Online Degree Programs: Requirements and Options

Enrollment in online courses (those in which 80% or more of the content is presented online) grew dramatically from 1.98 million students in 2003 to 4.6 million in 2008 (www.sloanconsortium.org). Online degree programs are available in more than a dozen fields and are ideal for nontraditional students who work full time, have children or are otherwise unable to attend more conventional campus programs.

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Requirements for Online Degree Programs

Many requirements for an online degree are the same as for an on-campus degree. Students must be accepted by the university based on GPA, college testing scores and other criteria. Tuition and sometimes books or other fees are required.

Requirements that are different for online programs are those related to computer technology. There are several requirements that a student needs to be aware of in addition to Internet access.

Requirements for Computer Operating Systems and Web Browsers

Most colleges use Blackboard as their medium for online classes. Blackboard has several versions and unfortunately, no version is compatible with all operating systems or all browsers. A required Java Run Time browser plug-in should also be a version compatible with Blackboard. Students must check with the college to find out which operating systems, browsers and plug-ins will work with the Blackboard version it uses.

Requirements for Computer Hardware

There are computer hardware requirements beyond the operating system that must be met. These include:

A 1GHz or greater CPU processor
Hard drive capacity of at least 10 GB
Ram of 512 MB or larger
DVD-ROM drive
Sound card and speakers

Requirements for Computer Skills

Most students will have at least basic computer skills. These are necessary for online classes and include:

Using the keyboard and mouse
Minimizing, maximizing, resizing and moving windows with one or multiple windows open
Word processing skills
Creating, saving, copying and organizing files and folders
Opening PDF files
Using the Internet
Navigating and saving programs and applications
Using e-mails and chat rooms

Options for Online Degree Programs

Many options for online degree programs are the same as those for residential students, including what school to attend, what degree to pursue and what major to choose. Degree options in many online programs are as varied as on-campus and range from associate degrees through doctorates in dozens of majors.

Options in Areas of Study Available for Online Degrees

Online degree programs typically offer the same coursework as campus-based programs. Some of the fields in which online degrees are available are:

Social services and public administration
Public safety and law enforcement
Medical/Health professions and psychology
Mechanic and repair technologies
Legal
Engineering and engineering technologies
Education
Computer sciences and communication technologies
Communication and journalism
Business

Options for Campus Time Required for Online Degrees

Despite being taught online using Web conferences, prerecorded lectures, online videos, teleconferences, bulletin boards and typed lectures, some online degree programs require students to spend minimal amounts of time on campus. Although students communicate regularly with professors and classmates through message boards, e-mail, instant messages and chat rooms, time on campus allows them to meet with professors, advisors and classmates and to attend workshops.

Other programs are hybrid or blended courses. These classes have a sizable amount of the content presented online and often use online discussions. The number of face-to-face classes is reduced, but is still a substantial part of the program. The student must decide which program type will best meet his or her needs.

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