To Degree or Not to Degree? eLearners.com's Guide Helps Prospective Students Answer the Question

    HOBOKEN, NJ, September 23, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Interest in non-degree programs is increasing as more professionals look to advance or change their careers. To help prospective students compare and contrast their options of credit versus non-credit online degree programs, eLearners.com today announced a new resource that explores the differences between these two educational avenues. The resource is part of eLearners.com's Guide to Online Education series and helps those considering improving their lives through education figure out which track has the best fit. The announcement coincides with the national celebration of Self Improvement month.

Non-degree education can have many names, including continuing education, professional development or non-credit classes. Certificates are also offered in non-credit formats, although some colleges and universities offer them for credit as well. The one common link between all the programs is students take classes to advance themselves but do not earn a degree.

Among non-degree options, certificates are becoming one of the most popular forms. There are many different kinds of certificates ranging from beginning-level certificates for high school graduates to those offered for professionals with established careers. For professionals, certificates can be a convenient way to make career advancements or changes without committing to a 2- or 4-year degree. Individuals can earn certificates in a variety of professional fields including wedding planning, medical billing and coding, real estate and childcare. Mini-guides about certificate programs for these careers are available on eLearners.com at http://www.elearners.com/guide/majors-and-careers/.

Other types of non-degree track education include:

GED Preparation - The GED Test is not available online but there are prep courses and programs that interested students can take virtually.

Auditing - This can be a way for individuals who are unsure of what career path they want to "test the waters" of a particular degree field. When auditing a class, students can participate fully but do not earn credit. It is also an option for individuals who consider themselves lifelong learners.

OpenCourseWare - OpenCourseWare is a new development in online learning in which universities and colleges create and share course materials in a virtual learning environment. MIT made OpenCourseWare popular but there are several portals, like Academic Earth, that are available today to anyone with an Internet connection.

Students interested in exploring available online degrees or non-degree programs should visit www.elearners.com for more information.

About eLearners.com
Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting prospective students interested in online degree, certification and training programs with a wide selection of accredited online colleges and universities. eLearners.com offers a powerful search engine that indexes thousands of program offerings online, as well as a variety of educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. eLearners.com offers schools seeking prospective students a low-cost, performance-based method to gain national exposure and increase enrollments in their programs.

Contact:
Lindsey Mikal
Communications Strategy Group
[email protected]
(303) 433-7020

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