What is Online Continuing Education?
Online continuing education courses are tailored for people who already possess a degree, but who are looking to learn new skills in order to advance in their field. Online continuing education is different from online adult education in that adult education encompasses more basic classes, and the students often do not have a degree of any kind. This is not the case with online continuing education.
Who Takes Online Continuing Education Courses?
A growing number of people have found that continuing their education online suits their personal and professional needs. Online continuing education courses are often used as a way for degree-holding students to go back to school while also working a full-time job. The flexibility of online continuing education courses gives busy people the freedom to structure their learning around their own personal schedules, with the added benefits of reduced transportation and book costs. It has been found that almost one-third of all online continuing education students are professionals who work in management, business, or education, and the most popular programs for online education include business, science, education, and healthcare.
Professionals often hope that by continuing their education through online classes they will be able to find better jobs or improve their salaries. This trend is only expected to grow, considering that more and more professionals are going back to school. It is estimated that the number of adults (who are above the age of 30) enrolled in a college or university will grow by 14 percent to more than 5 million in 2016. Meanwhile, the enrollment of adults between the ages of 22 and 29 will grow by 20 percent to almost 7 million. Nearly half of these adults are interested in online-only education.
How Much Does it Cost?
The cost of pursuing an online continuing education varies widely depending on what courses you are taking and what school you are attending. For instance, a five-credit online class at a community college will cost you around $500 depending on the school and its location. However, there are online schools that do offer lower rates. StraighterLine, for example, charges a flat subscription fee of $99 dollars per month for lower division courses, such as economics 101. Online continuing education can be expensive, but it does reduce the amount students spend on transportation and books, and students can continue to work a full-time job while going to school.
Article Resources:
National Center for Education Statistics
Kevin Carey, “College for $99 a Month,” Washington Monthly Sept./Oct. 2009
“Getting An Education On The Internet” National Public Radio
“Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008” The Sloan Consortium
The University of Phoenix
The College Board
Open Courseware Consortium
Digest of Education Statistics
The Adult Learner: An Eduventures Perspective