Online Graduate degree programs that are treated at par with masters’ degree programs have been gaining in on the popularity front steadily over the last few years. The prime two factors that distinguish these master’s degree programs from other programs are their convenience and quality.

These master’s degree programs scores high when it comes to people who want to pursue an educational program without really giving up on job or really losing out on years of experience.

The programs are absolutely flexible and you can continue with these for as many years as you want. The added advantage with these programs is that the flexibility does not compromise quality and the graduate schools that administer these programs can produce good quality graduates.

Let us take a look at the various characteristics and advantages that an online graduate degree can offer.

First, unlike a regular course or a program, an online graduate degree program does not have a strict deadline for completion. The online graduate degree program is characterized by the flexibility and the convenience it offers to a student to pursue the course conveniently. Thus, a student can pursue an online graduate degree program easily even after attending to other interests in life or even after doing a full time job.

Second, an online graduate degree program finds greater degree of acceptance among cross sections of the student community because of the less stringent admission criteria. Regular graduate degree programs can have stringent norms and rules for admission and that can eliminate a lot of applications. Also, the regular online graduate degree programs might not allow everyone to enroll for the courses of their choice. An online graduate degree program is less stringent and offers the facility of enrolling in the choice of courses at ease.

Third, an online graduate degree program is less expensive than a regular graduate degree program. This is another reason that an online graduate degree program has greater mass appeal. A regular MBA course, for example, may cost many times higher than an online graduate degree program on business administration.

Fourth, an online graduate degree program has an array of courses that you can enroll for. An online graduate degree program has courses on business, psychology, criminal justice, healthcare, engineering, education and many other varied subjects to choose from. These courses are well planned and the course materials are logically and intelligently structured.

However, an online graduate degree program has its share of critics too. A school of thought is of the opinion that a regular graduate degree program, as far as value to one’s career is concerned, is held at a higher esteem than an online graduate degree program. But there is no doubt that online graduate degree programs have their admirers too.