Phd Universities

Rapid technological advancements are affecting the education field as well as big business. In fact, it could easily be argued that education itself is big business. Look at the success of the University of Phoenix if you need proof. It's hard to conduct and education-related search without finding an ad for the University of Phoenix and its online education degree programs including masters degrees in addition to undergraduate degrees.

The university is so successful it recently shelled out millions of dollars for the naming rights to the new football stadium build for the Arizona Cardinals NFL franchise. The Cardinals now play their home games at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

The explosion in online education in general and online education masters degree programs in particular has attracted a new breed of higher learners. In particular, those who already have undergraduate degrees and full-time jobs but want to advance their careers with a masters degree but without having to quit their jobs, go back to school full time, and forego two years of earning potential. Online education masters degree programs are the perfect alternative for these ambitious corporate jocks. And the fact that many employers will foot the bill for all or at least some of the cost only increases demand.

Traditional schools are catching the wave too. More and more state colleges and universities are offering online courses and recognizing the importance of online degree programs to staying competitive with other schools. Over 2 million students were enrolled in online degree programs in 2005 and the number is only expected to grow.

Proponents of online education masters degree programs point to the flexibility provided to students who don't have to physically drive to classrooms. Instead they can just park themselves in front of their computers when it's time for class and start learning. Advances in Internet technology have led to the rapid growth in online degree programs by providing a means to share multimedia presentations over the web. And the availability of an Internet connection allows students to "attend" class from virtually anywhere in the world whether it's at the office, in the comfort of their own home, or in a hotel room while on business travel. Online education masters degree programs provide a way for them to earn potential career advancing degrees without sacrificing their careers to do it by having to miss important meetings to attend classes or even dropping out of the workforce entirely to attend a full-time degree program.

Not everyone is so excited about the growth of online education masters degree programs though. Critics argue that the classroom dynamic cannot be recreated online and they're probably right. Detractors also raise questions about who's completing the coursework and taking the tests. They argue it's too easy for students to cheat in an online degree program which ultimately will devalue the worth of the degree. These are valid points that need to be addressed. Perhaps the ultimate solution is to allow a mixture of physical classroom learning and online learning.