What is the Definition of a Traditional College Degree?

Important Facts About Traditional College Degrees

Educational Institutions and Other Employers Prefer a Traditional College Degree

A thorough literature review done by researchers Norina L. Columbaro and Catherine H. Monaghan, Ph.D., at Cleveland State University in 2009 found that people responsible for hiring professors believe that a traditional college degree is better than one earned through distance learning; fewer than 10% showed no preference. While employers in other industries were slightly more accepting, the bias toward traditional college degrees is still profound. Even mixed or hybrid degree programs were viewed with suspicion.

Preference For a Traditional College Degree Based on Definition

The researchers noted that employers, whose definition of a traditional college degree is one that requires regular classroom attendance on campus, associated traditional degree programs with the following attributes:

• Ability to do rigorous work
• Commitment
• Academic honesty
• Ability to work and learn face-to-face with others

Employers also associated traditional college degrees with schools that have achieved accreditation, evidence of their quality. Unaccredited schools and diploma mills, which often offer online degrees, have marred the reputation of non-traditional programs.

Improving the Perception of Non-Traditional College Degrees

Employers who personally know individuals with online or non-traditional college degrees are less biased against non-traditional college degrees. In-house employees who earn non-traditional degrees to advance within their companies find 62% acceptance, according to one of the surveys reviewed. The following may improve the acceptance of non-traditional college degrees:

• Elimination of diploma and degree mills
• Accredited and reputable colleges and universities increasingly offering some of their degree programs in distance learning formats
• The self-discipline, time management and similar skills required to succeed in an online degree program