My father was listening to NPR the other day, and suggested that it might be either a) required or b) a waste of time to get an advanced degree because with the proliferation of online degrees the value of the peice of paper they are written on is worth less (not worthless).

The line of thought is that currently a Master's degree is worthwhile because it requires significant initiative and sacrifice to achieve, and therefore demonstrates something about the person granted the degree. Distance degrees are not any easier to acquire by any means, but if you make acquisition of that degree ubiquitious (ala the web) then the value of all recipients of that degree drops. Kind of the snobbery exclusivity factor at work.

So, two questions for the group. If you were hiring a person with a graduate degree, knowing that there are now online versions available, would you ever question how they got the degree - via residence or the web? Secondly, do you agree that with the proliferation of online degrees and Information Systems programs everywhere, hence and influx of people into your profession, that the value of your own degrees is somehow diminished? I see parallels to the Physical Therapy degree about 10 years ago - you could name your price back then, now you are lucky to find a job.

a).an advanced degree is hardly required to get a good job. b). an advanced degree is hardly a waste of time c). any degree that doesn't require a substantial amount of time in a classroom is "worth" much less than one that does (see comments below). d). don't bother with an advanced degree if you want it for better job ops, only get it if you want a better education.

regarding comment c - if all youre doing is essentially learning on your own, then why bother with the "degree program" ? learn on your own and save your money

i agree, if you have to actually spend time in a classroom in an academic environment.

call it what you will - personally, i barely consider the value of "an online degree" (graduate or not) when evaluating an application.

yes! i would ask questions about the classes taken and the general environment, regardless of whether or not i wanted to know if they earned the degree in residence or on-line. i would want to know about the program itself - they are hardly all created equal.

no, not if the person evaluating me looks at the whole picture. i earned 2 B.S. degrees and will finish an M.S. degree in December, all in residence. i feel i would compare very favourably against someone who earned it all on-line, without having set foot in a classroom. It's just not the same experience. There are a lot of reasons for why in residence programs are considered superior to on-line programs.