Students looking for the convenience of an online education, but unwilling to sacrifice a campus university experience, can now have the best of both worlds. While there are universities that predominantly function online, such as Capella University, many traditionally brick-and-mortar universities now also offer online courses as well. This means that students can opt for a “hybrid education” and map out a degree plan where some classes are completed on campus and others are completed online.
Hybrid education programs differ from school to school. Although chiefly known as an online school, the University of Phoenix has nearly 200 actual campuses across the nation. Students who want to take advantage of the campus location as well as the university’s famed online education can sign up for a FlexNet-style class. FlexNet classes are structured so that students attend the first and last weeks of the class inside an actual classroom, becoming personally acclimated with classmates and the instructor, and spend the remaining instruction times in between taking the course online. This allows the professor to explain how the online class will work and for students to swap phone numbers and email addresses for future study groups.
Other schools, like the campus-based University of Houston, allow students to take some classes completely online and others on campus. This lets students who are busy at a full-time internship or job continue their work without having to put a pause in their studies. These students can easily switch back to a campus education once that internship or job is over. The credits for online and campus learning both weigh equally towards obtaining a degree.
Many major schools now offer hybrid education options to accommodate students with busy lives, so whether you’re considering taking an online education for just a few semesters before hopping back to a campus, or want to try out taking an online class with the option of reverting back to a campus education, find a school with options to fit your needs.
