Scott Burrus, PhD, Psychology
Title: Social Policy Researcher
Employer: NPC Research
School: Northcentral University Online
Did you get an online education for your undergraduate or graduate degree? My graduate degree—I got my PhD from Northcentral University. Why did you get your psychology degree online? Because of the convenience of online education. I was enrolled in a traditional brick and mortar institution, but unable to continue because of work constraints that included travel and family responsibilities. What was your biggest misconception about online education? That it would be easier and it wasn't. I found the work to be more rigorous than my previous graduate work.  Were there any unexpected plusses to your online experience? Yes, in particular the increased access to faculty. My colleagues at work could not believe how much time and access I had to faculty. How has your online degree helped you today? I was promoted at work, saw an increase in pay and have much more responsibility now. What was your criteria for choosing a school? There were several: reputation, rigor, the ability to obtain a terminal degree in psychology—and the ability to obtain a degree without relocating. I picked Northcentral University because of the regional accreditation and no residency requirement. Do you see online education becoming the wave of the future? Definitely. The education is rigorous and it's tailored to working professionals. My coursework directly applied my work; that is, while I was working I applied what I learned in school to my work, then during my dissertation I was able to use data I collected on the job for my dissertation research. So, not only did school and work directly relate to each other, one was not disrupted by the other. I didn't have to quit one in order to do the other. Do you have any wisdom you can share with new online students—something you did not expect but will help a new student going into an online program? Be sure to carve out time each day, or week, for your studies. Dedicating time each week, just as if you were attending class each week assures success.  Online Psychology Degrees Home
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