In the decade since the explosive growth of the internet, nearly every industry has been affected, including education. Major universities as well as local community colleges now offer a myriad of classes available to students online, with some offering entire degrees that can be completed via the computer. With programs such as Blackboard and Angel, universities are able to offer all of the resources, and more, through easy to use interfaces that even those who are ill at ease with a computer can easily use.

With the advent of the internet, the number of for-profit online schools has grown exponentially, increasing even further the number of programs available to those who wish to complete their education completely through the computer.Online education is no longer just for universities anymore charter and other public-school alternatives are now offered through online learning, and public schools as well are now utilized the Virtual Classroom to offer their students highly specialized classes, without having to add additional, and expensive, staff.

Growing demand for top schools to go online

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, John Chubb and Terry Moe hail the new Harvard-MIT initiative, edX, a $60 million partnership that aims to reach millions of new international students in India, China and around the globe with the leaders of these two prestigious Cambridge talking of the revolutionary potential of online learning, hailing it as the single biggest change in education since the printing press.

Chubb and Moe also point out some of the major drawbacks pointed out by university leaders of edX: the coursework would not lead to a MIT or Harvard degree, the courses are free and prepared by some of the best professors in the nation, but there is neither revenue stream nor a business plan that will sustain it. Stanford is similarly having the same problem, how to maintain the elite and selective nature of the schools while simultaneously offering free courses anyone can take.

Online programs are still mostly seen as the purview of for-profit schools, like the University of Phoenix and Capella University, with schools such as UNC, Northeastern, Columbia, and Northwestern trying their hardest to expand into the online education realm offering their degrees to students unable to attend a traditional brick and mortar school.

Hybrid programs, which entail a mix of online education and in-class education have also become more popular, with Bill Boulding, deputy dean at Duke, saying that the schools hybrid program appeals to internationally based professionals who dont want to relocate to rural North Carolina for two years but want a Duke education.

Less money, same quality education

Online education offers a less-expensive means of getting a college degree, while also offering flexibility that many working adults require. In many cases people who otherwise would be unable to attend a traditional school, whether due to cost, job or family obligations, or the distance between where a person lives and the school they would like to attend, online learning offers them a chance to receive the education that is required to earn a living in todays global society. Online education also offers a higher education to those living in developing nations which have limited universities with prohibitively high costs, such as India and China.

The availability of high-quality, well-known graduate programs have also increased over the years with schools demanding admissions standards similar to that of their brick and mortar schools. Schools like UNC, Temple, Penn State, and the University of Florida have carefully instated extensive graduate programs, such as MBAs, that can be completed entirely online, allowing professionals such as Jamie DeMaria, an executive director for Medscape, a part of WebMD, to attend a well-known program. He believes there are no prestigiousprograms available near his hometown, thus forcing him to look online, and while the cost for UNCs program is still high at $89,000 for the two year program, it is still cheaper than the typical $98,000 price tag charged for out-of state students. By attending UNC online, he is able to further his education by getting an advanced degree while maintaining his employment with the hopes of rising up through the company following graduation.

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HOW TO: Find the Best Online Education from Top Universities