Questions and Answers

What is Project IDEAL?

Project IDEAL is a national consortium of states partnering to develop effective online education programs for adult students. The group's goal is to raise the quality of distance education throughout the nation by pooling the knowledge of its member states. As of March 2009, Project IDEAL's membership totaled 26 states, including Massachusetts. As a member of Project IDEAL, states have access to the program's Support Center, which provides to its membership technical assistance for program planning, teacher training and program evaluation. The Support Center also develops training materials for online courses as well as web-based research tools for its member states.

What is Massachusetts Colleges Online?

Massachusetts Colleges Online, or MCO, is a consortium of 15 community colleges and nine state colleges in Massachusetts. With the goal of sharing their online courses and programs with students throughout the state, these schools formed MCO to provide reliable information on online education to the masses. In addition to information on distance learning programs in Massachusetts, MCO's colleges offer free online tutoring and academic support for core courses. The group also collaborates with several state agencies, including the Division of Career Services.

What is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation?

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or CHEA, is an association of three-thousand (3,000) degree-granting universities and colleges that serves as a national advocate for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation. Governed by a 20-person board made up of college and university presidents, institutional representatives and members of the public, CHEA currently recognizes sixty (60) programmatic and institutional accrediting organizations. The organization also works closely with the U.S. Department of Education to oversee accreditation and quality assurance of U.S. schools.

Can I secure federal financial aid for online education?

The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 made securing financial aid for online education easier than ever. Previously, only online programs offered by schools with more than 50 percent of its curriculum taught on a campus could qualify for financial aid. The Higher Education Reconciliation Act expanded eligibility for federal funds to include institutions whose courses were primarily offered online. For online courses, the primary requirement now is the school offering the courses must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education specifically for the accreditation of distance education.

What type of degrees can I get from an online school?

These days, just about every type of degree can be attained through distance learning. From GEDs to Doctoral Degrees, online schools now offer degrees for a wide array of education levels as well as specialties. Students can attain a degree in such industries as education, accounting, computer science, marketing, medical billing and management - the areas of study are almost limitless. Whatever your professional aspirations may be, chances are you'll be able to find an online school that can help you attain your educational goals.

How can I get more information on Massachusetts online education programs?

To learn more about what Massachusetts online education programs are available to you, just take a moment to complete our online form. We'll send you details on several Massachusetts online education programs that can help you achieve your academic and professional goals.