What Should I Know About Online Degrees and Accreditation?

Before any student enrolls in an online degree program, it is important to be sure that the school of their choice is fully accredited. With many employers requiring potential employees possess a post-secondary degree from an institute that is accredited and with Internet scams proliferating online, it is essential for students to be knowledgeable about their potential schools.

Since Canadian higher education is regulated provincially, there is no national accreditation. But it is still important as it provides you with a sense of quality assurance.To be accredited simply means that a school has been reviewed by an accrediting agency or a professional association and deemed fit to offer degrees in certain programs. These agencies conduct peer reviews and evaluate whether the college or university meets the accrediting criteria and provides students with a quality education. A "quality education" simply means that the school is providing the students with valuable and relevant information and that the credits they earn are comparable to other similar degree programs.

By choosing a college or university that is accredited, students are able to trust that the time and money they spend will provide them with a degree that is recognized for its quality and legitimacy by potential employers and other institutes of higher education. As online universities and colleges have increased in popularity, so have the cases of online education fraud. Students enroll and pay for online classes, only to discover their college does not exist, their money has been stolen, that they paid for credits that won't transfer or received fake degrees.

When it comes to deciding which university or college to attend, don't let the choice be swayed by where friends might go or which might be a little less expensive, or even which might be closer to home. The best way to decide on the place to earn a college degree, is to choose the program that is accredited and that offers the plan that bests suits the student's needs and desires. If, after careful research, you are unsure about a college or university's accreditation status, the the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) also provides a list of accredited institutions of higher education.