By Elizabeth Weiss McGolerick

Millions of students are earning degrees online, believing they are boosting their marketability. But do human resource professionals hold these credentials on the same level as traditionally earned degrees?

As students ponder the pursuit of an online degree, there is more to consider than whether or not they will earn a solid education. Though the Sloan Consortium reported that almost 3.2 million students were taking at least one online course in fall 2005, an increased enrollment over 2.3 million students in 2004, online degrees are still a relatively new notation on résumés. As such, human resources (HR) representatives find themselves assessing an applicant's motivation for choosing this method of study. It may be necessary for online students to play a defensive game, but there are pros and cons to both sides of the debate.

Electing Online Education
Leslie Sofocleous received her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and later earned her master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's distance program, which combines online-learning features with in-person classes. She is completing her Ph.D. online through Walden University and believes an online school's accreditation status and name recognition have the most impact in determining an individual's hiring potential.

The fact is that the same accrediting bodies evaluate all schools – online or traditional – to determine if they provide quality education worthy of an accrediting organization’s stamp of approval. And, according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the evaluation process is conducted the same way for every institution. Accreditors examine a school’s performance in a number of areas, including “expected student achievement, curriculum, faculty, services, and academic support for students,” states CHEA data. In short, if a school is accredited, it must meet a high level of educational standards.

Still, Leslie admits that there is sometimes a stigma associated with online learning, however, she’s found a positive response to her degrees in the computer industry, since technology is such a big aspect of the virtual classroom experience. In the opinion of Brian Mueller, president of the Apollo Group, which owns the University of Phoenix, the Institute for Professional Development, the College for Financial Planning, and Western International University, students who earn their degree online have a distinct advantage. “[Employers] gain a certain amount of admiration for these students. They consider them savvy and creative enough to succeed online.” Not to mention that the majority of colleges and universities awarding such degrees rarely indicate whether a degree was earned online – a degree is a degree.

The perception of online degrees
So just how hard of a sell is an online degree to a potential employer? According to a 2005 Vault Inc. survey, 85 percent of employers believe online degrees are more acceptable today than they were five years ago. But the reactions of human resource professionals regarding online degrees vary widely.

James Day, staffing specialist at Lash Group Healthcare Consultants, which provides reimbursement-related solutions to pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, biotechnology firms, etc., considers what online students might be missing. "They don't have the social interaction, per se, with their classmates [or] that full college experience of brainstorming. They don't have to rely on memory from dictation especially."

Murray Fetzer, director of operations for Cen-Clear Child Services, headquartered in Philipsburg, PA, acknowledges that online degrees are more prevalent than ever, but believes there is still more value to a traditional degree. "Most people study online out of necessity, rather than by choice. We have hired people with online degrees, but look very closely at their transcripts," he explains. "Although pursuing an online degree is a commitment, the traditional student is committed at a different level and, I believe, gets more out of their education. Your colleagues are a critical part of the learning process."

Then there are others like Miriam Berger, president of A Hire Authority, a firm that provides hiring services to small and mid-sized companies, does not allow her personal perceptions of an online diploma to cloud her judgment of applicants' résumés. "If one of the job requirements is that the candidate have an M.B.A., for example, and the candidate is otherwise qualified for the job, I will make sure their résumé goes in front of the hiring manager," says Berger. "I have never had a hiring manager reject a candidate whose degree was from an online university."

A Hire Authority's regional HR director Deidra Adams adds, "Earning a degree online or otherwise increases one's marketability. If the job requires a degree, that's all I am looking for."

The Value of the Educational Experience Is Key
According to the Sloan Consortium, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of online education, 40.7 percent of schools offering online courses agree that students are at least as satisfied with their online courses as their on-campus courses. Only 3.1 percent disagree.

“The important thing is that if [a school] delivers education online in a high-quality way and they’ve made the investments that need to be made, students can get the equivalent education, if not greater,” agrees Mueller. “The University of Phoenix developed a successful model for delivering education online, and an assessment process is in place to gauge results. Students can definitely make gains equal to an on-campus situation, if not exceed them.”

What’s important, Mueller explains, is that online students have the same basic foundation they would have on campus, such as an extensive library available to them online, as well as writing and math labs. “They need to have the same learning support – or better – than what they [would] have in a brick-and-mortar situation,” he adds. “Having a faculty member who is well-trained can make online learning as social as – if not more social than – a typical on-campus experience.”

eStudents Working Hard to Dispel Negatives
While the Sloan Consortium found that educators did not perceive online degrees as a critical barrier by potential employers, some HR representatives challenge that finding. Cathy Akin, HR senior consultant for Akin & Associates, pauses when she sees the online degree notation, asking, "Do they just need the 'piece of paper' or do they care about truly understanding their discipline?" Adamant in her beliefs, Akin says, "My hiring companies would not give 'credit' for online degrees. Perhaps we are somewhat ignorant of the value of such degrees; the image is of an 'empty' education. I have used e-learning tools for employee education, but not as a means to a degree."

This seems to be the case for a number of employers. Job seekers with online degrees may be in for a slightly uphill battle, but once inside the walls of a corporation, online education is often lauded. Many companies are utilizing online education to enhance the skills of their existing workforce and retain employees, going so far as to partner with online institutions in return for discounted tuition and customized programs.

Regardless of whether job candidates have taken the traditional or online route for their career preparation, Fetzer stresses that, in today's job market, "HR representatives who are not open to the changing realities in education may be limiting their chances of attracting the best talent for their organization."

The bottom line? If you're savvy, resourceful, and disciplined enough to earn an accredited degree online, tackling potential employer ignorance should be a no-brainer.