Finding the Right School

Choices, choices! Where do you end up getting your degree?

By World Wide Learn

You've decided to go back to school, and you may (or may not) know what you want to study. You're ready to explore your options: degree programs, online vs. campus, and finding the right school that meets your needs. Wading through the literally thousands of options out there can be daunting. Fortunately, there are places where you can find the specific program that's right for you.

What to major in: If you're not sure what to major in, it's best to explore your options. Everything from accounting to nutrition science is at your disposal. Think about what avocations might be appropriate new vocations for you: if you love cooking, maybe a career in culinary management is for you. If you've enjoyed promoting a charity auction in the past, marketing might be a great match.

Online or on-campus: Online degree programs are becoming more and more popular, since online course delivery has become quite a bit better, and because their asynchronous (not occurring at the same time) format allows working adults to fit their coursework into their daily lives. For others, live participation with other students in a classroom is something they're willing to fit into their schedule, and schools with campus locations are the best choice. You should check to make sure there's a campus location within commuting distance for you.

Finding the right school: There's usually a choice among plenty of schools, so some criteria to consider are:

The quality of the school's program-experienced instructors, record of turning out satisfied graduates, the breadth and depth of the curriculum
Support-availability of technical support for online programs, academic advising, career planning support
Schedule and location-for on-campus programs, program schedules and locations that are convenient for you
Accreditation-programs are accredited by an association recognized by the US Department of Education

Everyone has different needs, so you should choose your program based on the criteria that are important to you and your future.

World Wide Learn
World Wide Learn is the world's largest online directory of education, with information on over 1600 online degree programs, over 2300 on-campus programs, and over 2500 online courses. Take a look at their guide to majors, section on accreditation, and comparison of available online programs.