How Online Degree Programs Expand Access to Higher Education

The leaders at Touro University Worldwide designed all the school’s academic programs to provide a high-quality, affordable education that students can access online. From the university’s founding in 1970 until today, the goal remains the same: eliminate the barriers that keep those eager to learn from getting the education they deserve.

Touro University Worldwide operates on the belief that education provides the key to both individual achievement and a thriving democracy. The school pioneered online learning to provide access to higher education to students who otherwise might not get the chance to improve their lives through a college education.

With an experienced staff, a variety of online degree options, and a system designed to support student success, Touro University Worldwide provides working adults degrees tailored to fit their needs.

Growing Popularity of Online Degree Programs

Slightly more than half of all college students now take a course online. While the global pandemic helped boost that number, the trend toward online learning started well before 2020. TUW has offered online programs since the 1990s. 

According to a report from McKinsey & Co, institutions of higher learning can learn from those who became early pioneers of online education. As more students discover the benefits of learning online, schools must provide them with a caring, community environment that supports them throughout their educational journey.

Online higher education succeeds when institutions set clear academic goals for their students. Among these goals are programs that teach cutting-edge theory and match it with the practical application of those theories. Pairing theory with experiential learning prepares students for the real-world challenges they face, professionally and personally.

Benefits of Online Higher Education

Working adults especially prefer online programs because of the flexibility they provide. Many must maintain job and family responsibilities while attending school. Without an online option, many may never decide to pursue a degree.

The flexibility built into 100% online degree programs includes choosing when to view lectures and do classwork, a variety of start dates throughout the year, and the ability to attend class without driving to a campus.

Online degree programs eliminate any geographic barriers preventing students from pursuing the degree of their dreams. In the past, many did not attend college because they lived too far from campus. Others had to settle for whatever program a school offered nearby rather than enrolling in the program they wanted at a school across the country or on the other side of the world. Remote learning removes any such obstacles.

Other benefits of online learning include:

• The ability to build a more extensive network of professional peers
• Learning systems that allow students to chat with professors and work with other students remotely
• Learning to communicate through technology in a way that benefits students in their careers where a connected, geographically distributed workforce is now the norm
• A chance to strengthen self-discipline and time management skills
• 24/7 access to video lectures and course materials
• The ability for working adults to immediately apply what they learn to the workplace

Affordable Online Degree Programs from Touro University Worldwide

Touro University Worldwide is a nonprofit institution of higher learning regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Philanthropic visionaries founded TUW on the belief that students succeed when placed into an enthusiastic, connected community of fellow students and faculty.

The school derives its philosophy from a Judaic foundation. That philosophy includes welcoming all cultures and backgrounds and a commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit, and philanthropic duty. School leaders recognized how online learning serves that philosophy early on and developed high-quality, affordable degree programs that students can access from everywhere with an internet connection.

Since those early offerings, TUW has expanded its online program to include associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. Their catalog includes more than two dozen programs in:

• Business and management
• Psychology
• Health and human services
• General studies

TUW also offers scholarships that make earning a degree more affordable. These include a long list of scholarships for military students, professionals with law enforcement experience, those with a high GPA, needs-based scholarships, alumni scholarships, and a host of health science scholarships.

Online education creates new opportunities for schools to reach more students than ever before. Leaders at Touro University Worldwide recognized this immediately. They continue to offer thousands of working adults every year the chance to boost their careers and widen their perspectives through the knowledge and skills gained in earning a college degree.