How to get higher education online

Photo: depositphotos.com

It is possible to combine full-time work, family and study at a university if the latter does not even need to leave the house. Online education is becoming more popular. In addition to short courses and lectures in the same way, you can get a real bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Bring your diploma, we’ll raise your salary

Photo: depositphotos.com

When Roksolana Janusz got a job in the office of the New York company, she had an incomplete higher education. The girl moved to the States after the third year of the National Ternopil University of Economics and for several years in America she managed to get a green card, a work permit, but not a bachelor's degree. The future employer told Roksolana that she was suitable for the office manager position, but there would be a salary increase only in case of obtaining a diploma.

“Everything is simple: they said that there will be a diploma of completed higher education, there will be a higher salary. I asked if the diploma had to be American. They told me that they didn't care. The main thing is a bachelor’s degree,” the girl recalls.

Roksolana Janus at the prom. Photo: from the personal archive

Then Roksolana began to look for options: how to reach the rest of the year for her and at the same time combine work with study. Mom came to the rescue: she said that there was a distance learning program in the girl’s home university, after which the student received a state diploma. The university works with students abroad through the company Global Professional Consulting.

“20 years ago there was a big boom for programmers in America, and specialists from all countries were hired simply after completing short courses. But then, when the market became oversaturated, the need arose for these programmers to have some kind of degree, higher education. And these people, who came from other countries, often simply had incomplete education. And then we decided to find universities in Ukraine and Russia to establish cooperation for distance learning,” says the company’s president Global Professional Consulting Irina Kokurina.

Now the company cooperates with three higher educational institutions: Moscow Polytechnic University, Ternopil Economic and Ternopil State Medical University. She helps future students to collect the necessary package of documents, accompanies them during the entire period of study, deals with apostille and helps with the evaluation of diplomas.

Economists can, engineers cannot.

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First, Roksolana was given a list of required documents for admission, the most important thing of which was an academic certificate from the university where the student studied at least one course. The certificate must indicate how many subjects the student took and what exams he passed. Also You need a copy of the certificate of completed secondary education, a copy of your passport, and photographs. When the entire package is collected, the student is informed about the entrance exam. It can happen in different ways. For some it is online testing, for others it is interviews.

“The dean of the faculty of foreign students conducts a personal interview with students who live abroad, via Skype,” says Svetlana Danchak, Director of Distance Learning Ternopil State Medical University named after I. Ya. Gorbachevsky. This educational institution has been running an online program for almost 12 years. When Irina Kokurina approached them with a proposal for cooperation, the university immediately decided to take the opportunity and received a license from the Ministry of Education of Ukraine to conduct distance learning.

“For distance learning, first of all, a strong teaching staff is needed that can teach it in English, Ukrainian and Russian. And also server support - so that it is possible to upload all materials to the site and make them available to students,” explains Svetlana Danchak.

The school she works at offers an online nursing program. It accepts applicants who have already graduated from a specialized school, have an associate's degree and want to go further - get a bachelor's or even a master's degree. It’s easier with economics majors: students can take the same course again where they graduated. If you wish, it is possible to change your specialty. The exception is practical specialties.

President of Global Professional Consulting Irina Kokurina. Photo: Denis Cheredov

“With us you can learn to be a nurse, social worker, accountant and manager. The only exception is that we cannot take, for example, engineers, because this is an applied specialty. Here you still need to go to the university in person and do a lot of practical work. But those specialties that can be transferred completely to the online platform are available,” says Irina Kokurina, president of the company Global Professional Consulting.

How online training works

“When I received a notification of admission to the university, they sent me my username and password to enter the educational portal by email. There is a class schedule and necessary materials,” recalls Roksolana Yanush. All the girl needed to study was a computer, the Internet and a desire to gain new knowledge.

The same is confirmed by Adam Sasseri from New York. He graduated from the Moscow Polytechnic University with a degree in business management. “This is a very good opportunity to combine study and work. I know that this is an investment in the future and it will be very useful to me,” he explains.

Adam Sasseri. Photo: from the personal archive

Both Adam and Roksolana study on a schedule convenient for them. They can exercise every day, or several times a week. The main thing is to complete all the teachers’ assignments on time; all questions can be asked personally to the teacher via Skype or by email. “Every month I have a certain number of tests and assignments that I need to submit by a specific date. All training materials are on the same portal,” continues Adam.

In two months he has his final exam, for which he needs to write a long paper. Another option is to take the test online. “Access to the exam opens at a specific time and only for a specified period. The system is extremely clear and clear, but if you still have questions, we will help to understand”, adds Irina Kokurina.

Roksolana took the final exam in person, in the company's office Global Professional Consulting in NYC. Professors from both Ternopil Economic and Ternopil Medical Universities come there once a year. “It was a traditional exam, where we drew tickets and then answered questions orally,” the girl recalls. She says it is not difficult to study without the constant personal supervision of teachers if there is a desire and a specific goal. And Svetlana Danchak from the Institute of Nursing adds: she always warns students not to relax, since online learning does not mean that the program is easier or there are fewer requirements. “I say right away: the fact that you entered our university does not mean that you will graduate from our university. Of course, it is sometimes difficult to organize even full-time students, not to mention distance learning. But in any case, I monitor the progress of each of our students every day. And I control the teachers too,” assures Svetlana.

Online learning - saving both time and money

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You can study online without interrupting your work - and this is one of the main advantages of this type of education. But the financial aspect is no less important. If a student comes to the United States without a diploma, he will have to study at American colleges for at least two years, even if he is only one course away from receiving a bachelor's degree.

“For example, a student completed his third year at university, and then came to the USA and stayed here. And he only needs to finish his studies for one year. And 90% of American colleges take at least two years. Yes, they take into account previous education, but still, in order to receive a diploma, the student must study for two years. In this case, the student loses time and money,” says Irina Kokurina.

The difference in payment is also significant, says Roksolana. A semester even at a community college will cost several times more. “And if we are talking about a university that issues a bachelor’s degree, the price of a semester will be about $15 thousand,” adds Irina Kokurina.

Moreover, after online training, the student is issued a state-issued diploma with an apostille and evaluation - this is accepted by both American employers and colleges if, for example, after a bachelor’s degree the student wants to continue studying for a master’s degree at one of the US universities.

"One of our clients, a Muscovite who received a master's degree in Management, decided to use his diploma to find a job and consulted his stepfather about this. My stepfather said his diploma didn't mean anything. When this client turned to us for advice and help, we helped him evaluate his diploma, after which his stepfather hired him to work in his company”, recalls Irina Kokurina.

And the head of Roksolana, Janusz, kept her promise: the girl showed him the diploma that she received while studying online, and on that very day they raised her salary.

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