Hello,
I’ll graduate this spring with an HR degree and planning to apply to the MBA program right away.
which is Fall 2010.
The application deadline is on April 1 2010
However, they are asking for the 4 year degree but I’m still in my last year being an undergraduate student. So should I send my transcript and let them know this is my last term?
OR I should first be fully graduated in order to apply?
You want to go back to school. No, you need to go back to school, and you think an online degree program is the best way to fit an education into your busy life. Once you have made that huge, life-altering decision, the big challenge is to find the right online degree program for your future plans. There are a number of important factors that you must consider when choosing an online degree program.
First, and foremost, you must pay careful attention to the program’s accreditation and standards. Some programs are purely online with no bricks-and-mortar location. many of these online programs are reputable and properly accredited, but not all, so be a careful consumer and check this out thoroughly. Also, make sure the program is credible in the field you want to enter. It would be a terrible thing to spend a lot of time and money investing in a degree that will not let you fulfill your dreams. Of course online version of traditional programs can also be problematic. While there isn’t the problem of accreditation and status, not all traditional programs “do” online well. Creating an online class or program requires a different pedagogy and planning than the more traditional counterpart. Make sure your program gets the difference between online and traditional instruction.
It is also important to find out before you choose a program how supportive the online degree program is that you are considering. On campus there are a number of readily available sources to support your education, but what if you are not on a campus? Is there somewhere to turn for technical assistance? How can you contact your instructors and are they readily available to offer help and guidance? Is there library support? Is there a way to develop relationships with faculty and students? While what you learn in class is important, it is also important to remember that the sum of those classes is not the total of your education. Can this program offer the ability to develop a support network for after graduation?
Last, but not least, how expensive will your online degree program be? Some institutions charge more for online programs. Some institutions do not offer financial aid for online programs. Find out the facts ahead of time and plan how you will support your educational plans.
The best source of information about a program are students of the online degree program you are considering, especially graduates of that program. Students can tell you about the level of support the program offers students and how well designed the classes are for distance learning. Graduates can tell you about how well received the online degree is in the field. Do not forget to ask those students if they would choose this program again knowing what they know now. Ask the program for referrals but also seek out your own. Harness the power of the internet and do searches for the degree to find those graduates. Many people post their resumes and vitas to the web so you should be able to find some students. If you cannot then that might also be telling.
Learn more about distance learning at http://www.squidoo.com/distancelearningprograms
Graduate school isn’t right for everyone, but it does have its benefits. Take a look at 5 good reasons to go to graduate school and earn an MBA. See if any of them are right for your own personal, educational, and professional set of goals.
1. Show me the money: Like Cuba Gooding, Jr. said in Jerry McGuire, “Show me the money!” Typically, MBA graduates are more marketable to companies for management positions. Management positions usually pay more in salary than staff positions. And since a lot more companies today are making an MBA a condition for employment, by earning your MBA may actually mean that you will be “seeing more money!”
2. Professional growth & development: Many students enter an MBA program after they have been in the workforce for some time. This means that they have earned real-world experience after receiving their bachelor degree. Going back to grad school may simply be a personal or professional goal that you have set for yourself. By combining your real-world work experience with the advanced skills and training that graduate school can offer you, it can help you grow both personally and professionally.
3. Become a specialist: Many graduate schools allow you to choose a specialty when you are earning your MBA. This allows you to further advance your general business skills while becoming an expert in a particular field. For example, you may currently work in the marketing department of your company as a marketing assistant. You aspire, however, to become a marketing manager for one of the divisions of your company and one of the requirements for marketing managers at this particular firm is that they have to have their MBA. You can return to graduate school and earn your MBA with a special concentration in marketing. Even if it doesn’t land you a marketing management position in your current firm, it may very well land you one in another firm.
4. Opens doors of opportunity: Earning an MBA degree can open up doors of opportunity that may not have been opened without having one. Numbers don’t lie and the numbers show that MBA graduates have an increased chance of gaining access to the position that was beyond their reach before they earned their degree. You too may be able to land your dream job by going to graduate school and earning your MBA.
5. Build a network: Sometimes being successful in business and just in life in general is about who you know versus what you know. In grad school you are introduced to all different kinds of people from all different walks of life. Your peers and your professors are great resources for you in the business world. Graduate school allows you to build your own framework of a support and contact system to build strong business relationships.
While these are 5 great reasons to attend graduate school, you may have reasons of your own that are not listed here. Take out a piece of paper and make yourself a list of the reasons why you think you want to go to graduate school, and how earning your MBA may benefit you. Make an old fashioned pros and cons list and see which side has more reasons, pros or cons. The odds are that you will probably find more positive reasons to earn your MBA degree than you will find reasons not to attend grad school.
You need to settle down your mind that you are going to opt nursing as professional career. After that it comes to your choice that what is the specific area you would like to switch into. It often happens that such clarity of idea is not there among the aspirants at the initial stage. There is nothing to worry about because the online nursing education provides you with a range of nursing subjects and then you can make your own choice.
Well if you are not sure of what the subjects actually cover then before you finally decide upon it is better to do a swift research work on the course content of each subject. That will help you to attain a precise idea about the subject before you give the final consent in selection.
Subjects on offer
The list of online subjects is many but for your convenience to build up the preliminary idea just have a look. Online nursing subjects offer you with Associate Degree Nursing Education (AND), Practical Nursing Program (PN), Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) as well as Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and at a higher level PhD in Nursing.
Wide range of courses is being provided through online support in the field of nursing education. Now you may begin from the primary step or it might so happen that you already have a Bachelor’s Degree and then continue with the Master degree program on the online curriculum basis. A large number of professional nurses are opting of PhD programs in nursing in the online education system to add higher degrees to their profile. This is highly recognized and better opportunities of job and promotions come your way.
Shaping the career
Online nursing degrees can give a positive turn to your career and you can think of several alternatives to work out professionally. The direct jobs on offer after successful completion of the online nursing degrees are not just the hospital jobs. You can get appointed in the day surgery centers in the private clinics or in the offices of medical practitioners. You can also become a trainer in the nursing schools or a guide in the online nursing education.
The biggest opportunity that hits your way is entrepreneurship. You can initiate a nursing consultancy firm and be the proprietor of your own business. You won’t remain as an employee but take the position of the employer in your own office. So many options are open. Better find out your way and pick up the best choice.
So, you’ve been thinking about advancing your education so that you can gain that extra earning power that college graduates enjoy. It is well known that college graduates have a lower risk of unemployment, enjoy better job quality, are more likely to be in high-level positions and have much greater promotion prospects because of their advanced level of education. Perhaps you already have your bachelors and want to get your masters so that you are ready for greater opportunities that come your way. No matter what degree level you want to pursue, you can do it all from the comfort of your home through online degree programs offered by online colleges.
If you are considering studying for an online college degree, then you are not alone. Online colleges and universities are becoming very popular as more and more people are realizing the benefits of online learning. Pursuing a college degree online is an advantageous way to study as you can learn at your own pace and on your own time. But even with all the advantages of pursing an online college degree, is an online college right for you?
Pursuing an online college degree is not for everyone. You need to have the right characteristics to study for an online college degree. Some of the characteristics needed when pursuing an online college degree are:
Self-motivation & Self-discipline
Ability to prioritize
Ability to set your own goals
Good reading comprehension
Self-Motivation & Self-Discipline
You need to be highly self-motivated and self-disciplined and thus, be able to work without supervision. Since you don’t have a set class times at online colleges, it will be up to you to set your own studying times. It will help if you plan out your day and carve the same specific time each day to study. Self-discipline is required so you resist the urge of other distractions in your home such as doing the laundry, washing the dishes or watching TV. Self-discipline will also help you stick to your deadlines.
Ability to Prioritize
If you are choosing to pursue an online college degree, then it is probably because you have many other commitments to juggle such as work and family. Once you have made the commitment to attend an online college, then you must keep in mind that your education is just as an important of a commitment. With that mentioned, you should possess the ability to prioritize your schedule.
Just because online college degree programs are flexible, this does not mean the courses are easy, nor does it mean you can procrastinate class assignments and projects. With the many other commitments you have, it is important to prioritize your schedule, set deadlines, and as mentioned above, stick to the deadlines you set.
Ability to Set Your Own Goals
As with getting a degree through a traditional campus college, it is easy to fall off track without clear goals. Thus it is important to set both short-term and long-term goals when you pursue an online college degree. Some online colleges allow you to get a degree at your own pace and your pace will determine whether you get your online college degree in two years or ten years. When you pursue an online college degree you should set reasonable short-term goals such as taking 6-8 units (or as much as you can take) per quarter or semester. These short-term goals will help you reach your long-term goal with ease and will show the progress you are making towards achieving your long-term goal.
Good Reading Comprehension
A good level of reading comprehension is needed as online colleges teach primarily through written material written at college level. While you may have interaction with your classmates and/or instructor, the interaction will be done primarily through e-mail, chat rooms, and message boards.
If you find it difficult to attend college courses on campus, attending an online college is a great way to earn your degree. With online colleges and universities, you now have the opportunity to advance your education without having to push aside previous commitments. Just keep these characteristics in mind and you can be successful in advancing your education by earning your college degree online.
Kimberly Diane, now a frequent contributor to EducationAdvancementOnline.com, previously served as a direct consultant to numerous accredited online colleges and universities for several years. Education Advancement Online, which promotes higher education for non-traditional students seeking an online college degree or certification program, is a premier online education directory that is a one-stop shop for available degree programs from institutions all over the United States. For more information on Education Advancement Online or to search for degree programs, please visit EducationAdvancementOnline.com
Nurses can earn Continuing Education credit by attending conferences, seminars, workshops, or by enrolling in online nursing continuing education courses. One Continuing Education Unit is equivalent to ten contact hours. A contact hour is defined as 50 consecutive minutes of participation in a class or activity approved by a nursing board.
Apply For An Online Course
There are numerous accredited online nursing continuing education courses available at very reasonable rates. You can complete the online nursing education courses from the comforts of your home. No need to sacrifice your working hours. Completing an online nursing continuing education course is very easy. Simply choose the course and study it. Then you pass the test and complete the evaluation form. After this you can register and pay the fee. Then you can print the certificate showing successful completion of the course.
In this competitive world, it is simply not enough to have a single degree. To maintain your competitiveness in the workplace, you have to continuously educate yourself. Online nursing degree programs are designed for working nurses to help them evolve in their careers. There are various nursing degree programs available at all levels. You can pursue a diploma, BSN, MSN, or a doctoral program from the comforts of your home and without sacrificing a single hour of work. If you already have a BSN degree, you can pursue an online nursing master degree and become a leader in your profession. There is no shortage of schools offering online nursing education programs.
The changing scenario in the nursing field would make online nursing continuing education degree programs more important for working nurses. Nurses need to put in long hours at work. Along with that they have families to take care of. This makes it impossible for most of them to earn a degree through a regular nursing college. Online nursing degree programs have not only met the educational aspirations of thousands of working nurses, but have also provided the healthcare industry with trained nurses. Without the online programs, the shortages of nurses would have been more acute.
Times have sure changed. There was a time when online education was looked down upon. Today online degrees are offered in every field. Many employers strongly encourage their nurses to pursue online nursing continuing education programs. Online programs have become a convenient means of advancing one’s career. Online education is not education made easy but education made convenient. The idea behind online nursing degree programs is to provide education to working nurses so that they can grow in their professional fields.
Forensic psychology is a relatively new discipline, having only been formally recognized as a specialization within psychology by the American Psychological Association in 2001. Recently, many specialty schools and universities have started offering forensic psychology bachelor degrees, master’s degrees and doctorate degrees that are tailored to students’ specific career goals. One such institution is Argosy University.
As forensic psychology is a dual discipline incorporating psychology and law, many professionals have doctorate degrees in psychology and certified are as forensic psychologist by the American Board of Forensic Psychology. A practitioner in this field is normally appointed as an expert witness by a court in a certain jurisdiction based on his or her specialization and experience. For example, a forensic psychologist can be called in as an expert witness in a family court, civil court or criminal court.
Choosing the right graduate program in forensic psychology can be confusing considering the many programs available and the numerous areas of specialization offered. The choice of graduate program depends primarily on a student’s career choice. Master’s degree programs are suitable for those who want to pursue a career in criminal investigation or law enforcement.
Students who want to practice as a forensic psychologist should pursue a doctorate degree. Some universities offer master’s programs in psychology specializing in legal systems or criminal justice, and some institutions offer degrees in forensic psychology specializing in counseling or family law. The options are limitless, depending on a student’s interest and career choice.
Many institutions offer online classes in forensic psychology, which is very attractive to those who are working or not able to physically attend classes due to extenuating circumstances. Argosy University offers online programs designed for optimal interaction and learning, taught by teachers with real-world experience.
Some universities offer grants or scholarships for their graduate program students. Certain associations and psychology foundations offer scholarships or grants based on specific areas of study. These include the American Psychological Foundation, American Academy of Forensic Psychology and American Bar Association.
Forensic psychology is an interesting field; it is also one that requires serious dedication, hard work and commitment in order to fully attain the level of an expertice on the job. Choosing the right graduate program is certainly crucial in launching a stellar career.
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Related Blogs on Forensic Psychology : Choosing the Right Graduate Program
There are many reasons why institutions began offering online education programs, but none more compelling than the promise for increased access and to flexibility. The institutions also realized it as a real source for revenue as well as it reducing the need for campus buildings. It fulfills the institutional goals by being able to reach a wider student population and getting more students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend classes on campus. In addition, the distance education model is further promotes a learner centered approach to instruction and one could advance a more democratic model. Not only does online education overcome geographical barriers, but it also addresses psychological ones as well. For example, students of an older population aren’t faced with the social construct of being older than the regular student body. Furthermore, students not only have convenience and flexibility with scheduling, they also have a broader choice of educational programs in which they can selectively participate.
To help prospective students find information about online programs, directories offer comprehensive databases to assist you in your search to find reputable online degree programs suited to your needs. Search engines have limitations for filtering and discovering online programs because they are often populated with information that result in poor search results. A student needs to find a search engine that has access to many reputable online programs that have a great track record for producing graduates. These databases must be populated with accredited institutions and offer a wide variety of program options. A database should have access to a very large sampling of helpful, current, comprehensive articles describing all of the discipline possibilities offered.
See the link below for Online Degree Navigator, a site that has done all this for you. In addition, there are also communication tools such as articles and reviews for you to read. In this method, you will be able to find like academic interests while exploring academic concentrations. The Online Degree Navigator site helps all learners interested in an online education, but are sensitive to adult learners, parents, and especially working mothers. Furthermore, you will be able to get information about financial aid, and when you’ve narrowed your search down to a few school and concentrations of study, you can quickly request more information by completing a quick, free, “request for information” form.
Log onto http://www.onlinedegreenavigator.org/ to find online degree programs and schools. Get free information about schools, degrees, financial aid and much, much more.
Natalie Raven is a contributing editor for Online Degree Navigator. She has several years experience as a writer/editor and lecturer in the education and software industries. She has a passion for online education and is enthusiastic about sharing thoughts and giving online education students a voice at Natalie’s Blog Spot.
Are you in the right career path? Some of people who are graduated from college with a degree use to find that they are in a wrong career path. Although they are starting their career that is related to the degree earned but later they find out that this is not the career they are dreaming for. Thinking of changing your career to the right one? What if you do not have the degree required for the job? Are you planning to quit your job and go back to school to get one?
You may not afford to give up your current income due to some commitments you have to make. In fact, you do not need to quit your job just to go back to school for a degree. Today, you have another option other than traditional education to get your degree. Online degree programs that covers almost any fields provide you with a perfect solution that enable to continue your current job and lifestyle while getting a career related degree online through the enhanced internet technology.
Online education has become extremely popular for working individuals to earn a degree online and the online degrees have widely accepted in the job market to be equivalent with the traditional degree earned through brick and mortar universities. Hence, with the available of online education programs, you can earn a career related degree to make an easy career switch. The online degree programs can best fit into your busy working schedule because many of them allow you to learn at your own pace, plan your own schedule and obtain 100% online from your comfort home. For online degree programs that need lab works will normally have local facilities near by your place or you can make a special arrangement to fit into your schedule.
The best place to look for online degree programs offered by various online schools is from Internet. Get as much information as possible about the degree programs that meet your career goal and ask for the details information from the schools that offered the online degree program. One thing you need to be aware that not all degree programs with the same title offered by different online schools cover the same courses. You must make sure that the degree program that you are going to sign up contains the necessary courses that are required to help you in making your career switch. That’s why you must request the necessary information from the online schools. In fact, requesting information is free of charge, you should utilize this benefit to confirm the online degree program contains courses that are inline with the career you are dreaming for.
Beside that, accreditation and reputation of online school are important factors to be considered as well. You do not want to earn a degree offered by a diploma mill or online degree scam. So, watch out for these two important factors. You can always check the online school’s accreditation against the accreditation database recognized by the Department of Education at CHEA.org. Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) is the best place to check for any complaints files against an online school.
Summary
Selecting a wrong career with a wrong degree may not need to be worried any more. Online education provides you with the best channel to earn your career related degree online if you need a degree to make a career switch.
The number and nature of college degrees are as diverse as the people who get them. They come in different sizes – associate, bachelors, masters, and doctoral – and in scores of different subjects. So how do you choose the right degree for you? Here are a few questions you may want to ask yourself.
Which degree best suits me?
One of the most effective ways to select a degree is to find one that fits your personality and tastes. Make a list of strengths, weaknesses, passions, and any experiences that have motivated you. Get suggestions from family and friends – try to see yourself through another’s eyes. Then, once you’ve created a profile of yourself, browse through a list of college degrees and majors and see which ones suit you. Remember that you will spend a couple of years focused on one particular area, so you want to find a degree that will hold your interest.
What career do I want?
Another way to choose a degree is to start with the career you want and work backwards. If you are interested in becoming a city planner, for instance, then you should investigate what degrees are best suited to that career, such as geography. Certain jobs require specific degrees; others are far more flexible. Some jobs require a bachelors degree whereas others prefer a masters degree of higher. The idea is to start planning from the outset for your intended career and make decisions accordingly.
What degrees are in high demand?
If you are uncertain about your career or if you have varied interests, you may want to consider which degrees are in most demand. High demand for a particular degree – such as nursing or software engineering – usually means better compensation (higher pay), more opportunity for advancement, and greater job security. Choosing a degree in high demand will make the transition from college into the workforce easy and, more importantly, lucrative.
Which degree can I obtain quickly?
At first glance, finding a degree that can be obtained quickly may sound like you’re looking for a short-cut. In fact, it is a perfectly reasonable question. The requirements for degrees vary by program, and some programs, such as microbiology, may take twice as long to complete as other programs, such as communications. Longer programs mean more time in school and more money. The fact is that many careers simply require that you have a degree – any degree – and as such, it would be to your advantage to find a degree you can complete as quickly as possible. Or perhaps you want to apply to graduate school. For many graduate programs, such as law school and medical school, it doesn’t matter what major you choose as long as you have a bachelors degree. Just remember, at the end of the day, whether you majored in microbiology or communications, the degree is the same. So why take more time than you need?
Eventually, every student has to decide on a degree. Some students take years to decide, putting off the decision as long as possible and wasting valuable time and money in the process. The decision shouldn’t be that difficult – if you know the right questions to ask. Save yourself the agony and find the perfect degree right from the start.
Benjamin Welch has been a college instructor in writing and composition for nearly six years. When he’s not teaching or playing golf, he writes articles about online education, careers, and online degrees.
