The term “accredited” has been sported by many online institutions and is one of those key words that students look for when choosing online universities. However, how much do really understand by the term accredited and what are the responsibilities that come with the term? Even without knowing the definition of the term its existence have significant influence on the value of your online degree and how much it is accepted by the wider employment community.
What is Accreditation?
The term accreditation refers to an accepted standard that must be met by online universities to be associated with a particular standard. These standards will vary on the type and level of courses and the stipulation established by state educational boards and peers. It is used to give an insight into aspects such as the level of instructors, amount and type of financial assistance available for students and how much assistance the university receives from industry contributors. These contributions may be in the form of technology, financing or placements for graduates.
The Accreditation Debate
It is a fact that not all online universities have received accreditation from any of the many accreditation agencies set up to regulate the educational standards of online universities. There is currently a heated debate on how to weight online universities when compared to traditional universities. Supporters of online universities suggest that online universities provide the same education as traditional instructions and thus should receive the same accreditation. On the other hand, supporters of tradition institutions lament the fat there is no direct contact between students and doctors and so the student loses some amount of influence.
In the interim as the debate continues, the Department of Education have appointed agencies in six regions to act as accreditation bodies that spans across state borders to accommodate the various types of online universities.
How to know if your University is accredited?
The US department of Education does not itself accredit online universities. The task of accrediting online universities is delegated to regional bodies that are strategically located to cover the spans of the United States. These regional agencies have established guidelines as dictated by the secretary of education, industry players and their peers. They carry out various forms of assessments to ensure online universities adhere to the established standards. These may come in the form of tracking student complaints, checking of course work material and monitoring of university accounts.
To check on the accreditation of a particular online college, students can visit one of the many websites set up buy accreditation agencies. These include a database established by the US Department of Education @ http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx where students simply enter the name and location of the university to gain accreditation information.
What to do if your University is not accredited?
If you conduct an accreditation search and found out that your online university is not accredited, the first to do is to contact your nearest state accreditation agency with jurisdiction over that states education affairs. There may be various reasons why any particular online university may not have gain accreditation. These include:
The university is relative new and has not completed all their requirements that qualify them for accreditation. They will also on the progress the university is making towards accreditation.
The accrediting agency has received overwhelming complaints about the conduct of the university. As a result, their accreditation has been suspended pending improvements.
By getting online software engineering degree from an accredited university, you can work as computer software engineer. It is the responsibility of computer software engineer to keep track of all the activities that are taking place in the field of technology. You will not face any problem in finding an accredited university that conducts online software engineering degree program especially with so many of them operating right now.
What You Are Going To Learn With Online Software Engineering Degree?
With online software engineering degree, you will be able to design new computer software systems that are compatible with new technologies. You need to come up with a computer software system that has an ability to implement wide variety of functions.
To earn online software engineering degree, you need to take courses in mathematics, computer science, development and testing.
Career Prospects of Online Software Engineering Graduate
Career prospects for online software engineering degree holders are quite good especially with so much expansion taking place in the field of computer systems design. The average salary of individuals with online software engineering degree is in the range of $44,000 to $65,000. To increase this figure, you need to work on your programming and interpersonal skills. Employers prefer taking services of individuals that has a thorough knowledge of business and system analysis.
Accredited Online Colleges and Universities Offering Online Software Engineering Degrees
Find below details of accredited online colleges and universities offering online software engineering degrees.
Westwood College Online
By taking admission at Westwood College Online, you can earn Associate degree in software engineering. With Associate degree in software engineering, you will gain skills that are going to help you in designing and implementing computer software. Another good thing about this degree program of Westwood College Online is that it gives you an opportunity to study both general education and technical courses that help you in developing problem solving and communication skills. By successfully earning Associate degree in software engineering from Westwood College Online, you can work as web site developer, computer programmer, database analyst and software developer. Westwood College Online is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.
Colorado Technical University
By taking admission at Colorado Technical University, you can earn Bachelor degree in software engineering. This degree program of Colorado Technical University will give you real world knowledge of the software engineering field. The syllabus of Bachelor degree program in software engineering includes computer network systems operations, computer programming languages and security routines. Member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Colorado Technical University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
Walden University
By taking admission at Walden University, you can earn Master of Science degree in software engineering. With this degree program, you will get to know about the modern foundational engineering concepts and software development tools that are used by the software engineers. The syllabus of Master of Science degree program in software engineering includes testing, implementation and maintenance. Member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
Online education can definitely beat classroom study but it will depend on number of factors. It includes accreditation, syllabus quality, scope of practical training and your daily schedule.
Accreditation
Accreditation is the most important factor when it comes to online education. Your online degree is only going to be useful when you earn it from an online university which is accredited by the US Department of Education. When studying through classroom setup, you do not need to worry about the accreditation as most of the colleges are accredited. Same cannot be said about the online colleges and universities especially with so many of them operating with only one objective in mind, to earn money from their students.
Syllabus Quality
The quality of syllabus will have a huge impact on your career prospect. In an online environment where chances of interaction with your faculty are pretty limited, you would like to learn more things so that it can help you in your career. Online education beats classroom study in syllabus quality because unlike traditional schools and universities, online universities update syllabus on a regular basis so that students do not miss any important concepts. Another good thing about online education is that syllabus is designed by the industry experts that have a thorough knowledge of their area of expertise.
Scope of Practical Training
Online education is definitely much better than classroom study in terms of offering practical training to their students. When studying through classroom setup, you will find that all the focus is on the theoretical concepts and there is not much scope of practical training. Situation is completely different in an online environment where all the emphasis is being put on practical training. In this day and age when competition is intense in every field, you will require right kind of practical training in order to succeed. If you are not able to implement theoretical concepts into practice, your theoretical knowledge is of no use. Employers these days prefer giving jobs to individuals that have received practical training from an accredited university.
Daily Schedule
For working professionals that are looking to increase their academic qualification, online education is a much better option in comparison to classroom study. When you opt for online education, you can study at your own pace. This is not possible in a classroom study where everything is done on time. Location is not much of an issue in online education as you can study from any location you want. To do this, all you need is a laptop with good internet connection. Online education not only gives you an opportunity to increase your academic qualification but also your work experience. This is going to play a significant part in your career advancement.
Tuition Fee
In comparison to classroom study, tuition fee of online education is quite low. It means that you can easily afford it without taking any student loan. Grants and scholarships are also available for students that are studying in an accredited online university.
