Online degree programs have certainly become popular over the last decade. However, is there a limit to how far you can go when it comes to getting your education? Getting an undergraduate degree or even a graduate degree is relatively easy to do when you take classes online. When it comes to getting your doctorate, what are your options?
Online Doctorate Programs Should Take Off In The Years To Come
There are many issues inherent to getting a doctorate online. The first is that you have to do a lot of extensive research and write a thesis. It can be hard to communicate with your professors and any other mentors that you will have along the way. However, as students start to get used to fulfilling their course requirements online, they will start to demand more online doctorate programs as well. Expect to see a steady rise in the number of programs offered in the years to come.
Where Can You Get Money For An Online Doctorate?
The cost of an online doctorate is something that you really have to think carefully about. When you go to a traditional college, you generally get a teaching position to help offset the cost of your degree. This is not the case when you choose the online route to your doctorate. However, your employer may be willing to help you pick up the tab for the cost of your advanced education. This is because your degree will make you a larger asset to the company where you work.
A Higher Salary May Also Help Offset Costs
Did you know that you could potentially make an extra $13,000 a year if you have your Ph.D in engineering? This adds up to another $390,000 in an average career. As you gain more experience, the amount of money that you can command will only increase. If you are thinking about going into the healthcare field, your earnings potential can almost double if you get your doctorate.
Make Sure That You Go To An Accredited School
As with any other online degree program, you need to make sure that you are going to an accredited school. It is easy to find out if a particular online school is accredited and who awarded the accreditation. If your school of choice is not accredited, you will not be able to find a job after school because no employer is going to recognize your degree. Your reputation within your industry could also be damaged if you wind up going to a diploma mill instead of a legitimate school.
Getting your doctorate online is something that not many people are doing right now. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t or couldn’t go this route if you choose to. Keep in mind that the paradigm is shifting from a traditional educational model to an online model. Within the next few years, there should be more programs from which you can choose to get your doctorate in whatever field you wish to study.