Application Tips for Online Degrees

Copyright (c) 2008 Kenneth Anczerewicz

"So it's that time of the year when those of you...applying to B-school [business school] must be working furiously trying to put together your application package...Don't sweat! Applying to a B-school...is a great roller-coaster ride. "The sooner one learns to relax,... the sooner one can begin to enjoy it, and...do better justice to it." This quote may be found at: www.Businessweek.com, posted on Jan. 7, 2007 by Vivek Bhatnagar in the MBA Journals, "From India to Octopus' Garden."

The above quote applies to all applications to online college degree programs, not just to business school applications. Below are some of the requirements for applying to online colleges.

Prerequisites

If you are interested in online education, there may be some prerequisites required for the online degree program you choose. The best way to find out if prerequisites are required and which ones are needed is to check the online admissions pages of the college. Prerequisites will vary.

For an associate's degree, you will need:
* a high school diploma or its equivalent or
* have a job, be at least 18 years old, and have Internet access.
* For some majors, such as English and mathematics, you may need to pass basic
competency English and mathematics tests or take prerequisite courses.

For a bachelor's degree program, you will need:
* a high school diploma or its equivalent
* or an associate's degree.
* For some majors, such as English and mathematics, you may need to pass basic
competency English and mathematics tests or take prerequisite courses.

To join a master's program, you need:
* a bachelor's degree from a college that is, at minimum, regionally accredited
* a 2.5 to 3.0 grade point average (GPA)
* either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), or
the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).

For certification programs, you may need:
* a job in the field of the certification.

(These facts may be found at: "Prerequisites for Enrolling in an Online College" by Vicky Phillips, Published on Wednesday, 9th of August, 2006 on: http://oedb.org/library and on: www.geteducated.com.)

The College Application

To apply to an online college, you will need to provide your high school diploma or equivalent, all college transcripts, results of any tests that are required, and, possibly, your birth certificate. You may have to take some of the tests mentioned above. The GRE tests verbal and quantitative skills: vocabulary, reading comprehension, and math, including statistics and algebra. The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is math free. It tests your ability to think comparatively, such as "Cat is to dog as kitten is to puppy." The MAT is often required by graduate schools in education, human resources, library science and the social sciences. Graduate schools in business or management often require the GMAT. The GMAT does not test your knowledge of management or business. It tests verbal skills, mathematical knowledge (through calculus), and writing aptitude.

If the college you are interested in is accredited, it will accept course credit earned at other colleges. You will fill out paperwork and provide transcripts of the classes you have taken. Some online colleges give course credit for work experience; you may have to take a test to show how much you learned. Usually the application for an online college can be completed over the Internet. When you apply, you may meet with an advisor to help you in deciding which program to enroll in, how to apply for financial assistance, and answer your questions. Online colleges require access to the Internet. For that reason, the college may require you to have certain hardware and software programs. You may have to upgrade your computer to meet the requirements, for example, by purchasing more memory. Most online colleges require computers that are PCs rather than Apple Macintosh computers.

If you are applying to an online degree program, gather the needed documents, take any tests required, and fill out an application. Confer with an advisor. Check to make sure you have the required computer capabilities. After application approval, you'll be on your way!