What Are the Different Types of Distance Degree Programs?

Some of the most popular types of distance degree programs are those that include online classes. This sort of curriculum can primarily make use of the Internet, allowing someone to complete an entire degree through online courses, or use them to supplement traditional classroom studies. There are also distance degree programs that use video and television systems to allow someone to be in a physical classroom at one location while attending actual courses at another. Other distance curricula are built around extensions of schools, so that a college might have a branch at another location that someone can attend rather than at its original campus.

The Internet has allowed for many more distance degree programs to become viable than ever before. A number of colleges and universities have established online programs that can be attended entirely through the Internet, providing students with the opportunity to learn from a remote location. Courses in these programs use websites and various communication methods to allow teachers to present lessons and materials to students, who can then interact through online discussion boards and chat rooms. Some distance degree programs can include both traditional and online classes, allowing students to attend on campus for one semester, and then continuing their education through the Internet.

There are also distance degree programs that use video equipment and televisions to provide students with instruction at a remote location. These types of curricula often allow students to enroll at a participating college or university that has partner schools at the student's location. Classes can be attended in person at the remote location, and televisions are used to display audio and video of a teacher in real time for the students. This allows someone to use distance degree programs to attend courses with a particular instructor even though the school he or she teaches at is actually far away.

Some distance degree programs are created through the use of satellite schools or locations that are associated with a single parent university. A student in one state might want to attend a particular college located somewhere else, but the cost and process of moving can be an obstacle to attendance. In some instances, however, schools have satellite locations that operate from another state or region and allow students in that area to attend the parent school through them. These distance degree programs are often ideal for students who still wish to have a traditional education but who cannot physically relocate to the school of their choice.