Getting a High School Diploma Online
Online school can be a great way to earn a high school diploma or GED, if you have yet to do so. Earning your high school diploma will open up many doors for you, in employment and in the opportunity to continue your education even further. There are several way to earn your high school diploma online, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Read on to learn more about them.
Earning Your GED Through a Vocational School or Community College
Perhaps you’re interested in getting your high school equivalency degree, by taking the GED test. Some benefits to pursuing the GED are that studying to pass the test can often take less time than completing the courses to earn a regular high school diploma. While you still learn the same skills as you would for a diploma, you do it in a more direct and quicker fashion.
Online vocational schools and community colleges offer online GED preparation programs. These are generally cheaper and shorter than completing an entire online high school diploma; some are free and funded by your state. One potential disadvantage of these programs is that students must go to a testing site to take the actual GED test after they have completed their studies. Oftentimes, you must select a program with a testing site in your geographical vicinity. (mo.gov)
Getting Your Diploma Through a Private Program
Many private online colleges and educational institutions offer high school diploma programs. These programs vary in the way they label credits and semesters, but all legitimate online high school programs will take approximately four years to complete -- the same as a traditional high school. Most accept credits you have already completed at a traditional high school towards your diploma. These programs tend to charge between $100-$200 per course; you’ll need 30-40 courses to receive your diploma. (iu.edu)
In choosing a program, you want to make sure you decide on one that is properly accredited. Accreditation is key to knowing that the education you are receiving is valuable and will be recognized by employers. You can check the nationally recognized list of accreditation agencies to see if the accreditations a school claims are legitimate. (ed.gov)