College degree master online is a need of the day, with the
country focusing on generating more and more high-value jobs in
service, consulting, and intellectual-property, while willing to
relinquish low-value jobs in manufacturing and technology to the
third world through outsourcing.
When this trend gathers further momentum in the coming years,
one thing is sure - the current distribution of the US labor
force, among high school diploma holders, associate degree
holders, bachelor's degree holders, master's degree holders,
professional degree holders, and doctorate holders, will be in
for a major realignment, which will clearly be in favor of those
having a master's degree and above.
However, the increasing competition for regular graduate
admissions, as well as the increasing financial burden when
quitting work to enroll at a regular graduate school, has made
college degree master online the way to go for many Americans
aspiring for a master's degree.
No wonder, the penetration of distance education is highest in
graduate schools, compared with institutions offering
predominantly associate, bachelor's, professional, or doctoral
degrees. In 2005, 44% of schools offering face-to-face master's
degree programs, had started offering them online too.
What It Involves:
College degree master online is about distance learning or
online courses that lead to graduate degrees like Master of Arts
(MA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Business Administration
(MBA), Master of Education (MEd), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and
many more specialized master's degrees.
For most subjects, the duration of studies needed for a master's
degree ranges between 1 to 2 years. The normal prerequisite is a
4-year Bachelor's degree, while in some subjects and some
colleges, a few years of professional work too will be needed.
For example, online MBA programs from almost all prestigious
institutions will need work experience for enrolling.
Also, some graduate subjects are usually not available through
distance learning. Examples are Juris Doctor (JD) and Doctor of
Medicine (MD). Though they require a 4-year Bachelor's degree as
a prerequisite, they are considered first as professional
degrees rather than master's degrees. However, real master's
degrees in these subjects, like, LLM and MS (Medicine) might be
available with a significant online component.
Good scores in standardized tests like GRE and GMAT might be
necessary for admission at some of the more prestigious
Universities. College degree master online will be demanding, as
a typical program will be a mixture of course-based and
research-based learning.
Why College Degree?
The nation enjoys a literacy rate of 99.9, which is also a first
rank it shares with 20 other developed countries. However, among
the US adult population, only 27% have received a bachelor's
degree or above. The rest of the adult population either holds a
high school diploma, an associate degree, or haven't completed
their education.
Such a scenario was fine with an economy dominated by
manufacturing and farming. However, as the nation continually
moved up the value rung, a college degree became an absolute
necessity. The value with which industry regards degree holders
is evident from the fact that their average salary exceeds the
national average by more than $10,000.
Why College Degree Master?
Today only 8.9% of the American student community go for a
master's degree. But America is again moving up the value rung
through outsourcing - shifting from leadership in the technology
sectors, to leadership in intellectual property, consultancy,
and services.
Today, it won't be an exaggeration to state that a typical
American white-collar job demands a master's degree. The only
exceptions are first professional degrees like Bachelor of
Science (BS) in Engineering, Doctor of Medicine (MD), Juris
Doctor (JD), and other such professional degrees. Even in these
fields, a master's degree is more desirable today, than it was
ten years back.
The most important factor favoring master's degree holders is
that many of tomorrow's fastest growing occupations require a
master's degree. This makes a master's degree the passport to
high-growth careers.
These include physical therapists, occupational therapists,
educational counselors, instructional coordinators,
rehabilitation counselors, mental health counselors, operations
managers, management analysts, financial managers, information
system managers, and sales managers.
Interestingly, at least in some of these fastest growing
occupations, a master's degree has also become a prerequisite
for professional licensing.
Master's degree holders squarely beat bachelor's degree holders
in both earnings and employment rates. While they earn nearly
$800 more per month than bachelor's degree holders on an
average, their unemployment rate is much better at 2.1, compared
with the 2.6 among bachelor's degree holders. Clearly, these two
factors combine to provide a kind of insurance against
unemployment.
Lastly, many academically bright people go for a master's
degree, since they plan to attain one day the terminal degree in
their subject, a doctorate.
Why College Degree Master Online?
Due to factors like better salaries, entry to high-growth
careers, and better protection against unemployment, there is no
doubt a master's degree is today most desirable. However, opting
for a regular graduate school is not for everyone.
First of all, the avenues for attending regular graduate schools
are rather limited. While USA has more than 4,000 accredited
colleges offering bachelor's or associate degrees, only less
than 300 Universities offer master's degrees. Clearly, the
available seats in these institutions are limited, compared with
the increasing demand, thereby taking the competition to get
graduate admission to new levels.
To manage the situation, many institutions keep an arbitrary
cutoff GPA, sometimes not taking into consideration even test
scores like GRE or GMAT. Clearly, the way out from this tough
situation is master's degrees through distance education.
Secondly, the cost of attending regular graduate school is
steadily increasing. Annual tuition will cost upwards of
$15,000, while even modest boarding will set one back by at
least $6000.
Add to this, the revenue loss from quitting one's job, and it
becomes clear that even stipends from being a research assistant
or teaching assistant at the University, won't be enough to meet
the high cost-of-living of a regular graduate student. Again,
the way out is a college degree master online.
Here, you keep your full time job, pay much less tuition fee,
spend not an additional dollar on campus boarding, but still
proceed to the much coveted master's degree.
What to Expect From College Degree Master Online, in the Future?
As demand for college degree master online increases further,
the deployment of distance education in graduate schools will
increase further from the current level of approximately 50%.
Almost every master's degree will be available online soon.
When options and enrollments increase, costs for college degree
master online will come down further. Also, it will be no
surprise if college degree master online becomes the norm rather
than the exception in graduate study, at least in some subjects.
Bandwidth getting faster and cheaper will result in course
delivery through the Internet, especially via asynchronous
video, which will become the delivery mode of choice for
lectures.
Conclusion
College Degree Master Online solves many problems and provides
many positives. It lowers unemployment risks, reduces graduate
school expenses, provides admissions to a large percentage of
contenders, equips one for high growth careers, and of course,
helps maximize one's earning potential.
This is why master's degrees are the most widely deployed
distance learning programs today, and why the situation will
only get even better in the future with more options and more
enrollments.
About the author:
Jim Zorn is web master of the Guide to Distance Learning. Visit
us to learn more about online colleges and universities,
distance learning degrees, majors and courses offered.
