Do universities and employers discriminate against people with an online degree?

[cardiacclep]

The answer will be situational. For the most part, I do not think companies or most colleges care really. The future will be in online or most likely hybrid anyway. With technology, it is getting really silly to drive an hour to sit in a lecture that could be done with a webcam. The generation that doesn't get this are on their way out in reality. In the end, if you go to the online side of a good state or well known college you should be fine. Schools like U of Phoenix or Strayer might be strikes against you but those are notoriously terrible. In the TESU magazine Fall edition there was an alumni update of a TESU grad that was currently in Harvard Law. I believe he first got into Ohio State U law first after TESU then transferred to Harvard but the point being is he went to multiple respected universities with an online only degree. In the end, all this is what you make it. If you feel insecure about your degree than others will as well. After you hit your stride in your career, your degree is almost never a source of conversation or interest. I have worked with Harvard grads who have the same respect and title as someone who went to a no name college in Kansas. Unless you are in high finance, law or upper echelons of government, your school name is larger irrelevant.

[Bibby]

That's very hard to say. Ultimately, hiring decisions are made by humans applying a highly subjective and opaque set of criteria. For example, I've been told that the hiring manager in one department at a major local company screens resumes and rejects all of them unless the applicant is from one of four universities! Obviously, that's an extreme case, and most companies aren't like that. Some hiring managers and HR people might feel that face-to-face education is more rigorous, while others might value someone who got a degree in an unconventional way.

Attending a very prestigious school might help your resume stand out in a crowd, and attending a bigger or wealthier university is helpful in building connections with other alumni. In most cases, however, employers don't care where you got your degree, as long as it's a legitimate-sounding program. In addition, they probably won't dig deep into whether you took online, face-to-face, or hybrid classes.

If you want to teach at Harvard or another elite institution, or if you're looking to get into a major accounting firm, you'd be wise to investigate what kinds of credentials are valued in the field you're pursuing. Otherwise, any regionally-accredited degree from a legit school will probably be OK.

[High_Order1]

For example, I've been told that the hiring manager in one department at a major local company screens resumes and rejects all of them unless the applicant is from one of four universities!

I totally believe that! As a supporting example, notice the lobby when you go in. If the pictures of the principals have a blurb that begins with what schools they went to, lace your shoes tighter...

[ChilliDawg]

I guess I have a different spin on it than others. First of all, most of my credits were from Brick and Mortar colleges that I acquired throughout different periods of my life. I pulled them all together through TESU, so that I could complete the degree. Who says I did it all online? Who says it is an online degree? Here are a few points :

1) Most colleges throughout that nation now have online courses, if not complete degree programs online. Neither their transcripts nor their diplomas distinguish if you went to class and sat in a seat, or whether you did the coursework online.

2) Most teachers that I know require continuing education to keep up their teaching certs. My sister in law went to traditional school for her Bachelor. After 10 years of teaching, she required her Master's. She did it all online through a big school. If public schools are accepting online for their teachers to maintain certs and promotions, it should be good enough for everyone else.

3) My wife is an Administrator of a large college. Brick and Mortar college with NO online offerings. Many of their employees are working on their Master's and are taking them from other colleges. All online. If a major college accepts online for their own employees, well.........

4) We are in a wired age. The internet and alternative education is WAY more accepted than it used to be. It is only going to grow in popularity. The college that my wife works for is in a panic because they do not have an online program yet. Students and parents are starting to DEMAND online offerings. Anymore, if a college can't keep up with online schools, they are bound to fail.

5) Community Colleges and Online classes have been heavily promoted by many Philanthropists and even the previous President as a way to increase STEM training, build our country's pool of educated workers, while simultaneously decreasing student loan debt. Sorry for those who don't see it this way, but OUR method is becoming more fashionable and also prudent. Expect more to follow our lead.

I work in software development, and most everyone I work with is college educated. I would say that a large portion of the younger crowd with degrees have had experience with online schooling at some level. As time passes, and younger managers take over, online schooling will be more and more prevalent and accepted. Sure, there may still be some older, more traditional managers out there, that may look down at an online education, but you will see less and less of that with time.

FORGE AHEAD! You are doing the right thing.

[cookderosa]

This is an interesting question.  You're asking a group of people who do not/have not attended the school you're targeting- in another country- if we can predict how their adcom will evaluate your degree.  No one can do that- so that's the wrong question.

Your degree from TESU will contain exactly what you fill it with- so if you take classes or tests, it's up to you.  I often read people's questions who ask about not having a TESU GPA.  The only reason you'd not have a TESU GPA is if you don't take classes there- I took classes there, I have a GPA.  In other words, you're in the driver's seat. You can take your classes butt-in-seat if you want (locally) and transfer them in- if you complete your degree using online classes, that's also your decision.  

TESU is a regionally accredited state college, non-for-profit, and 100% legit.  There is absolutely nothing shady about the college.  That said, getting into a competitive graduate program will require a lot of preliminary work on your part- including researching any prerequisites the college has, and making a plan to check those boxes.  

Can you get into grad school?  Of course.  Can you get into THAT grad school? Who knows.

Hi Jennifer,

I agree asking this wouldn't make much sense, however, this wasn't my question at all, but simply an introduction to give a basic overview of my planning and goals.

Like most things, and especially for something that would take nearly a year to complete, as well as cost $6000+, I believe knowing if this will be useful is important. I am worried that an online degree will be badly perceived and thought that it would be good to ask for advice to know if there is some truth to my worries or if it is simply a worry and nothing more.

What I would like to know is people's opinion and experience with applying to jobs or certificate/graduate programs with an online degree, to give a better and more accurate idea of the situation.

But I did answer your question - the one you should have asked instead of the one you asked.

The one you asked is looking for certainty from a small and biased sample size.
Our answers, thoughts, and opinions don't get you into Nottingham. Furthermore, even if the entire population of the planet was asked, that also doesn't get you into Nottingham. My getting accepted into all of the grad schools I applied to doesn't get YOU into Nottingham. My resume doesn't help you.

Unlike many people here with vague or uncertain goals, you have a very specific one- and in this case, you're ahead of the game. You know exactly what you want. Now that you do, work backward and build a plan to get there. Can you get into Nottingham? Yes. How? That's the million dollar question.

My original answer still applies "Your degree from TESU will contain exactly what you fill it with- so if you take classes or tests, it's up to you... You can take your classes butt-in-seat if you want (locally) and transfer them in- if you complete your degree using online classes, that's also your decision. ...TESU is a regionally accredited state college, non-for-profit, and 100% legit. There is absolutely nothing shady about the college. That said, getting into a competitive graduate program will require a lot of preliminary work on your part- including researching any prerequisites the college has, and making a plan to check those boxes. Can you get into grad school? Of course. Can you get into THAT grad school? Who knows."

[Kev]

Everywhere I go, I hear people talking crap about online degrees. Most when pressed do it because they are ignorant of what's been going on with education the last five-ten years. The internet puts a hurt on traditional schooling. But there are a lot of people that associate online / distance education with 'diploma mills'.

This is the bleeding edge of education, with the other being immersive technology education. (I'm watching 'teacher in a box' and using virtual reality really take off.)

If you're concerned about name brand recognition (I kinda am), harvard and loyola both have online degree programs... lol Even then, there will be a stigma. The people that had to spend years slugging it out in classrooms sometimes hold a grudge towards compressed and online degreed recipients. I was at a guys' house the other day that told me, (when it happens for me) "we both may be bachelors, but I (he) earned mine the old fashioned way..."

Is what it is. Be prepared to sell your experience until general acceptance comes (and, I feel it will. These kids and their internets... lol)

Yeah, distance learning is the future. Traditional brick-and-mortar universities will progressively go down as the stigma associated with distance learning is removed (there has been quite a lot of progress these last few years, like you said). 

I think people are catching on that degrees are not that important or useful (sometimes even worthless) and carry a ridiculous price tag—where actual skills are gained in the real world (since a lot of things that are taught in schools is outdated). These days, degrees are (sadly) more used as a way to filter applicants.

It's interesting to see what the future has to offer!

---

But I did answer your question - the one you should have asked instead of the one you asked.

The one you asked is looking for certainty from a small and biased sample size.  
Our answers, thoughts, and opinions don't get you into Nottingham.  Furthermore, even if the entire population of the planet was asked, that also doesn't get you into Nottingham.  My getting accepted into all of the grad schools I applied to doesn't get YOU into Nottingham.  My resume doesn't help you.

Unlike many people here with vague or uncertain goals, you have a very specific one- and in this case, you're ahead of the game.  You know exactly what you want.  Now that you do, work backward and build a plan to get there.  Can you get into Nottingham?  Yes.  How?  That's the million dollar question.

Hmm, I think the part that created confusion regarding my plan description is Nottingham—which I heard is a university that is extremely difficult the get into. However, the PGCEi, or Post-Graduate Certificate in Education International, (not the standard PGCE, but the "International" version) is an online certificate (although you do need to meet them in person at a Nottingham center, which are scattered around the globe) offered by Nottingham for teachers, that lasts 6-12 months, and which is quite popular in some countries (doesn't lead to teacher licensure, though).

I get that you are saying my chances of being accepted at Nottingham are slim and asking about it doesn't make sense (I agree), but I'm not trying to get into Nottingham at all, but just want to be prepared for the certificate application and not get singled out (i.e., discriminated against) because I have an online degree (although, a third of the credits are from in-person classes). From knowing this, I can get a better idea of the situation, and if discrimination might happen, I would boost my portfolio to increase my chances (although this would be a lot of work and resources, which could be used somewhere else if having an online degree is a non-issue).

[cookderosa]

Everywhere I go, I hear people talking crap about online degrees. Most when pressed do it because they are ignorant of what's been going on with education the last five-ten years. The internet puts a hurt on traditional schooling. But there are a lot of people that associate online / distance education with 'diploma mills'.

This is the bleeding edge of education, with the other being immersive technology education. (I'm watching 'teacher in a box' and using virtual reality really take off.)

If you're concerned about name brand recognition (I kinda am), harvard and loyola both have online degree programs... lol Even then, there will be a stigma. The people that had to spend years slugging it out in classrooms sometimes hold a grudge towards compressed and online degreed recipients. I was at a guys' house the other day that told me, (when it happens for me) "we both may be bachelors, but I (he) earned mine the old fashioned way..."

Is what it is. Be prepared to sell your experience until general acceptance comes (and, I feel it will. These kids and their internets... lol)

Yeah, distance learning is the future. Traditional brick-and-mortar universities will progressively go down as the stigma associated with distance learning is removed (there has been quite a lot of progress these last few years, like you said). 

I think people are catching on that degrees are not that important or useful (sometimes even worthless) and carry a ridiculous price tag—where actual skills are gained in the real world (since a lot of things that are taught in schools is outdated). These days, degrees are (sadly) more used as a way to filter applicants.

It's interesting to see what the future has to offer!

---

But I did answer your question - the one you should have asked instead of the one you asked.

The one you asked is looking for certainty from a small and biased sample size.  
Our answers, thoughts, and opinions don't get you into Nottingham.  Furthermore, even if the entire population of the planet was asked, that also doesn't get you into Nottingham.  My getting accepted into all of the grad schools I applied to doesn't get YOU into Nottingham.  My resume doesn't help you.

Unlike many people here with vague or uncertain goals, you have a very specific one- and in this case, you're ahead of the game.  You know exactly what you want.  Now that you do, work backward and build a plan to get there.  Can you get into Nottingham?  Yes.  How?  That's the million dollar question.

Hmm, I think the part that created confusion regarding my plan description is Nottingham—which I heard is a university that is extremely difficult the get into. However, the PGCEi, or Post-Graduate Certificate in Education International, (not the standard PGCE, but the "International" version) is an online certificate (although you do need to meet them in person at a Nottingham center, which are scattered around the globe) offered by Nottingham for teachers, that lasts 6-12 months, and which is quite popular in some countries (doesn't lead to teacher licensure, though).

I get that you are saying my chances of being accepted at Nottingham are slim and asking about it doesn't make sense (I agree), but I'm not trying to get into Nottingham at all, but just want to be prepared for the certificate application and not get singled out (i.e., discriminated against) because I have an online degree (although, a third of the credits are from in-person classes). From knowing this, I can get a better idea of the situation, and if discrimination might happen, I would boost my portfolio to increase my chances (although this would be a lot of work and resources, which could be used somewhere else if having an online degree is a non-issue).

Since the program they are offering consists of distance learning, it seems unlikely that they'd disallow credentials earned the same way. Still, you could email them and ask. It's a simple question- one I sent to MULTIPLE medical and nursing schools when I was in the market. I asked point blank if sciences with labs taken via distance learning were acceptable. Initially I was going to send it to all the MD and DO medical schools (and some nursing) but it got boring after a while when EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. told me it didn't matter....with their requisite "ideally taken in person" thrown somewhere in there.
It is my OPINION that applicants to post-bac programs are evaluated differently than those teens applying to undergraduate programs. Post-bac/grad applicants are multilayered and have life experiences. They are 3D whereas sometimes a teenager may have very little to fill up an application with- making things like high school transcripts/SAT scores very important. Wherever you apply, they'll be looking at much more than whether or not you studied online, so taking care to meet all the requirements exactly as they've asked and then filling in all the blanks with robust and positive reasons they should let you in would be my plan. Volunteer, letters of rec, etc. - these are all good ways to make a good impression. I wish you all the best, and for now, let's get that bachelor's degree!

[blaczkowitz]

I'm planning on getting a BA in English (at TESU), to be able to work abroad as an English teacher. Once I start teaching at a public school, I then want to get the PGCEi at Nottingham University, so that I can apply at higher-paying/private schools. While the requirements for the PGCEi aren't unreasonable, the program does have standards regarding who is accepted, and while qualifications and experience don't worry me, I am worried that I will be discriminated against due to having an online degree—and equally important, discriminated against by employers.

• Do universities, US and other countries, discriminate against people with an online degree (who apply for a certificate, master's or doctorate)?
  
• Do employers—especially private/international teaching schools—discriminate against people who have an online degree?
  

I would assume yes they do discriminate - as to how much is hard to say, but some of the discrimination is sometimes legitimate.  I've met some people who only had 'online classes' who...  might have the technical knowledge taught in the class but seem to lack some of the social unwritten rules and such also learned in class.  Just like sometimes homeschooled kids can be extremely intelligent but lack some of the practical skills learned in school with others.  (note I said sometimes, and this isn't meant as a slight - just my experience)  Sometimes that experience is literally learning how to deal with totally unfair bullsh_t believe it or not... bullies in class, teachers that take some random mislike to you (the same way that some boss or manager might and then youre dealing with office politics - which is not taught online) and crap nobody should have to deal with, but everyone usually does anyways.  If nothing else starting online then transferring and graduating from somewhere more physical might help mitigate that.

I dont know the specifics of your field but I do know that the more work experience you have, the less the degree matters - just that you have one - because after the first job or two you're sort of considered proven and it's more important what your work history is.  So in the worst case be prepared for a tough first job or two (be really sure you make the employer happy and get good references) and after that it's probably much less of a deal.

[Pelican]

Since the OP is specifically asking about teaching overseas, I would direct them to a Web site called Dave's ESL Cafe, where you can get good advice from people who are doing just that.

As best as I know, many countries in the Middle East require Master's degrees and some of the governments have policies forbidding teacher's with degrees earned on-line.

In other places, the rules are more relaxed, but many employers will look down upon a degree earned on-line. In the US, you can earn a high quality education from an on-line program offered by a B&M school. But in many other countries, the on-line programs, even from top schools, are terrible. So some employers will perceive it as fraudulent.

[Kev]

Since the program they are offering consists of distance learning, it seems unlikely that they'd disallow credentials earned the same way.  Still, you could email them and ask.  It's a simple question- one I sent to MULTIPLE medical and nursing schools when I was in the market.  I asked point blank if sciences with labs taken via distance learning were acceptable.   Initially I was going to send it to all the MD and DO medical schools (and some nursing) but it got boring after a while when EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. told me it didn't matter....with their requisite "ideally taken in person" thrown somewhere in there.  
It is my OPINION that applicants to post-bac programs are evaluated differently than those teens applying to undergraduate programs.  Post-bac/grad applicants are multilayered and have life experiences.  They are 3D whereas sometimes a teenager may have very little to fill up an application with- making things like high school transcripts/SAT scores very important.  Wherever you apply, they'll be looking at much more than whether or not you studied online, so taking care to meet all the requirements exactly as they've asked and then filling in all the blanks with robust and positive reasons they should let you in would be my plan.  Volunteer, letters of rec, etc. - these are all good ways to make a good impression.  I wish you all the best, and for now, let's get that bachelor's degree!

I had the same thought, but I read online that they discriminate against people with distance degrees—yeah, being distance education themselves doesn't make that illogical at all (sarcasm), haha.  

I could send them an email and see what they say. Thanks for the idea!

---

I would assume yes they do discriminate - as to how much is hard to say, but some of the discrimination is sometimes legitimate.  I've met some people who only had 'online classes' who...  might have the technical knowledge taught in the class but seem to lack some of the social unwritten rules and such also learned in class.  Just like sometimes homeschooled kids can be extremely intelligent but lack some of the practical skills learned in school with others.  (note I said sometimes, and this isn't meant as a slight - just my experience)  Sometimes that experience is literally learning how to deal with totally unfair bullsh_t believe it or not... bullies in class, teachers that take some random mislike to you (the same way that some boss or manager might and then youre dealing with office politics - which is not taught online) and crap nobody should have to deal with, but everyone usually does anyways.  If nothing else starting online then transferring and graduating from somewhere more physical might help mitigate that.

I dont know the specifics of your field but I do know that the more work experience you have, the less the degree matters - just that you have one - because after the first job or two you're sort of considered proven and it's more important what your work history is.  So in the worst case be prepared for a tough first job or two (be really sure you make the employer happy and get good references) and after that it's probably much less of a deal.

Yes, people pay 50K+ for a degree in general life lessons!  Paying 1/5 of that for only the knowledge, when you already have had a lot of life lessons, is a lot better.