Strayer University, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is a private, for-profit university which has over 70 physical campuses across North America; it also has a dynamic online university platform offering a wide range of online degree programs. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the university is one of the larger online learning institutions.
This article will give an overview of Strayer University's online format, detail its online degree programs, and explain how its distance learning works.
Strayer University – Benefits of Online Education
An increasing number of working adults, looking to advance their careers or shift into a new one, are turning to online degree programs due to their superior flexibility and affordability when compared with campus-based colleges. Below are some of the benefits offered by Strayer University's online program:
- The choice to take classes live (synchronous) or whenever a student chooses (asynchronous), giving students full control over their class schedule
- Full access to professors, with live class options, chat applications, and generous office hours;
- Tutorial support for introductory classes
- A clean online platform which houses electronic resources, course information, lectures, and free software
One of the most important benefits of learning at an online university is that, compared with campus-based programs, the cost of attendance is usually much lower. At Strayer University, graduate level courses are $2,050 each, and undergraduate level courses are $1,515. Students should also allot $250 for textbooks per course. While these tuition and textbook fees compare favorably with campus-based universities, students should shop around among online universities to find the best fit.
The university also has an active financial aid office which works closely with students to make sure they are able to receive federal financial aid, as students who attend online college are now eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants.
Strayer University – Online Courses and Online University Structure
Students have several choices when setting their personal online course schedule; they may choose either synchronous classes, asynchronous classes, or a combination of both.
For those who enjoy live interactions, synchronous classes are held in real time via an online platform.
These online classes are held in an application which appears much like a chat room, with video slides and a virtual chalkboard visible on the top-half of the screen, and scrolling text with comments from both students and professors running on the bottom-half. Students can hear audio of the professor in this application, and may ask questions using text interactions.
For students who prefer the flexibility of taking classes whenever it is convenient for them, courses may be taken asynchronously as well. These courses are available to students in several different forms, from text to audio and visual files. Along with flexibility, asynchronous classes have the added capability of being paused and replayed for those who learn in busy or distracting environments.
Students may combine the above options and register for a menu of both live and recorded online courses. Regardless of the choice, students have access to an online platform which houses course syllabi, schedules, readings, assignments, archived lectures, and chat applications for communicating with other students.
Strayer University does not have distinct colleges or academic schools; rather, it presents its courses via various online degree programs, which are detailed in the next section.
Strayer University – Online Degree Programs
Strayer University offers a wide range of online degree programs, including a generous offering of online Associate's degrees in:
- Accounting
- Acquisition and Contract Management
- Business Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Economics
- Information Systems
- Marketing
The university has a strong offering of online Bachelor's degree programs, many of which have multiple concentrations in business administration, and include:
- Accounting
- Acquisition and Contract Management
- Banking
- Criminal Justice
- E-Business
- Economics
- Finance
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Human Resources Management
- Information Systems
- International Business
- Legal Studies
- Management
- Marketing
- Retail Management
Below are the online Master's degree programs available:
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Education
- Health Services Administration
- Public Administration
- Information Systems
All of the above online degree programs have courses available which are either synchronous or asynchronous.
Strayer University – Online University Technology Requirements
While the university advertises that students only need a computer and internet access to participate, below are its minimum technical recommendations:
- Microsoft Windows XP or MacOS 9.1
- 64MB RAM
- Sound card and speakers
- 56K internet connection
The online college offers all the software needs of its students free on its website, and has a full technical support staff.
Strayer University– A Flexible Online University Option
Strayer University is a good option for students who prefer the personal of interaction of live courses and need the flexibility of a fully asynchronous schedule. With full access to professors, live communication applications, technical support, a clean online platform, and generous tutorial offerings, Strayer University is an attractive choice for students pursuing an online degree.
For more information, reference Strayer University's guide to online degree programs, from which the information for this article was gleaned.
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David Harris-Gershon - David Harris-Gershon – a blogger for Tikkun magazine and a freelance writer on Israel, the Middle East and America’s role in ...
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