Advantages of online education Few adults are able to return to college to pursue further education --they have jobs and families to support. Even on-campus adult education programs can be unfeasible for some. Consequently, adults seeking access to continued education are increasingly turning to online programs. The freedom to study how and when they want is essential. Many professionals work irregular hours or travel as part of their job. An online degree program allows study wherever and whenever a busy schedule allows. Even if you are living abroad, you can gain a degree online from an American university. The convenience and accessibility of an online degree makes it easier than ever to learn while you earn and enhance your career prospects.

The value of education
Employers are not necessarily at fault in placing such value on a higher education. Degree programs are often vocational, providing students with broad, practical, up-to-date understanding of certain industries and equipping them with the skills and expertise that are in demand within them. Such graduates are assets for companies seeking a competitive edge in their sector.

You can develop the skills that are rewarded through an on-line degree program. It is worth the investment, but there is no need to worry if you can't afford the fees. Financial aid is available in many cases, especially for active or retired US military personnel. (Saint James College and its parent organization, The Love Church Worldwide communion, offers limited scholarships and can arrange to provide students with the option of making tuition payments interest-free.)

Online degrees vs. traditional programs: People that have been out of education for some time often worry that on-line degrees are less highly regarded than traditional, on-campus qualifications. This may once have been the case but online degree programs are now rightly perceived to be topical, challenging and highly relevant. They are designed with the needs of working adult learners in mind and are developed in consultation with experienced professionals in industry and business to ensure that students learn concepts and methods that are immediately applicable in their work environment. Technology has progressed so that quality and content do not need to be sacrificed to allow for flexibility and accessibility. And, in a technological age, the ability to complete a degree online is an asset. Employers are likewise impressed by the initiative, ambition and self-motivation demonstrated by an employee who takes advantage of the Internet to develop their knowledge and their career….”

Enhance your career prospects!:
Online education provides access to learning that would otherwise be inaccessible to many people. Web-based programs present a flexible, independent learning opportunity that fits the schedule of busy people and complements their experience. It is time to re-gain the advantage so get started today.
Special thanks to CareerBuilder.com for the article reprinted above. --Saint James College.org

ALL previous college / university credits will be accepted: It is often a fact of life for mid-career adult students that their previous college experience occurred in the in the somewhat distant past, frequently a considerable number of years ago. Adult learners frequently have a great deal of difficulty transferring these fully-legitimate-but-old credits into new educational programs. Unlike most colleges and universities, Saint James College routinely accepts all documented academic credits that you have earned previously at other institutions of higher education. This is true even for credit hours earned years previously. As an example, if your credits were earned ten years ago, most schools require that you re-take large numbers of courses when you enroll in their programs. Naturally, this brings in tidy amounts of extra income for them. But, with Saint James College, we do not use requiring you to re-take classes as a profit center. How long will it take me to get my Bachelor's, Masters, or Ph.D. degree? This varies from student-to-student. You may be awarded your degree in mere weeks! If you bring only limited pre-existing graduate-level college credit and if your "real-life experience" is limited in scope, it could take from one to two years of self-paced study for any degree. However, students with some college credits (or CEUs) coupled with a strong background in "real life experience," it is possible for organized and dedicated students complete their studies in months...even weeks...if you've got a strong background. We are not a diploma mill! You must study and complete courses, or you must have the necessary background for our Fast-Track Program©. But, if you do, and if you invest the appropriate amount of time in our online distance-learning program, you may complete your degree program rapidly. Each student works at a different pace, so it’s up to you how quickly you can complete your studies.

Two caveats: We are accredited by the Association of Accredited Bible Schools. We strictly adhere to our mission of providing world-class education in a conveniently-presented distance learning format. Our courses are academically sound, our faculty and instructors are highly-competent and helpful, and we strive to offer among the lowest tuition rates in North America. Because we are a relatively new college, we are not yet regionally accredited. This is less and less important in today’s job market where employers are hungry for qualified employees and have fewer concerns about regional accreditation than in the past. Our degrees are not regionally accredited by an agency accepted by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, but they are real degrees, legitimate, and awarded by a college that is sponsored by a fully-chartered parent, The Love Church Worldwide inter-faith denomination. As many as 99% of non-traditional education students surveyed by a government-sponsored study said that they feel their degree meets or exceeds a traditional degree.

The study showed that roughly one-fifth of those who were awarded a non-traditional under-graduate degree went on to obtain a masters or doctorate. 97% of the non-traditional undergrads were accepted by the grad school that they preferred. Three percent reported some difficulties in presenting a non-accredited degree or transcripts from a non-accredited college, or for having obtained real-life experience credits. The bottom line is that the study showed that a full 94 percent reported no difficulty in being admitted to graduate school due to having an unaccredited degree or earning it through non-traditional or online education.

(See Sosdian, Carol P. and Sharp, Laure M., The External Degree as a Credential: Graduates’ Experience in Employment and Further Study, Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.)

The second caveat is that Saint James College degrees must have a "spiritual flavor" to them. Due to being owned by a chartered religious denomination, the government requires that our degrees be awarded with a relationship to a church or spiritual competency. You may sign your name with your credentials, such as Kathy Smith, B.A.., or Larry Jones, B.S., but the government requires that your actual Saint James College diploma must say "Bachelors in Business Administration for Religious Institutional Management" or, perhaps, "Bachelors in Spiritual Family Counseling." Because our degrees were designed at the outset to assist priests, ministers, and spiritual workers to increase their competencies and advance their careers, this has been consistent with our mission. It also enables us to offer Bachelors and other degrees for as much as 95% below the "market" cost in traditional education. Nonetheless, this requirement may not be acceptable to all students. Consider all higher educational degree programs carefully and choose one that matches both your budget and also your professional needs.