Online Teaching Degree

Several schools are now offering graduate degrees in online education. The value of an online teaching degree should be carefully considered before taking this higher education path. There are two general reasons why people pursue advanced college degrees. For some, there is a burning desire to learn more about a subject that intrigues them. This is a purely academic pursuit which should not be discouraged. Others see a graduate degree in a specific field to be their ticket toward a better and more rewarding future. Perhaps they have an interest in the topic but that is not their primary motivation. Be aware that things do not always turn out the way it was planned. For example, I started graduate school with the desire to learn how to do cancer research. I became sensitized to Guinea Pig and rabbit dander which made it impossible for me to work with animals. I started instead to work solely using cell tissue lines. However, the funding for cancer research quickly dried up going instead to the new hot field, genetic engineering. Had I specialized in cancer research, there would have been an excellent chance that few if any jobs would have been available when I graduated.

Earning an online teaching degree can prepare you to teach online courses for institutions of higher learning. Most accrediting agencies require a professor to have a minimum of a masters degree plus 18 graduate hours in a specific field. Thus, you would only be certifiable to teach courses in online teaching for programs that are training new online instructors. This greatly restricts your ability to teach since there are relatively few schools offering these programs. This is why It makes more sense to major in a field that is common to most institutions such as business, computers, education, nursing, or criminal justice.

Many schools offer certification programs in online education and pedagogy in lieu of an online teaching degree. This makes more sense for a novice online professor. It shows that they are committed and makes them more competitive. If you do decide to earn an online teaching certificate, be sure to get it through the school you wish to teach at. However, once you have online teaching experience the necessity for an online teaching certificate dissipates.