Online education is a growing segment of higher education. It is difficult to pin down exactly what percentage of students are getting degrees through programs that deliver instruction, testing, and discussion online. However, all you have to do is a search in Yahoo! or Google for online education to know that it is a big business. There are probably ads on my site that reference it. Separating the quality programs from the 'out to make a buck' ones can be difficult. However, it is certainly doable and here are a couple of things to look at:
1. Look at accreditation. At bare minimum, you want to see that the institution is accredited by a regional accreditation body, e.g. WASC, MSA, NWCCU, NCA, NEASC-CHIE, SACCS-CC. Regional accreditation is required by graduate schools and most employers. Be careful of alternate accrediting boards that sound like they are regional. If the institution's accreditation isn't from the six I listed above, then skip it.
2. Does it look to good to be true? This is an important question to consider. If a program is promising a degree with a minimum of hassle and courses to be taken, then back off. Likely, they have not been regionally accredited to offer the degree and are suspect. There may be specific instances where an alternate accreditation is acceptable, but you should know about that before ever searching for a program.
I have some experience with online education, and if you have a question, feel free to post it in the comments.
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