Job Discussion Forums

[lucifer911]

I am enrolling in an online BA degree to improve my job prospects and to open up my choices of countries to work in. I have found posts from the years 2003-2006 claiming Taiwan and Saudi Arabia do not recognise degrees offered online. Is this still the case now and are online degrees becoming more accepted? more credible universities are offering courses and bachelors via distance online learning so I have wondered if countries are becoming more relaxed on their VISA requirements over this issue?

Most Bachelor of Arts degrees take 3 years to complete in Australia. So will this fulfil the requirements to obtain a VISA? because I have read a 4 year bachelors degree is required not 3.

Also I apologise in another thread I posted for going off topic. I didn't mean to offend or sound agitated because I was previously halfway through a science degree and had to withdraw for personal reasons. I have since been on the phone yesterday after a lengthy conversation and the reality of me obtaining a degree is now possible again but I just want to be sure if I am making the right choice for going down this path.

[suphanburi]

In Many countries an "on-line" degree is still equated with a degree mill (not real) regardless of who it is offered by.

That said, many on-line programs do NOT differentiate between their in-class/on-site and on-line courses on the transcript and the degree doesn't say "on-line" on it.

If it is issued by a legitimate university with a physical campus (as compared to a university that only exists on-line) then more often than not, most won't know the difference.

This is especially true if many of your first and 2nd year courses were taken at a uni campus rather than on-line.

As to 3 year vs 4-year... as long as the parchment reads:
"Bachelor of _____" you are fine.

.

[nomad soul]

If your absolute, only possibility for completing a BA is via distance learning, it really won't matter which countries accept online degrees. Employer expectations and country visa regs change, so there's no guarantee requirements will be the same once you finish your degree program.

Reputable universities don't distinguish between online and on-site learning in terms of their degree programs. However, to err on the side of caution, I suggest you choose a 4-year program (preferably related to TEFL) from an accredited Anglophone university that also has a brick-n-mortar presence.

[lucifer911]

There are limitations in what an online degree can offer you. Science related professions require contact hours simply due to practical lab components. When I was studying medical science in my first year of my degree I felt many of the subjects did not require my attendance in person because I could watch the lectures on recorded videos. It was just the laboratory related work required my attendance.

Yes I was about to mention a parchment completed online is the same thing as a parchment completed in person on campus. The course content delivered online is exactly the same as it is delivered to on campus students. Both the parchment and academic transcripts are exactly the same as a parchment obtained through on campus learning. I have read a few posts about Saudi Arabia investigating whether the degree was delivered online; fortunately for me I have little desire to work in Saudi Arabia so I'm not bothered by it.

I have found an online program delivered by a legitimate university with a campus which doesn't require my attendance so hopefully I will not have too many headaches in obtaining a VISA (in my desired countries of choice mainly eastern european countries).

Thanks for your input.

[lucifer911]

agreed.. I am opting for a BA in literature with CELTA and if time permits I will aim for an MA in linguistics. I am more concerned with obtaining the VISA than my ability to get a job once on ground in foreign country. I do plan on leaving Australia the moment I finish the BA.