Does the World Need More People With a Masters Degree?

Will a master's degree help you catch a better job and better income? These days it is no sure bet, especially as unemployment rates slowly creep up and more people return to school. However, people are beginning to ask a different, more pointed question: Will a master's degrees benefit society itself?

The number of master's degrees has skyrocketed in recent years. Not only in America but also in other highly developed countries such as Japan, where the problem has become so bad the Japanese government has attempted to pay corporations to take higher degree graduates off its hands. The New York Times believes at least two people in 25 age 25 and older now have a masters degree, some from Harvard and others from top online Masters degree programs. This is a whole lot of education, but where is the social benefit? In current world dynamics, higher education is not the panacea it once was.

The Personal Income Argument

Against the wall, graduate students often admit they are in it for the money or enhanced career opportunities. Years ago this argument carried more weight, because a master's degree actually meant something. Economists and professors believe the world is due for an education bubble, which like the tech and real estate bubbles before it will show an over-reliance on education for personal profit. After all, a master's in business has all but replaced the too-common business bachelor's degree. In the oversaturated American market, a master's degree is no guarantee of a job, either. Even market-friendly areas like science and technology are noticing this trend, with jobs going to only a select few who graduated from notable schools. This leaves many graduates with a mountain school debt and no fallback plan.

The Social Argument

The social perspective asks if all these master's degrees actually improve communities, the environment, or social issues. The answer is often a hesitant “no”. The social impact of master's degrees tends to be negligible for several reasons. First, higher-level education is typically the pass time of the rich, those who have the financial means to place their kids in graduate programs. Second, graduate programs in turn cater to the wealthy, especially when it comes to the humanities. The cycle tends to be self-sustaining, keeping money flowing around the upper levels of society without spreading much benefit elsewhere.

However, the real answer may be that the right kind of master's degree can build up society. Environmental programs, green technology, and even philanthropic degrees can help benefit the world at large – indeed, at the PhD level higher education often translates to philanthropic activity.

The Globalization Argument

As business and policy become intertwined on a global level, a balance in higher education is seen. In emerging markets such as China and India master's degrees are needed for economic development, but these countries are beginning to product their own graduates, rendering cross-border degrees moot. In developed markets such as Europe, North America, or Japan, degrees are increasing with nowhere to go, pumping money into higher education instead of into communities as a whole. The result is a slow move toward highly specific graduate programs that focus only on marketable skills, but the question remains. Will more master's degrees equate to more social equality? It appears not. From a global perspective, master's degrees in the United States seem to be causing more problems than they solve for the jobless and overqualified who hold them…for the time being.

7 Gigantic Colleges and Universities Who Now Offer Classes Online

Online education was once the jurisdiction of non-accredited trade schools and small programs in community colleges. But that is no longer the case. Where students were once able to take perhaps one to five of their major university classes online or in a hybrid, Internet/classroom plan, undergrads can now earn an accredited four-year degree without setting foot on campus. And many of the colleges offering these degrees are known the world over for challenging curriculum, outstanding staff and turning out bright, competent graduates.

Here are seven gigantic universities which now offer classes online.

The Pennsylvania State University

Penn State has always been a pioneer in distance learning, launching one of the nation’s first correspondence courses in 1892. The well-respected state school has come a long way since then, offering dozens of certificates and degrees that can be earned entirely online. Penn State boasts online instruction that exactly matches on-campus learning, and the degrees are indistinguishable to employers. See Penn State’s World Campus for more information.

University of Florida

Gator Nation’s Distance Learning program serves up fifty programs for online learners, covering business, agriculture, design, construction, journalism, engineering and many other topics of study. From the certificate to Doctorate, UF provides opportunity.

Arizona State University

ASU is known for its online program, having been in the game before many of the colleges on this list. Their program offerings are diverse and include areas of study unique, or at least rare, to online colleges. Their Film and Media Studies degree is a good example. See ASU’s Online Programs.

Drexel University Online

Philadelphia’s Drexel University is known as a top-notch arts and technology school, and their online program offers over ninety certificates and degrees that are indistinguishable from those earned on campus. Home to top-ranked business and education programs, this prestigious university is worth your time to research.

Portland State University

Ranked as one of the “Best in the West” by Princeton Review, Portland State University has a well-respected online system that facilitates degrees in education and criminology. To ensure that the quality of an online education closely resembles that of a more traditional education, PSU uses a faculty-approved teaching rubric known as Quality Matters, which students can also view.

Colorado State University

CSU’s Global Campus provides plenty of online-only options, including degrees in business management, social sciences, criminology, healthcare, public communication, information technology, finance and many other fields. The school’s online headquarters are located in Greenwood Village, just outside of Denver.

edX and Coursera

If you’re looking for online courses from prestigious institutions but don’t have funding, take a look at edX and Coursera--two collaborative online learning programs that offer world-class instruction for free. These programs won’t confer credit, but learning from the best instructors at Harvard and MIT might be reward enough.

These days, learning online isn’t a back-up option or second choice. Many top-tier schools offer degrees via strictly distance learning. The pride and accomplishment once reserved for those who could afford (whether financially or otherwise) to earn a degree on campus are now available to all, as the educational system is being democratized by online education.

9 Insane Degrees You Can Earn From an Online College

Just as Netflix made niche movies possible, so too are online academic programs able to construct some truly “unique” courses that traditional universities could never offer. In theory, this novelty may be awesome; however, in reality, it is bringing out the study of some, for lack of a better word, insane topics. Here are nine of the most crazy degrees and certification programs available to today’s students.

Gunsmithing

The study of firearms is probably something to be done only under the supervision of a trained professional. Ashworth College seems to disagree - they offer a career diploma in gunsmithing. Lock and load? No, gunfighting 523 becomes available next term.

Master of Professional Studies in Turfgrass Management

Does astroturf require an education? Apparently so. This Penn State online master’s degree program will spend as much as two years teaching land managers about the appropriate grasses for their space as well as how to care for them.

Master’s Degree in Anthrozoology

Let’s call it the Doctor Doolittle degree. This degree program offered by Canisius College takes a long hard look at how we “walk with the animals, talk with the animals.”

Consciousness Studies

Only Life Studies would be vaguer. No one may have a definitive answer or statement about this subject, but you can get a master’s or PhD from Bhaktivedanta Institute. Consciousness Studies is one of the newest disciplines out there and requires students to contemplate the possibility that studying consciousness is impossible.

Master’s of Art in Adventure Education

Do you feel the driving need to guide people in trust falls, teach companies about group synergy, and weave intricate metaphors about teamwork into the creation of the perfect s’more? Prescott College offers an online Master’s of Art degree in Adventure Education.

As strange as some of the above mentioned may seem, they are real programs, bestowing degrees that are both intriguing and useful, to some extent. There are also a number of fake degrees, some of which have lost grip on reality entirely. Here are some of the more interesting classes offered by Flamel College.

Parapsychologist Certification

With a website that looks like a geocities site from the late 90s, Flamel College offers degrees in parascience, a word that word-processors underline with an evil red squiggly. Learn about past life experiences, ESP, channeling, and precognition among a dozen other equally dubious topics.

Wiccan Practitioner Certification

It doesn’t matter how much you know about the Gardnerian Book of Shadows, if you don’t fork over $45 to get your official certification, you can’t really call yourself a Wiccan.

Cryptozoology Certification

Short of becoming a crewmember for some A&E documentaries, there is no practical application for this degree, which certifies graduates in the study of animals that are not acknowledged to be real.

UFO Investigator Certification

UFOs are notorious for their invisibility and invincibility, so only the keenest, best-prepared minds will be able to follow their trails. Stay on top of your game for this certificate, and you will embark on a treasure hunt that will last for the rest of your life.

If you were to take all of these programs, write them down on small bits of paper and toss them into a hat, would you be able to discern the real from the fake? At first glance, separating fact from fiction might seem difficult, but after spending a few minutes on the Flamel College website, you could tell.