Online Graduate Degrees
COMPLETION TIME
Tick, tock, tick, tock. If a Master's degree is to be a means to an end (a rewarding career), then earning your Master's online can speed the process. As a rule of thumb, expect to take one to three years to complete a Master's. Also expect that these few extra years truly reach "critical mass" of your accumulative education. During these two years more doors will open than you ever saw during your four undergraduate years - personally, professionally, and financially. So try not to think of your advanced level degree as merely a means to an end, because your experience and connections will last long after you've framed and hung your pigskin on the wall.
In general, online university students devote the same number of hours (i.e. 10-20 hours per week, including virtual class time and time needed to complete assignments) to their education as part-time students at traditional colleges. Completing online assignments requires the same academic effort, intellectual investment, and attention to detail that you would apply to college-level assignments that you receive in a classroom setting.
The time it will take you to earn your online degree depends on several factors, including:
- The degree program you are enrolled in
- Whether you transfer in previous college or university credit
- The speed at which you complete your courses, according to your own personal schedule.
Online universities do not have set time periods or deadlines for students to earn their individual degrees. You can take as little or as much time as you prefer to complete your degree program.
This also means online university students have the ability to complete their courses faster than traditional college students, they can take more courses and complete their degrees faster. Most traditional colleges only allow their students to take 18 credits per year. But online universities typically allow their students to take up to 27 credits per year. Also, online university students can earn their degrees even faster by transferring in credits from previous college coursework, professional training, or the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). On the other side of that, remember, the great convenience of online learning is that you can work according to your own pace and schedule. You can take as much time as you need to complete your degree. You can even take time off for work matters, family, or vacations before resuming your studies. Some students take as long as five years to complete a degree program.
