Getting Your Associate's Degree 100 Percent Online
By Melody GoughQuestion
I want to get an associate's degree or certificate completely online in subjects like English, programming, math, or computational biology.
Answer
Since you have such a variety of interests, let me start by asking you about your long-term goals. What is the purpose of this degree or certificate? Do you have a specific career goal in mind or is this education solely for personal enrichment? Ask yourself where you want this education to take you before enrolling in a particular program. Some of these areas have many areas of concentration within them. English programs often offer a variety of concentrations such as creative writing or literature. Perhaps you want to be more competitive in the business world with classes in technical writing.
The best first step is to request information from a few schools that have programs that interest you. Many online schools offer career counseling services and a counselor could answer any questions you have about programs and help you to focus your intentions. Definitely talk about your options and what field you might want to focus on before enrolling in an online program. You can also conduct your own career assessment to help get you focused on where you want this newfound knowledge to take you.
University of Nevada Reno professor Melody Gough is here to answer your questions every week. Professor Gough has taught poetry in both online and community college classrooms for almost a decade and has also taught English composition at the local university for the past five years. In addition to advising her students and inspiring them with witty classroom exercises, Professor Gough writes both poetry and memoir. Her Master of Arts in Teaching English is from the University of Nevada, Reno.
