Someone asked me about the standing a graduate degree from a distance learning degree program might have in the marketplace. Will your degree from such a school be acceptable when you are looking for a new job? Will colleagues find your degree appropriate?
Of course, the first requirement would be that the graduate program you attend should be accredited if these are concerns for you. Accreditation means that university degree standards are maintained by the school. If the school is not accredited, you may work hard and learn a lot, but the degree may not be acceptable for a job or by your colleagues.
The type of degree you seek comes into play with this question. If you want a licensed professional degree (law, accounting, clinical psychology, medicine, etc. . .), there are probably few accredited distance learning degree programs available. The educational process for these kinds of degrees is not very functional where state licensing is needed.
But, for many of us, the type of degree is not going to be used to achieve a licensed professional position. Some of us simply want to study something of importance for ourselves, and if we want to do deep research into a topic, a dissertation and a degree is an added benefit from that activity. Others need a postgraduate degree to break through a glass ceiling in a job, so distance learning offers the opportunity continue working and get the needed degree at the same time.
