According to a recent study by The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), online education plays a large role in colleges and universities across the country. From the year 2000 to 2008, there has been a 12% increase in the number of undergraduate students who took at least one online class, while the existence of 100% online degree programs increased from 2-4%. This number continues to climb as more schools provide online options and more full-time online schools surface.

According to the report, the benefits of online education are numerous:

• Flexibility of studying from home without commuting

• Students can attend the college of their choice even if they are not located in close proximity

• Flexibility of completing studies on students’ schedules

• Mature students who have families and job responsibilities find they can study on their own time and would not be able to attend school if it weren’t for the flexibility of online training.

According to a recent study by the NECS, Learning at a Distance: Undergraduate Enrollment in Distance Education Courses and Degree Programs, enrollment in distance education courses or degree programs is attractive to an older crowd.

The popularity of distance learning programs is highest in the “over 30” group.

• Disabled students can attend classes without worrying about accessibility issues.

Distance Learning Preference

The former NECS report also pointed out that students were more likely to take advantage of distance learning if they were enrolled in specific degree programs. About 27% of students who enrolled in a computer science program took advantage of online learning, 7% more than the general student population. Additionally, about 24% of business majors enrolled in web-based courses.

University Expansion

Universities are also seeing a surge in the number of students who are enrolling in online classes. Rutgers University experienced a 17% increase in online enrollees between 2010 and 2011. According to Rutgers’ newspaper, the Daily Targum, the surge of online education participants has not increased their class size since the school continues to add more options for web-based classes. The average class size was 19 students in the fall of 2010 and this number actually decreased to 18 by the fall of 2011, even though online education participation has advanced.

Washington State University has also reported a larger audience for their web-based classes. The university is in the process of expanding its online programs to give out-of-state students who wish to attend the university the chance to participate in various studies at the school.

Into the Future

The popularity of online learning has only begun to expand and many academic officials believe this expansion will likely continue for the next ten years. According to a study performed by the Pew Research Center, 15% of college presidents polled stated that a majority of their students are enrolled in online classes. About 50% also stated that they believe over half of their students will enroll in web-based learning in the next ten years.

The results of these studies portray how online learning has and will continue to become a common thread in most colleges and universities. Though it is apparent that traditional face-to-face learning will always be available to the masses, for those who need more flexibility or even the opportunity to further their education, online education can provide the means to expand their horizons.

“Online education provides additional opportunities. It gives people greater opportunity for flexibility, for experiential learning, for illustrating things in multiple ways, such as visualization.” Diana G. Oblinger, president of Educause

Verify the School’s Accreditation

Earning a degree is a lot of money and hard work, so BEFORE you start make sure your school is accredited with the U.S. Department of Education. Most schools list their accreditation somewhere on their websites. If you can’t find it, either call or e-mail the school directly (check the CONTACTS section of their website) or go to the Department of Education’s accreditation database of post secondary schools and search on the name of the school in which you’re interested.

Also consider the reputation of the school. Find out what the rate of hire is for those who graduate, as well as which of the school’s degree programs lead to the broadest career paths. Make sure that professional organizations recognize the school you’re considering (for example, the American Bar Association, if you’re studying law) and that other schools will take your credits (from that school) if you choose to transfer before you complete your degree.

Get Credit for Previous Work

And speaking of credit transfers, it works both ways. If you’ve already been to college but didn’t finish, and now you want to go back, consider schools that will take the college credit you’ve already earned. Not all of them do, so if you can find a school that will recognize at least some of the college work you’ve already completed, you’ll be able to graduate sooner.

It is worth noting, however, that college credits in technology have a very limited shelf life. Because technology changes so quickly, colleges and universities (online or otherwise) aren’t keen on the idea of giving credit for older classes. That means, for example, that the COBOL or FORTRAN class you had 20 years ago probably won’t fly today. However, English Lit (especially pertaining to the classics) usually stands the test of time. Just be realistic in terms of what you expect to carry forward from a previous college experience.

Focus on Your Major

If you know what you want to major in, find the best online school that offers exactly what you want. Don’t settle for something that comes close when there are so many schools from which to choose. For example, if you want a Business Administration degree with an emphasis in contracts management, then find an accredited school that offers that specific area of study.

On the other side of the same coin, if you’re not sure what you want in terms of a degree or a career, then find a school that allows you to pick a major with a broader scope. For example, bachelor degrees in Professional Studies or Liberal Arts are becoming more common, because it prepares students for a variety of careers and at the same time gives them a solid foundation if they choose to go on to graduate school.

Find Out Where Graduation is Held

This might seem minor, but you may decide that you do want to attend commencement after you’ve complete college, even though you didn’t think you would when you started. So when you choose an online school, be sure to find out where the graduation ceremonies take place. If all things are equal between two online colleges, you may want to select the one that is physically closer to you, so if you do decide to participate in graduation, you don’t have to travel as far.

Research Payment Plans

An online college education costs about the same per unit as a brick-and-mortar college education. The savings come in that you don’t have to physically commute, and you have more flexibility with your work schedule while you go to school. However, it’s still expensive, so it’s definitely worth checking into which online schools offer adaptable payment plans and financial aid. Beware, however, of schools that try to lock you into student loans. If you can, avoid students loans in favor of taking a lighter class load so you can work while going to school. Yes, it will take you longer to graduate, however, you’ll do so debt free!

Choosing a school for your online education should not be taken lightly. Next to your job, it’ll take up most of your waking hours, and since time is your only non-renewable resource, you don’t want to waste it.

Online vs. On-campus

Some believe that higher education in business administration means honing better communication skills and thus face-to-face interaction with humans must take place during the learning process. Therefore, the advantage of physically going to a school allows you to not only sit in class and interact with your peers and instructors, but also encourages you to join professional on-campus clubs that meet regularly. There is no doubt that such networking can only help an MBA student develop better interpersonal skills that serve a business career well.

However, you have to ask yourself does human-interaction have to take place the entire two years it takes to get an MBA in order for the degree to be effective? The purists of higher education will always say yes. But then again these are probably the decedents of the same folks who thought women shouldn’t be allowed to attend and graduate from Harvard (quick sidebar: the male and female students of Harvard and Radcliffe were not completely comingled until 1972). Culture changes over time and as a result higher education has to change, too, which sometimes steps on the sensitive toes of tradition.

The Dilemma

With the economy in a perpetually precarious state people are reluctant to quit their jobs to go back to school (and rightly so). However, getting an advanced degree could mean the difference between a higher pay grade or simply keeping your job. Online education allows someone with an established business career to earn an MBA without as much interruption as it would take to attend a brick-and-mortar school. Anyone who wants to pursue an MBA should be allowed to try, at the school of their choice, regardless of their job status or where they live. Why? Because now technology makes online and on-campus degrees virtually the same, which opens the door to higher education for a whole new demographic of people. This does not dilute higher education, but rather increases the education level of the overall population. In the long run that’s a good thing for everyone.

The Solution

Apparently University of North Carolina, University of Chicago, Northwestern, Indiana University, Duke University, and Spain’s IE Business School all think so, too. These all have highly-acclaimed business schools which now off offer online MBA degrees, in most cases with online classes taught by the same professors that teach on-campus. Some of them even include short-term residencies in their curriculum. For example, UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School offers weekend residencies worldwide as part of their online MBA program. And Duke’s Fuqua School of Business includes five brief residencies, even though the bulk of the coursework is done online. Although not required by most online MBA programs, residencies overcome the objection that online MBA degrees don’t include any interpersonal training.

Since traditional universities now (finally) offer online versions of their advanced degree programs (even though online colleges have been around for more than 10 years), it would seem that YES, online MBA programs do have a place in higher education. That’s not to say that a 21-year-old with a brand, spanking new undergraduate degree shouldn’t immediately pursue an MBA at a brick-and-mortar college if he or she has the opportunity to do so. But because of our changing world, including an economy that we haven’t seen the likes of since the 1930s, online education should not be disregarded as a lesser option. It is simply ONE option for someone to use as a means of bettering him- or herself.

Regardless of where you decide to get your MBA degree, you have to remember that obtaining your degree is the goal, so pick a college that accommodates YOU. If you’re already established in business why should you give up your career just to go back to school? Turns out you don’t have to, because when it comes to online education there are plenty of learning opportunities for all types of people, no matter where they happen to be in life.

Advance your career with a MBA!