How Employers View Your Online Bachelor's Degree

When Erik Schnackenberg, 28, decided to get his bachelor’s degree at Pace University several years ago, he was confident about his decision to take courses entirely online.

If anything was going to get in the way of his job prospects, he figured it would be the lack of a master’s degree – not his choice to pursue distance education.

“I’ve interviewed several places and no one has asked me if I’m going on-campus for classes,” says Schnackenberg, a train conductor instructor and full-time student. “I think they care more about my major and my GPA.”

Schnackenberg might be onto something. The number of job candidates with online bachelor’s degrees has rapidly increased in recent years, recruiters say. At the same time, acceptance of the degrees by employers is becoming more common.

That hasn’t always been the case, though.

Only a few years ago, in 2009, a literature review by Cleveland State University found that human resource managers, executives and other gatekeepers had negative perceptions of online degrees. Some recruiters blame the stigma on the last decade’s "diploma mills" – online, unaccredited programs known for offering a degree to anyone with a full wallet.

But these days, employers rarely question the quality of online programs, says Susan Fontana, regional vice president of Manpower, a global recruiting firm.

“Things have changed,” says Fontana, whose company works with Fortune 100 companies and small and midsize businesses. “I think 10 years ago, you probably had a little more questioning, but it really is so much more accepted today.”

In fact, sometimes an online bachelor’s degree can be an advantage in the eye of an employer, Fontana says. In some cases, entrepreneurs favor students such as Schnackenberg, who have juggled multiple commitments while earning their degree.

“When you think about balancing a job and the needs of a family with school, that says a lot about the discipline of a person,” Fontana says.

There are several reasons why online bachelor’s degrees are increasingly becoming accepted, including the sheer number of students taking online courses, experts say. About 7.1 million students took at least one online course during the fall of 2012, according to the most recent findings from the Babson Survey Research Group.

Chris Cullen, a brand consultant for colleges and universities, says the perception of online degrees has also changed as top-ranked schools have started offering more distance education options and massive open online courses, known as MOOCs.

“In the past couple of years schools like MIT, Stanford, Duke and Johns Hopkins have joined the online education landscape,” says Cullen, managing director at Infinia DC. "It elevates the concept of online higher ed. Just by their participation the category is lifted."

Despite the evolution of online education, some employers are still wary of online degrees, recruiters say.

Mary Massad, division president of recruiting services for Insperity, a firm that provides recruiting services to more than 100,000 small and midsize businesses, says her clients have a variety of opinions on the degrees.

About 75 percent of her clients have embraced online credentials. As for the other 25 percent, she doesn’t count on changing their minds.

“There are people who are very resistant and very traditional in the way they perceive an online degree,” she says. “For some, it’s just deeply embedded in how they think.”

Although having an online bachelor’s degree isn’t a deal breaker for most of her clients, Massad says having an online degree from an unaccredited school is a sure way to get a resume discarded. Before you enroll in a program, make sure it is accredited, she says.

“You can go into this with eyes wide open – and you should,” she says.

Cullen, of Infinia DC, says some employers favor traditional bachelor’s degrees simply because they are more familiar.

To avoid having an online degree discounted, he recommends enrolling in a program that has brand recognition in the relevant field.

“In time, a person’s experience will outweigh their education on their resume,” he says. “But all things being equal, an employer will judge your education based on their own personal familiarity with the institution that provided the degree.”

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Benefits of Enrolling in the Bachelors of Science in Nursing Program

Nurses are at the forefront of delivering the medical care to patients. As the population is aging, the demand for nurses is growing simultaneously. Although this profession can be taken by individuals with two or three-year diploma in nursing, but a Bachelors of Science degree in nursing opens doors to more advanced career opportunities in this field.

In addition, the medical science is continually uncovering new technologies and treatments, nurses are often expected to adopt the latest advancements to ensure high level of patient care. Healthcare facilities also prefer seeking registered nurses with more advanced qualifications over others with an associate diploma or a lower level education qualification.

The Bachelor of Science in nursing program is designed to create nursing leaders who are highly competent, knowledgeable and committed to play an active role in shaping the future of healthcare. The four year nursing program incorporates classroom learning, hands-on lab experience for independent and scheduled practice, and a clinical placement.

Nursing School in Toronto

There are a number of colleges in Toronto that offer Bachelors of Science in nursing programs. Unfortunately, not all are accredited.  Some colleges may not provide clinical placement, which is a necessary requirement to gain experience during the program and seek employment after the completion of the program.

Centennial College's Bachelors of Science in nursing program is taught by experienced faculty with years of experience in nursing. Additionally, it also offers an opportunity for clinical placement, giving students to gain hands-on-experience and the advantage of being able to network and make employment contacts. These can be used as references to find employment after the completion of the course.

The nursing school Toronto focuses on overall development of students. And therefore, the curriculum of the Bachelors of Science in nursing program covers five themes, including:

Primary Healthcare/Health Promotion
Reflective Practice/Critical Thinking
Meaningful Relationships/Caring/Communication
Political/Social Justice
Personal/Professional Development
The program covers a wide range of subjects, including:

Anatomy and Physiology
Nutrition for Nursing Practice
Assessment of Healthy Individual
Psychology: The Science of Behaviour
Social, Political and Economic Perspectives
Child Development
Concepts, Individual and Family
Research Design, Measurement, Apps.
Nursing Implications
Adult Development
Understanding Society
Community Health Nursing
Ethics and Healthcare
Leadership and Change
Professional Issues and Trends
Admission Requirements

In order to apply for the Bachelors of Science in nursing program in a nursing school in Toronto, students will need:

Secondary school diploma with six Grade 12 University/M courses, including English Grade 12 U, Biology (SBI4U), Chemistry (SCH4U), Mathematics Grade 11 M or 12 C or University
One of Functions and Applications (MCF3M), Functions and Relations (MCR3U), Advanced Functions (MFH4U), Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U), Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U)
Details of communicable diseases immunization
Vulnerable sector screening – police reference checks
The graduates of this program are eligible to write the College of Nurses of Ontario registration to receive registered nurse designation, and accept entry-level positions in a variety of settings where nursing is practiced.

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