Online Education 101: What To Know Before You Enroll

A growing area of coverage for The Wall Street Journal is what we call the business of life. The intent is to report the latest news in a way that helps readers make sound decisions about their own lives. The new book, "The Wall Street Journal Guide to the Business of Life," edited by Journal editor Nancy Keates, offers strategies on everything from getting the best medical care to helping a child get into his or her top college.

Below is an excerpt about online education.

The Internet is particularly useful for working people with long hours and family obligations, those who can’t deal with rigid course schedules at universities and colleges. Many students use the Internet to complete graduate degrees they need to win a promotion, take a few courses to fill in gaps in their résumés, bone up on the latest technology, improve their management skills or finish the continuing education required by their professions.

The good news: a growing number of rich and satisfying courses. Many institutions offer accredited degree programs, from Stanford University in California to Seton Hall University in Orange, N.J. And many more colleges simply offer lists of classes, both accredited and nonaccredited, that students can participate in over the Internet. For instance, the University of Phoenix Online caters exclusively to working professionals and offers 90% of the degree programs found at the institution’s brick-and-mortar campuses.

Despite the Internet’s reputation as a cheaper alternative for just about everything, it isn’t always less expensive to go to school online. The cost can range from nothing for the basic science-related courses offered on WebMD.com to $95,000 in tuition and assorted fees for the Duke M.B.A. global executive program at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.

By Wall Street Journal Staff Reporters

Full Story: http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/school/20051019-keates.html?cjcontent=mail