Online Format

The internet has done more than just allow a burrito to be delivered to your door in eighteen minutes. It’s also blown wide open the accessibility of grad school. You can earn an entire graduate degree without setting foot on campus. Distance is no obstacle! You can choose a program from anywhere in the country!

What is the downside? Because the online programs take place (obviously) online, it can be easy to unintentionally neglect them, like a houseplant left in a room you don’t use much. If you don’t keep up with your work, no one will notice. There may not be a set time and day you are required to be there, so it’s all on you to block out the time needed to do the work. Otherwise, it’s like a gym membership where you can go any time – and sometimes that means you never go.

You also won’t get to meet your classmates or your professor in person. Rather than have idle chit-chat before class, you’ll all post “Getting to know each other” intro posts during the first week of classes. If you don’t understand the material, you can’t raise your hand in class – you have to reach out to your professor or classmates another way. With so much of our life online though, these may not be disadvantages to you. You can still connect with classmates, it will just be on LinkedIn. And there will be multiple ways to send your professor a question, and you’ll have their written response to review.

The thriving popularity and growth of online graduate programs indicates the advantages can far outweigh the downsides.