I'm needing to research some online colleges for master's programs. How do I know which ones are accredited?
I've found some that are somewhat respectable, like Kaplan, American Military University and Capella, but how can I be sure which review sites are legitimate?
(oh and this is for my husband who already has a bachelor's, but needs more to stay in his field, so going to a college building isn't an option)
I would call the school and ask. My sister in law got her master's from university of phoenix. She was really happy with her experience and is now an executive for 3M.
I'm pretty sure the accrediting sources have their own sites listing the accredited universities. Depending on what you want your degree in, Walden University is definitely fully accredited and highly recommended from a number of my friends. I know many people in metro Atlanta school systems have earned advanced degrees from Walden.
I think it would be harder to find a college that doesn't offer online classes.
Most colleges will have courses offered. Right now my friend and I are trying to figure out which one we want to go to to finish our doctorates. It would be easier if we knew what field you were looking for, but I will be finished with my BSN (online) in December and will start a DNP (online) (doctorate of nurse practice[ARNP]) in January.
Try University of Phoenix, and whatever your local community or state college is.
K.
Find out if you can use federal financial aid there (pell grants, subsidized lending, etc.). Regardless of whether or not you're planning on getting aid yourself, the gov't will only let you use aid at fully accredited universities. Otherwise, it's hard to find one site that will do it all for you, since accrediting agencies are regional (e.g. North Central for OK vs. South for TX). I believe the country is divided into 6 regions--so for online, you'd have to check all 6 accreditors. GL!
I would recommend University of Phoenix. My husband has been attending for over a year, and I have now started on my degree program. It is an accredited school, and you can do your classes online or at any of the locations. We are both doing the online route. I have really enjoyed my classes so far. Hope this helps!
What field does your husband want to get a master's degree in? Is this the same field in which he earned his bachelor's degree or a new field? Most major universities offer on line degree programs, so I would look into University of North Texas, UTA, TCU or a college that specializes in that field. Several also have weekend master's programs in certain fields, where the candidate completes a lot of classes on line, but then attends some classes on the weekend. I do not have a high opinion of the ones you mentioned (haven't heard of Capella), so I would see how respected that school would be in his chosen field.
Maybe it's me, but I am very cautious of online colleges, do your research and be very careful. I prefer the whole experience of traditional colleges, I think that as busy moms sometimes we tend to think that online is better for the convenience of studying at home when in fact we really need to get out of the house and focus fully in school (not to mention personallly interacting with professors and other students). Anyhow, good luck!
Since you're in Fort Worth you should look at the local universities here. North Texas in Denton has Online Programs, so does UT Arlington, Texas Women's University (not just for women)... etc. Most major universities are going this route. You can't get much safer then picking an actual brick and mortar university that has an online program - that way you never have to worry about someone believing your school was just a "diploma mill."
What is his major or focus? My husband is getting his Master's and I've lived in this area a good while. I could help point you at State colleges that might be a good fit.
I just researched this for myself and my husband and looked at how the college was accredited. I compared the colleges I researched with colleges I knew something about and look at what organization they were accredited by. I learned that some companies don't count graduate degrees from some types of colleges.
I am taking classes through Southern New Hampshire University. I'm not sure what masters program he is looking into but they are an accredited and respectable college. The website is snhu.edu if you want to check it out.
