How To Ensure An Accredited Online Degree

An accredited online degree is important since some graduate schools and employers will not accept degrees from non-accredited college.  There are schools that list fake accrediting agencies and even create a website for them.  There are six main college accrediting agency:

· Middle States
· New England
· North Central
· Northwest
· Southwest
· Western
It is best that when looking for an online school, look as well for a school’s accreditation.

There are two types of accreditation:

· Institutional accreditation is where the college itself meets certain standards.
· Specialized accreditation is making sure that a specific program meets its particular industry’s standards.

This is further broken down into national and regional types.

· Colleges looking to get their students started in their careers as soon as possible typically use national accreditation.
· The standard recognized by most traditional colleges and universities and is more widely accepted is regional accreditation.

Both national and regional accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education.  Here are samples of Regional and National Accredited Groups to check for an accredited online degree:

· Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
· Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
· Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
· Council for Higher Education Accreditation
· Distance Education and Training Council
· Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Higher Education
· New England Association of Schools and Colleges
· North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Higher Learning Commission
· Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Colleges
· Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Colleges
· Western Association of Schools and Colleges

According to the US Department of Education, accreditation is important since this is used by students and universities in a way:

· To verify that established standards are met by a college or university.
· Acceptable colleges or universities are identified by the students.
· This helps to determine the acceptable transfer credits by colleges and universities.
· To establish goals to raise the standards among educational institutions.
· The criteria for professional certification and licensure and for upgrading courses offering such preparation are established.
· The basis and criteria for receiving federal financial assistant and student aid is established.

The advantages of an accredited online degree are:

· Accredited online college degree saves time and money since there is little or no commuting involved.
· This is an excellent way to fit education into a busy life.  Practical experiences in a job can be collected and one can study in parallel.
· A tremendous savings in childcare costs can be obtained since it allows the student to work from home.
· The course work is very flexible.  One can complete it in his own convenience.
· One can broaden one’s horizons by interacting with people from other parts of the world.
· Increased salaries often happen to people with advanced degrees.
· Project management and distance collaboration skills can be demonstrated and improved.

It is always best to check for accreditation before signing up for anything so that time and money will not be wasted.