What an Online Liberal Arts Degree can do for you
Without the option to complete her liberal studies degree online, Jazmin Worthey couldn’t have graduated.
She was still working on her liberal studies bachelor’s degree at Portland State University when she decided to relocate to Eugene, two hours away. She had a good job opportunity there, and she liked the idea of escaping Portland’s high cost of living for a more affordable community.
But she wouldn’t have moved if it meant interrupting her education. Thanks to PSU’s strong online degree programs, she didn’t have to worry.
“I knew I’d be able to finish my bachelor’s degree online,” says Worthey, a transfer student who transferred to PSU from a Florida university. “I was already taking some of my liberal studies courses online before I moved to Eugene because they fit better into my work schedule. When I told my advisor about moving, we looked at the catalog and made sure I could complete the degree online and that all the courses I’d need were available online.”
You Save Time and Money with an Online Degree
Worthey’s experience illustrates the fluid definition of “online degree programs.” At Portland State University, the term applies to any program in which you can earn at least half the required credits online. Some programs (including liberal studies) are nearly 100 percent online. Even so, many students earn their online degrees through a combination of online and in-person courses, mixing and matching to suit their needs.
If you’re considering an online bachelor’s degree program, here are four questions to ask:
- How many of the required courses can I take online? In PSU’s online liberal studies program, all of the required courses are offered online. You can earn those credits on our campus or (if you live far away) at an accredited university or college near you. Whatever online program you’re considering, it’s highly recommended that you consult with admissions counselors and academic advisors to review the online availability of required courses.
- Will I take courses from the best professors? Some universities assign adjuncts or junior instructors to most of their online courses. At PSU, senior faculty design all of our online degree programs and teach the majority of the courses. You’ll get the same high quality of instruction in online courses as you would on campus.
- Is the online course platform user-friendly? US News and World Report included PSU on its list of Most Innovative Universities for the third straight year in 2018, and our online learning platform is a big reason why. It closely replicates the experience of in-person classroom, using an easy interface and a suite of communication tools to keep you connected to your faculty and classmates.
- Do the online degree programs have a strong reputation with employers? PSU graduates do very well in the job market, whether they earned their degree online, on campus, or through a hybrid approach. You get the same diploma regardless of how you fulfilled the requirements.
Staying Connected in an Online Degree Program
Jazmine Worthey asked all of those questions as she gradually transitioned from a full-time, on-campus student to a fully online student.
“At first, I started taking some classes online because I got a job and I needed flexibility in my schedule,” she says. “But I was still living in Portland and taking some classes on campus. Then, when I moved to Eugene, I went fully online.”
Although she missed the energy of PSU’s downtown campus, she says she learned as much from her online courses as from her on-campus ones. She also developed a good sense of camaraderie with her fellow online students.
“PSU uses an online course platform that’s very interactive,” she says. “It’s very easy to use, and since everybody’s spread out there’s more of an effort to stay connected. I had tried online courses before at a community college, and they didn’t work for me there. At Portland State, the online classes really clicked.”
“I’d advise anyone who’s thinking of an online bachelor’s degree,” she says, “to get it at Portland State.”