How do I Choose the Best Continuing Education University?

There are many continuing education universities available, but the best institution will meet your educational goals, your budget, and your schedule. An online continuing education university is a good choice for individuals who need flexibility in their class schedule. Typically, these individuals already hold jobs, have families, or live too far from the university to attend face-to-face classes.

Many universities offer online classes and accept "visiting" or "continuing-education" students who are not fully matriculated into the university, even if the institution does not market itself as a continuing education university. Continuing-education students are not typically seeking a terminal degree. Instead, they commonly take classes to obtain professional credits, such as those required of doctors and teachers, who must have a certain number of credits to satisfy their licensing requirements. Other students take continuing education classes for personal enrichment, and it is also common for employers to use continuing-education classes to train their employees.

Your educational goals, whether they are personal or professional, determine your educational needs. The best continuing education university will offer the classes you need to achieve your goals. If you are pursuing professional credits, verify that the course you plan to take is approved for continuing education credit. Sometimes credits will not be accepted from a university which is unaccredited. Also, make sure that an online course, as opposed to a face-to-face course, will satisfy the licensure requirements.

Before beginning your search for a continuing education university, decide if you want to attend synchronous or asynchronous online classes. An asynchronous course is a class which does not require students to meet, either physically or virtually, at any specific time. Assignments and discussion forums are given weekly due dates for completion. Synchronous courses are not as flexible and require students to meet at a specific time each week. Some students believe that a synchronous class meeting helps them to keep up with the class work, but others do not have time in their schedule for synchronous meetings.

After you have decided between synchronous or asynchronous classes, consider your budget. A private or "for profit" online university will cost more than a regional, government-funded institution. More expensive tuition does not always mean higher quality education, however. In continuing education, the prestige, or name recognition of the school, is not an important factor. It is better to choose a school that you can afford and that offers the courses you need than to choose an expensive, prestigious school.