An online university is an institution that is certified to allow you to earn a degree without attending a campus. You are able to listen to lectures, interact with students and perform assignments anywhere you have access to a computer. You communicate with your professors and colleagues via e-mail, message boards and messenger services. You may even talk to your professor on the phone. This works wonders for those who have rigid schedules they cannot alter and those are lack the discipline or time to attend a real lecture in person.

Education structured for the student:

These courses are made to fit every type of student. If you had troubles in classrooms and did not perform to your maximum in person, perhaps learning online is best for you. You ultimately decide how to finish your degree, whether you want to dedicate half your day everyday to work or half an hour every other day, every route is customizable for your needs. Courses are structured with visual aids like power point presentations and discussions are as vivid as in a real classroom but done electronically, allowing you to voice your opinion easier than raising your hand.

Education is same or better quality than at a brick and mortar institution:

Researcher Thomas L. Russell performed extensive research on distance learning and found no difference in the quality of education. His book, The No-Significant-Difference Phenomenon reveals this research and more as he parsed through over 300 scientific studies on the subject.

Receiving information is a breeze.

The first step in attending an online university is to contact the schools of interest and request information to be sent to you. This is as easy as going on their website and filling out a form that takes less than 5 minutes to fill out. These schools will then assign you to an Enrollment Counselor who aids you in enrollment and answers all the questions you have about distance learning. If you require financial aid, online schools are able to set you up with another counselor who will get you the resources you require for your financial needs.

For those who were unable to attend a traditional campus college or had to opt out before obtaining their degree, there is a viable solution: Attend an online university. This “distance learning” online is more popular than you think. Hundreds of thousands of students everyday are earning their degrees from the convenience of their own home. The student demographic varies as widely as the subjects they are specializing in. Not all students are young, many are older than 35, have families and are well into their careers. Others are taking the time to find a new career without sacrificing their current daily schedule or lifestyle.

Since most individuals believe the only way to earn a proper degree is to attend an on-campus university, they are surprised to learn many of the intriguing facets of an online university:

A degree from an online university will help you succeed in life. We live in a competitive job market and any form of credentials help you pop out in a crowd of applicants. Most jobs today require at bare minimum a bachelor’s degree and you can earn almost every type of bachelor’s via online education. Statistics reveal an individual with a bachelor’s receives nearly double the lifetime income of those with out.

You can earn the same degrees offered at traditional schools. Most newcomers to online education don’t realize the dizzying array of degrees offered at these distance universities. An online university enables you to receive an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and even some PhD’s. That’s right, you could earn a doctorate while attending class from your own home! A few of the areas of study:

• Business (Marketing, accounting, finance)
• Education (Elementary and secondary)
• Engineering (Electrical, mechanical)
• Graphic Design (Web site creation, visual art and design)
• Health Care (Nursing, hospital administration)
• Law Degree (Paralegal)
• Social Science (English, philosophy, political science)
• Computer Science (Programming, networks)

An online university can be just as credible as a traditional one. You may have heard horror stories of so called “diploma mills” where a fake institution takes your money and mails you a paper degree. These do exist but are not real online schools. The good news is that most online universities are accredited by the U.S. Department of Education just like your state universities are. The top online schools are accredited by one or more recognized accrediting agencies. The American InterContinental University and the University of Phoenix Online are both highly respected schools and are regarded in the same league as any on-campus school around.

Online schools have real teachers like any other university. All faculty members are required to at least have a masters in their area of teaching and most have doctorate degrees. Each online university is required to train their professors in proper ways to teach via computer so the lectures are as efficient as possible, despite being virtual. A lot of the time the professors who are teaching your discipline are respected figures in their field. There are many CEOs and business owners who rely on their real world expertise to deliver you a full fledged online education.

Usually attending an online university is more affordable than going to a traditional university. Many college attendees pay tens of thousands of dollars to obtain their bachelors or graduate degree. Enrolling in distance learning is often significantly cheaper than doing it in person. In addition to paying less for the same specialization, you are able to finish  your degree at your own pace from your home if you so choose.