Could an Online Masters be the Right Choice for You?

If there’s one thing that has steadily increased since the advent of the internet (and especially since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic) it’s the number of things you can accomplish without having to leave your bedroom. Thanks to ever-improving technology, there remain very few elements of an in-person Masters degree that can’t be replicated remotely.

The Open University was the world’s first distance-learning institution and remains the leading provider of remote higher education courses. However, the list of universities offering online degrees is always growing, meaning you can now access remote equivalents of many on-campus courses.

How does an online Masters actually work?

Even standard degrees now have a large digital component, with most students benefitting from virtual learning environments which provide access to the majority of course materials. As such, it is not difficult to imagine how universities could deliver a comprehensive learning experience without the need for face-to-face contact

Course content takes the form you’d expect– a combination of text, audio and video lectures which are streamed for students to watch back at their convenience. Tutors will often host seminars via web conferencing apps, where students can participate in live discussions using their webcam, microphone or simply through a shared chatroom.

Web seminars allow the real-time interaction with fellow learners which is one of the major attractions of an in-person course, but even these are usually recorded for later viewing, meaning it’s unlikely an online Masters will demand that students be available at a specific time. It is this level of flexibility which is one the most appealing features of a remote course – you could earn an entire qualification by studying exclusively between the hours of midnight and 6am (if you really wanted to).

If all this talk of digital content is making you nostalgic for textbooks brimming with colour-coded post-it notes or messily annotated vintage classics, you’ll be pleased to hear that some courses also include a delivery of printed materials via post. The Open University, for example, produces its own series of module textbooks which are mailed to students on many of its courses, along with paper copies of set texts, and any special equipment such as home experiment kits.

Tutors are generally contactable via email, or by sometimes phone within specified hours. You’ll have all the same access to their wealth of knowledge and experience as you would on a face-to-face course (except that this wisdom will not be imparted in a tiny office, surrounded by precarious towers of books).

Online Masters are no less rigorously assessed than their face-to-face equivalents, so you can still expect to submit regular written assignments, and (usually) round off your degree with a dissertation or extended research project.

What are the advantages?

The most obvious reason to choose an online Masters is the freedom it gives you to fit your studies around other commitments – at the Open University, for example, 76% of students are also in either full or part-time employment. Remote courses are designed to be accessible by people from as many walks of life as possible. While tuition fees for online courses are not necessarily lower, you’ll have more leeway to earn while you study. There’s also the absence of hefty commuting or relocation costs, meaning that studying online is likely to be much friendlier to your wallet.

Online Masters are no less respected than their traditional counterparts (provided you earn your qualification from a fully accredited institution). In fact, the ability to study independently while juggling the demands of work or family life will demonstrate your capability to future employers.

To keep in mind…

Despite the many benefits of earning your Masters online, a remote style of learning may not be for everyone. You might find that the sense of structure facilitated by timetabled, in-person events is essential to keep you motivated. Alternatively, the flexibility of home working, far from allowing you to maximise your productivity, may be more of a gateway to the rabbit-hole of procrastination. So before committing to an online course, consider whether you’ll be able to stick to a self-imposed schedule!

Though there will be opportunities to interact with fellow students (during the seminars mentioned earlier, for example, or via online discussion forums), time spent earning your qualification will mainly be comprised of independent study, which could be isolating for some.

If you are considering an online Masters in the first place, the social aspect of university is unlikely to be high on your priority list. But even if society events and nights out are not amongst your ‘pull’ factors, the sense of comradery inspired by post-lecture chit chat or group cram sessions over coffee may still be an invaluable part of your learning experience. Make sure you take all of this into account in order to pick the style of degree which is best suited to you!

Hopefully this post has given you some insight into what it is like to study a Masters online, and whether it might be something you want to pursue. For more detailed information, you can check out our handy guide to online Masters study. We also list thousands of online Masters programmes on our website.

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