A college degree is the gateway to higher earnings over the course of one’s life. A college degree is also the one social equalizer that exists in the world today. While many people aspire to go to college and pursue degrees in fields such as social work and psychology, they cannot afford the time spent in class away from their jobs and their families. This no longer needs to be a consideration as online degree earning has arrived and is flourishing. Now, from anywhere there is a mail box or an internet connection one can obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of social work and psychology.
According to the American Psychological Association, more than two-thirds of two- and four-year Title IV-eligible degree-granting institutions offer distance education courses or plan to do soon. Thus, bachelors, masters and doctorates in Psychology can be earned without ever setting foot in a physical classroom.
There are two types of distance learning delivery in existence today–online and traditional mail. Online programs require a student to participate in coursework completely over the Internet. Mail-order programs are self-paced and typically require that a combination of multiple-choice and essay-style assessments be completed and returned within a given time frame. Delivery preference depends on the learning styles of each student and the course offerings of the desired school.
Both online and mail order distance learning allow a college degree in psychology to be earned at a student’s own pace and at his or her convenience. Most BA programs take four years, while graduate work can take as little as one. Thus the journey from undergraduate to licensed, practicing professional can take as few as five years – providing the student passes any required state licensure exam. The convenience of this format is that you can take much longer if you work full-time or accelerate at a rapid pace if you are in a hurry and can handle a full schedule.
Some distance-learning programs in psychology are accredited by state or federal agencies and are accepted as a prerequisite to take state licensure exams but are not generally accepted for transfer of credits to other schools. For transfer purposes, a school must be accredited by one of six regional agencies. Accreditation by the American Psychological Association is also necessary.
Earning a psychology degree from an accredited distance learning program is not easier than earning a degree in a traditional classroom setting. It is different and requires a different set of skills. Students must be self-starters able to motive themselves, set their own pacing and learn by reading and interacting via threaded discussions (blog like interactions) and internet chats – and that is for internet programs. For mail order programs learning is almost always done alone with virtually no interaction. This is surely not a format for everyone.
This said…opportunities for this type of learning abound and will continue to grow. These programs are cost effective, fit into busy schedules and are a benefit to many people. Most importantly, when completed, a degree earned in a distant learning format is equal to any other degree…as long as the college or university which harbors the program is properly accredited.
