Popularity Of Online Degrees Soars…And Soars
Jan 26th, 2007
There's no arguing with progress. Naysayers of online degrees…well, don't have much to say anymore. People are flocking to the option in record masses.
Online education is a $10-billion-a-year industry, up from $2.5 billion in 2004, according to the Postsecondary Education Factbook that includes information from Eduventures, an education consulting and marketing firm.
Enrollment for online courses is projected to reach about 1.7 million U.S. students this year, more than three times those enrolled in 2002.
The number of online students represents nearly 10% of total students enrolled in postsecondary education nationwide, according to the reference book, released in fall 2006.
The University of Phoenix became the nation's first university to offer an online education in 1989.
As the number of people pursuing degrees continues to grow, university officials expect to see new online degree-granting facilities open.
"Online education is an effective way to provide additional academic support," says Bill Pepicello, president of the University of Phoenix. "Some of the large land-grant universities will retool themselves to get in the online arena."
The online university has been successful because it has taken access to education to levels that a traditional experience can't provide. Nearly 300,000 students are enrolled either online or at one of the 191 University of Phoenix locations in North America and Europe, university officials say.
Onward and upward.
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