– Gaurav Vohra, Chief Business Officer, UNext

Upskilling and career upgradation are the integral goals of professionals. In this volatile era, employers are looking for dynamic candidates who are willing to upgrade and remain productive under all circumstances. Hence, it is key for every individual to acquire in-demand and industry-specific skills to stay relevant.

Online degree programmes open the best avenues for students to earn critical and employable skills while retaining their jobs or attending to other commitments. Degree holders receive the best roles in their careers as employers across the globe focus on recruiting graduates. Securing higher degrees will open doors to more opportunities and will ensure a faster route to attaining one’s goals. 

Why online degrees?

Different modes of degree programmes exist. Online learning is the latest addition that has become popular in recent times. Degree programmes have recently been added to the online education portfolio. Online degrees have come into existence because of economic, cultural, and psychological changes in our society. In India, online education has emerged one of the main learning modes, especially in the post-pandemic era. The government and higher education regulators have recognised online degree programmes; employers give equal weightage to graduates of online and offline degrees programmes.

Are online degrees helpful for students?

Let’s explore some of the advantages of pursuing online degrees:

Flexible: Unlike a regular programme, students can enrol and pursue the entire programme from the comfort of their homes, or any other convenient place based on their own schedules.

Accessible: A Learning Management System (LMS) is the primary platform that facilitates online education. Enrolled students can access the LMS to explore learning material at any given time, and from anywhere. A cloud-based advanced LMS will have reading resources, concept videos, recorded lectures, quizzes, an e-library with thousands of e-books and articles, a discussion forum to interact with instructors and co-learners, and a helpdesk.

Pursue courses from leading institutions: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has stated that higher education institutions listed within top-100 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for two consecutive years and with a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation of 3.26 and above are eligible to offer online degrees. This ensures that students who enrol in online degrees get quality education from top institutions.

Earn while studying: Online degrees are suitable for working professionals as they do not need to stop working to study. The absence of mandatory physical attendance at prescribed times gives freedom to students to utilise their time to focus on their work and other activities, and earn

Be job-ready: The main objective of online degrees is to bridge the skill gap among learners. The online degree courses are developed by incorporating industry insights to produce talent who meet market expectations. Various industry-focused activities are included in the programme to ensure that learners are ready for a job. It helps freshers understand real-world scenarios and helps working professionals expand their understanding and networks.

Acquire in-demand skills: The industry-academia collaboration to design online degree courses helps institutions understand the importance and application of emerging domains. Online education platforms focus on developing courses around these domains or incorporating the principles of these in-demand skills in their curriculum. Attending online courses and enrolling in specialised courses gives a competitive edge.

Online degrees are a helpful learning mode for learners to upskill and advance in their careers. The flexibility, convenience, opportunity to graduate from top institutions, and outcome-based approach help them boost their prospects. However, determining the suitable courses and choosing the best institutions is pivotal to making the most out of online degrees.

Also read: How to choose the right online course