Is an Online Accounting Degree Worth It?

Online accounting schools are very advantageous to the individual who is working and/or caring for a family. Often, it's difficult for the individual to work full time or part time and continue their education. Therefore, they opt to attend a distance learning accounting program. This is an ideal situation because the only commute is to their computer. They also have the ability to take online accounting courses any hour of the day or night. The fact is, thousands of people have earned online accounting bachelor's and master's in accounting degrees online.

Finding a Job With an Online Accounting Degree

A few decades ago, earning an online degree was a rarity. Often, employers had misconceptions about the online degrees. This was generally due to the information that was circulating around about diploma mills and degree mills that would sell degrees to people for the right price. However, things have changed dramatically. Online degrees are achieving greater respect because more people are opting to continue their education online to earn a degree in their chosen field. Today, people are receiving a very good education online that is highly respected by most employers. Furthermore, some employers are actually impressed that a potential employee took the time to earn their degree while working full time. However, more respect is attributed to the job applicant who earned the degree at a well-known and accredited online institution of higher learning.

Learn how to earn a degree online:

What's Really Important to Employers?

Career counselors and employers agree that a degree from a traditional college inspires more respect and trust. Certainly, this is because they lack information about the institution. Online degrees are a new trend and most employers are not acquainted with many of the new online educational programs. However, this is expected to change in the coming years because more and more people are opting to earn a degree online. What's still very important to employers is the name of the online educational institution. They would like to know if the degree was earned at an online institution connected with a well-known traditional university, or if the degree earned fits the type of degree required to fill the job opening with the company.

Online Educational Trends Are Changing

Educational trends are changing rapidly. More and more employers are acquainted with online learning programs. Certain online learning programs that are connected with traditional universities earn proper respect. Consequently, online accounting degrees that are earned at those schools are respected, too. Therefore, it is a good idea for those that are considering earning an accounting degree through an online program to perform proper research into the degree program. Ideally it will be an online program that is connected with a traditional university, fully accredited, and has a physical campus that you could visit. This is important for an online degree to carry credibility and respect in the job market.

However, everything is not coming up roses in the online degree trend. Still, there are employers that raise eyebrows at the aspect that a job applicant earned their degree at an online university. Typical things that cause alarm are that the degree program is not fully accredited. Earning a degree at a college without a campus or physical address is also a cause for suspicion among employers. Another cause for concern is a degree from a distant location. For example, the job applicant has resided in New York for several years. However, they recently earned a degree from an online university in California that does not have a campus. What this boils down to is credibility.

What are the top reasons for pursuing an online degree?

Featured Image: MoMo Productions / DigitalVision / Getty Images