even better than in an on-campus course, says Ramin Sedehi, the director of Higher Education Consulting at the Berkeley Research Group. ​


"It requires the teachers to communicate differently," he says. "Some teachers suggest it forces them to think about effectiveness and engagement far more actively and makes them better teachers."


Myth 3: Online credits will not transfer to another school. Some students may have problems transferring credits regardless of whether they complete their study online or on campus, says professor Michael Bitter, chairman of the M.E. Rinker, Sr. Institute of Tax and Accountancy at Stetson University. ​
"You sometimes see transferability issues with certain for-profit institutions or with certain types of courses/programs," he wrote in an email.
In many cases, Bitter says, an institution would have no way of knowing whether a course they are considering for transfer credit was taken in a classroom, online or some combination of the two.


Overall, though, he says credits from online programs are not any harder to transfer than on-campus credits.
Myth 4: Online courses are not accredited. As with traditional courses, accreditation may vary from school to school. But a fair number of online programs are accredited. "If a student attends an unaccredited school, credits may not transfer, federal and state financial aid may not be available and employers may not recognize their credentials," says Christine Broeker, interim executive director of eLearning at Seminole State College​ of Florida.
[Understand how to tell if an online program has the right accreditation.]
She says students can turn to the Council of Higher Education Accreditation, which publishes a list of recognized accrediting bodies ​that evaluate colleges and universities.
Myth 5: Cheating is more common in online courses. Cheating can occur with online courses, but experts say that is not more likely to happen with online courses than with traditional courses.


"There are websites that any student can use to have papers written for them," says Dani Babb, an online instructor and founder and CEO of The Babb Group. ​“Since online professors have tools to help them spot plagiarism, in some ways we have more defenses against this than traditional education where a student hands in a paper.”
In addition to plagiarism detection software, some online programs require students to take a test at a physical location, or to use a webcam while completing an exam. In both cases, students need to show proof of identification.
Myth 6: Online students can’t meet with the instructor. Although it might be impossible for students to physically be in the same place as their instructors, there are opportunities for meaningful interactions.


[Find out how to tell if you have a bad online instructor.]
"While students may not meet faculty in person, they do have the opportunity to interact with them, whether it be by phone, by e-mail, by Skype or during on-line chat sessions," Bitter says.
One way Bitter interacts with students is through online chat sessions, which are held twice a week when his course is in session. He also says that some online faculty have online office hours each week.

9 Online Bachelor's Programs With the Most Minority Students

At Peirce College in Pennsylvania, 76 percent of online bachelor's students were minorities in 2013-2014.

In these 10 online bachelor's programs, more than half of the students enrolled in 2013-2014 were minorities.

The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.
In a virtual classroom, students don't always get the chance to see their fellow classmates. But if they had the chance to peek, they'd likely see a lot of white faces.
Despite being 63 percent of the population, white students were an even larger presence in online courses. They made up nearly 70 percent of online students in 2014, according to a recent study by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House, a company that helps colleges and universities develop and deliver online degree programs.
Yet there are some programs where whites are not the majority.


[Explore why online programs attract fewer minority undergrads.]
At the 10 online bachelor's programs with the highest percentages of minority students, 57 percent of students or more identified as black, Asian or part of another minority group in 2013-2014, according to data reported to U.S. News by 217 ranked schools in an annual survey.


Peirce College, the school with the largest percentage of minority students, enrolled 849 black students and 84 Hispanic students among the 1,280 studying for online bachelor's degrees in 2013-2014. The private, Philadelphia-based school focuses on giving working adults access to higher education.


Hispanic students made up more than half the enrollment in the online bachelor's program at Florida International University, which had the second-highest percentage of minority students. At the Miami-based school, 75 percent of online bachelor's students were minorities. New York had three online bachelor's programs that cracked the top 10 list of programs with the most minority students: Monroe College, St. John's University and Mercy College.


[Weigh the benefits of online education as a minority student.]
Overall, minority students made up an average of 27 percent of the student body at the online bachelor's programs that reported the data to U.S. News. West Virginia-based Wheeling Jesuit University and Michigan's Madonna University were the only programs that reported having no minority students in their online bachelor's programs.
Below are the 10 ranked online bachelor's programs with the highest percentages of minority students enrolled in 2013-2014. Percentages are calculated using the total student body and the number of Hispanic, black, indigenous, Asian, Polynesian and multiracial students each program reported.


Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report. Keiser University was labeled RNP, or Rank Not Published, which means it fell in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates numerical ranks for RNP schools, but does not publish them.

School name (state)	Total students in 2013-2014	Percentage of minority students in 2013-2014	U.S. News rank
Peirce College (PA)	1,280	76%	72 (tie)
Florida International University	1,059	75%	98 (tie)
North Carolina A&T State University	429	75%	119 (tie)
Monroe College (NY)	583	75%	142 (tie)
Faulkner University (AL)	50	74%	167 (tie)
St. John's University (NY)	41	68%	34 (tie)
California State University—Dominguez Hills	785	67%	140 (tie)
Mercy College (NY)	1,436	64%	207 (tie)
University of the Incarnate Word (TX)	2,594	59%	50 (tie)
Keiser University (FL)	1,509	57%	RNP

School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.



U.S. News surveyed 296 public, private and for-profit schools for our 2015 Best Online Bachelor's Programs rankings. Schools reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of these survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Online Bachelor's Programs rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. These data are specific to schools' online bachelor's degree program offerings and have no influence over U.S. News' Best Colleges rankings assessing

Online High School Pilot Is Ahead of the Curve online program

Virginia would be the second state in the U.S. with a state-run full-time online program.

Virginia's pilot program will be the first option for students in the commonwealth to attend high school online full-time.

Come this fall, 100 students from across Virginia will have the chance to participate in the commonwealth's first fully online high school through a pilot program recently announced by state officials. And if the program comes to full fruition after the pilot, it would be the first of its kind in Virginia, and only the second of its kind in the country.
Students in Virginia currently have no option for a full-time online program. While more than two dozen states, including Virginia, offer part-time or supplemental courses through virtual schools run by the government or outside providers, the commonwealth and Florida would be the only states with state-run, full-time online programs.
The pilot grew out of the Virtual Virginia program, which launched in 2002 as a way to help students in rural parts of the state – such as Highland County, where there are fewer than 300 students in the district – gain access to Advanced Placement courses and world languages not available in their schools.

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"T hose opportunities were somewhat limited in our more rural, remote school divisions because of challenges in recruiting teachers to present the content, and also challenges in terms of forming classes with enough students to justify a teacher," says Charles Pyle, communications director for the Virginia Department of Education. "[Virtual Virginia] has opened doors for students that otherwise wouldn't just be closed, they just wouldn't exist."
The students, who will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis, will be officially enrolled in their local public schools but take all of their core academic courses and electives necessary to earn a diploma online, with instruction provided by teachers with official certification from the commonwealth.

The boom around virtual education at the K-12 level started a little more than 10 years ago, says Susan Patrick, president and chief executive officer of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, also known as iNACOL.
By 2002, just a handful of states were starting the early versions of their state virtual schools, says Patrick, who previously served as the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. But now, 27 states have their own virtual schools offering part-time or supplemental courses. Thirty-eight states allow for full-time online programs to exist through charter schools or individual or multiple school districts.
Though there have been successes with fully online high school programs, Patrick says the model isn't the best choice for all students.
"There have been times when students struggle with their traditional high school environment, might be far behind and mid-year switch to a fully online high school program and think it's going to be easier, when in fact it's quite rigorous," Patrick says. "So s tudents need to make sure that they can identify where they are in their academics and identify that the online school has the services, has the direct support from teachers and regular interactions."

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Some online programs, such as those offered through universities, cater to gifted and talented high school students.
Kathlyn Gray, director of the Stanford Online High School, says the program was created in 2006 to meet the needs of "intellectually talented and academically motivated" students in seventh through 12th grade who have not been able to find the courses they need at their local schools.
But one of the challenges with an online school, unsurprisingly, is maintaining student interaction, Gray says. A climate survey revealed that many students in the online program spend their free time on another digital platform – Skype. The school, which serves about 600 students from 20 different countries, has made a concerted effort to create "the essence of a brick-and-mortar school," according to Gray. School officials have tried to create opportunities for students to socialize outside of class by encouraging parents to organize meet-ups with peers nearby and by forming clubs and holding school assemblies.
Additionally, Gray says every class – whether the student is taking classes full-time or part-time online – meets twice a week in a mandatory video conferencing system for 70 minutes.
"We have learned that for high school kids, they really need time together," Gray says. "Learning happens in relationships – with their instructors, as well as with their peers."
Funding is also a factor. Patrick says sometimes the funding is the same as what a traditional school or charter school would receive, and other times it may be as low as 60 percent of a traditional school's.

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"If they don't get the full funding, they have a hard time offering the support," Patrick says.
Some have also criticized the quality of online schools run through charter management organizations. Recently, an investigation by The Plain Dealer in Ohio revealed the state was not including the performance of its online charter schools – even those that were failing – in its calculations of school ratings. That's a problem because online charter schools in Ohio are among the lowest-performing in the sector, The Plain Dealer reports.
Still, there has been some research showing how online programs can be successful when implemented well. A 2009 study from iNACOL found that students who took all or some of their courses online, on average performed better than those taking the same course in a brick-and-mortar setting.The Department of Education also funded a three-year study to examine the effectiveness of West Virginia's Virtual School Spanish program for middle school students, and found students in the online program performed as well as those in face-to-face Spanish classes.
"We're really trying to push for ensuring that all of the online schools offered around the country are high-quality," Patrick says. "The new online high school pilot is going to be really important for lots of students across Virginia."

 

 

Virginia Online High School Program

 

WHSV - Harrisonburg, VA

 

 

Virginia Online High School Program

WHSV - Harrisonburg, VA

Explore Summer Online Learning Options for High School Students college

Through summer online courses, high schoolers can tackle advanced subjects, prepare for college entrance exams and retake classes.

Students looking for online help preparing for the SAT and ACT can use free online practice exams and video tutorials whenever their summer schedule allows.

Kim Davie remembers her reaction when her mom suggested she and twin sister Shayla enroll in a summer online course after their freshman year.
"I wasn't all for it," she says sheepishly.
A year later, though, both Houston-area high schoolers are willingly returning for another summer with the International Connections Academy to get a head start on next fall's course material. Shayla will take statistics after enrolling in Algebra 2 a year ago. Kimberly will study physics after last year's geometry course. Both expect a similar summer as​ last year, when they still had time for cheerleading camp, fitness camp and a vacation to Mexico.
"You could still work the class into your schedule," Kim says. "Any free time you had, you could use it."


[Consider taking online college courses in high school.]
Whether the goal is getting a head start like the Davie sisters, tackling advanced subjects, preparing for college entrance exams or even retaking difficult classes, summer provides an unique opportunity for college-bound high schoolers to use​ online learning options.
"You might be traveling or you might be doing a summer enrichment program, things like that," says Michael Boothroyd, Kaplan Test Prep's executive director of SAT and ACT programs. ​"So online programs obviously travel with you."


And students have plenty of choices. Of the 75 percent of school districts nationwide which offer some sort of online or blended courses, the vast majority do so during the summer months, says Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.​ Then there are more than two dozen states with statewide virtual schools, ​programs run by private companies like Connections,​ and a stable of traditional college test-prep companies like Kaplan that have moved​ their services online.
"I think it's really important for students to determine the goal of why they want to enroll in a summer school class," Patrick says. Students considering an online course should also find out what the cost may be – even some public school systems charge a fee – as well as the format of a given course and an instructor's involvement, she says.
Class format can vary quite widely, and in some cases could conflict with other summer plans.​


With the International Connections Academy, the Davies sisters estimate they spend two hours a day studying. But at programs designed specifically for high-performing or gifted students, like the Accelerated Summer Option through Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, students can spend as much as six hours a day on compact nine-week honors and Advanced Placement courses.


[Discover the keys to success in advanced placement courses.]
Eric Calvert, the Center for Talent Development's associate director, ​says the program generally isn't a good fit for students looking to wedge summer learning into the margins of a busy schedule that may include vacations, camps or other enrichment opportunities. That's not often an issue, though, because such programs typically draw enthused students who have prioritized the program, Calvert says.​


Conversely, students looking for online help preparing for the SAT and ACT may not even choose to enroll in a class, but rather use free online practice exams and video tutorials at their disposal whenever their summer schedule allows.

Consider an Online MBA Program With a Residency Component students

The right kind of online MBA residency has the networking perks to make missing work worth it, experts say.

Residency requirements can give online MBA students face-to-face access to businesses or industry leaders they may not encounter elsewhere.

For busy working professionals considering an MBA, online programs can certainly have their appeal. Online MBA students get to avoid the daily commute to campus and keep their day jobs without relocating across the country.
But students who think they can complete their degree without ever filling up the gas tank or banking some air miles may be mistaken.
Some online MBA options – and many of the top programs – have residency components that require students to meet up at certain locations throughout the year. Students may spend days or weeks participating in seminars, socializing and learning from business leaders.
[Explore networking tips for online MBA students.]
"For online MBA programs at any business school of national status, a required residency component (big or small) is predominant," says Phil Powell, faculty chairman of Kelly Direct, Indiana University's online business school programs, through email. "I think it has evolved as a common standard."



While residencies can have a host of benefits, including making an online MBA program feel intimate, experts say they're not always a viable option for prospective students in terms of time and money. Before students choose to pursue a program with a residency program, in other words, they should have a sense of what they're getting into.
Among the potential benefits of online MBA residencies is the chance to build a professional network.


While establishing personal and professional connections is one of the most important parts of MBA programs, creating that network in an online program isn't always easy. "One of the challenges of an online MBA is that you really don't get that personal touch – it can be a bit distant," says Hansel Rodriguez, a student at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill's online MBA program, called MBA@UNC.


Rodriguez got a chance to strengthen his network by taking part in three residencies, or what his program calls immersions, in New York, San Francisco and Mumbai, India.
UNC's program requires students to participate in a three-day immersion experience from Friday through Sunday at least twice during their studies. The weekends, which are offered both domestically and abroad, combine classes, socializing and meetings with business and thought leaders.


"It gives you the opportunity to see your classmates in a social setting, and you get to build those social relationships," says Rodriguez, director of operations for the National Security Council at the White House. "I just went to a classmate of mine's wedding – it shows you the kind of relationships you get to build."
Another perk of residencies, experts say, is their ability to enhance the MBA educational experience​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. While students can soak up a lot of knowledge in an online classroom, residency requirements can give them ​face-to-face access to businesses, industry leaders and faculty who they may not encounter elsewhere.


[Seek online MBA programs that provide travel opportunities.]
Leah Miller, a student​ in the online MBA program at Pennsylvania State University—World Campus​ , says the chance to have practical experience outside the classroom was one of the main reasons she chose​ a program with a residency. In May of 2014, ​she and her classmates had a weeklong​ stay in Virginia, where they shadowed and studied the Mitre ​Corporation, a nonprofit company that operates federally funded research and development centers. At the end of the residency, students were expected to create a presentation analyzing the company.


"There was someone of the executive level at everything we did," says Miller. "Having that time to interact with them, that was really eye-opening for us."

Unfortunately, even prospective students who want a residency requirement might not be able to swing it.


"Possible drawbacks would probably be logistics and financing," says Ashley Kilburn, MBA coordinator for the University of Tennessee—Martin. Students typically have to front ​travel costs and use vacation days for these opportunities, she says.
Some companies may allow students to attend a residency without using vacation days, but that is rare, Kilburn says.
Miller, manager of operations innovation at The Hershey Company​, was able to get her company to let her attend residency without taking vacation days by explaining how the program would help her better manage capital projects, part of her job.

3 Ways Colleges Are Working to Improve Online Learning programs

By forming online learning institutes and collecting data about student progress, programs hope to improve virtual learning.

The University of Phoenix and DeVry University have implemented systems that run an analysis to look for troubling patterns in a student's progress.

For many online students, the flexibility of an online degree or certification program outweighs the possibility of a less immersive student experience.
But without having to physically walk into a classroom, an adviser’s office or a study session, experts say students who are struggling to keep up or stay interested in course work are sometimes more difficult to recognize and easier to ignore.
As a result, some programs are using innovative methods to foster an online educational experience that is more supportive, engaging, and responsive to student demands.
Among those tactics are the use of big, integrated data and analytics to help identify and support struggling students, the creation of research bodies devoted to studying online learning methods, and the development of collaborative relationships with virtual student clubs and associations.


[Learn about the debate over graduation rates for online students.]
Big Data
In an online environment, a professor may not know if a student is dropping out of courses, turning her assignments in at the last possible moment or not engaging directly with online course materials.
At the University of Phoenix and DeVry University, that's where integrated data systems come in.
Within the last two years, both for-profit institutions have implemented systems that unify data from all points across a student's online experience, run an analysis to look for troubling patterns in that student's progress and potentially alert an academic adviser if danger signs are seen.


"The system looks at everything," says Constance St. Germain, the executive dean of the University of Phoenix's colleges of humanities and sciences and social sciences. "It looks at what they're accessing in terms of textbooks. Are they posting in the classroom? How are they responding to fellow peers? Are they submitting assignments late?"
The University of Phoenix implemented its integrated data system about 18 months ago, officials said. DeVry University piloted its system last summer, and then applied it across the institution's online division this March, says vice president of operations Earl Frischkorn.
"It's data that we have naturally in the course of working with the students inside the institution," says Frischkorn, whose school is also in a data research partnership with Stanford University. "It's just that we're putting it together, and we have a little better sense of the student's situation."


[Video: Find out if your online program is legit.]
Frischkorn says it will take at least a few academic cycles before any judgments can be made on current systems' effectiveness, noting that it's one thing to identify whether a student is at risk, and another entirely to identify why, let alone solve the problem.
Further, just because a student is identified doesn't mean he or she will welcome assistance.
"You can't force anybody to get help that they don't want," St. Germain says. "The only thing you can do is make sure to reach out, to show that you care. Believe it or not, a lot of times, students just want the question, 'Is everything OK?'"
 

Research Centers
The University of Florida's Online Learning Institute may be in the nascent stages of its development, but its research interests show a strong focus on issues surrounding student engagement.