All over the U.S., the health care industry has reported a shortage in qualified nurses. Several online colleges and universities, such as The University of Phoenix, are trying to help by offering several health care and nursing degrees.

The American Association of College of Nursing said that the in the U.S. alone, there could be a shortage of 340,000 quailified nurses before the year 2020. That is roughly 3 times the current rate.

There are multiple reasons for the trend.

Many veteran nurses are retiring as the baby boomer generation reach retirement. Compounding the issue is the fact that people live longer now than ever before, all of which creates a greated need for health care.

There is also a problem in finding teachers to train new nursing and health care canidates. 150,000 applicants were turned down for nursing programs because of shortages in qualified nursing educators. Part of this was due to keeping qualified faculty. A recent survey of nursing faculty members reported many work close to 60 hour work weeks, due to the shortage.

Both four-year bachelors degrees and two year associates degrees in the nursing and health care fields provide a future for strong job outlook.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that nurses will create the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations in the future. In addition to the new jobs, many existing positions are expected to open as existing health care providers retire.

There are many degree farms who offer fake degrees. Here we list the top 10 most common warning signs that a school is offering a worthless degree.

1. The university you plan to attend is not accredited.
2. The university you plan to attend is accredited but is not reconized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Internet based ‘degree farms’ get their accreditation by fake accreditation agencies that they have created themselves. These fake accreditation companies often have names that sound prestigious. Contact CHEA for a list of valid names of accreditation agencies in the United States.
3. Admissions from your prospective college or university tells you that a online or distance learning school can not be accredited by a CHEA agency. This is simply not true and any worthwhile school will be accredited.
4. Be careful of college and universities that offer degrees in a certain country, but are not located within the country they offer the degree for. This often indicates so called ‘degree farms’ who only want your money in exchange for a piece of paper. Check that the school is accredited with a CHEA agency.
5. The criteria for admission requires a valid credit card. Your previous G.P.A. and school records play no role in the decision.
6. The prospective college or university does not list the faculty and staff, or the faculty and staff themselves have attended unaccredited colleges or universities. It is even possible some of the faculty will have no degree what so ever.
7. A degree will be awarded to you based on your resume or career experience. A distance learning college or university with valid accreditation will often substitute some credits for work experience but will not issue a degree soley on work experience alone.
8. A promise is made that you will receive a degree for a flat fee, usually between $2,000 to $3,000 for higher level degrees. Accredited universities and college charge per credit or course for tuition and fees. Your total expenses will vary depending on your program of study.
9. Always check with the Better Business Bureau. They keep records of complaints filed against all businesses, including colleges and universities.
10. A promise is made that you will receive a diploma within 30-90 days of program enrollment. Degree farms like these are just selling paper and do not care about your education.

The continuing demand for graduate degrees is growing, online schools are more appealing now that ever before to those returning to school.

Bert Valencia is the vice president of distance education programs at Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management.

Valencia said Thunderbird’s Global MBA program requires students only spend four weeks in a classroom.

“Students can be located anywhere, as long as they can communicate they can be a part of the class,” he said.

Graduate degrees obtained at online universities and colleges have become more attractive because they provide the same level of education that a traditional university would, but from the comfort of your choosing. This has also become attractive to those with full time jobs and parents.

To complete an online MBA education however, classes alone are not considered sufficient. Networking is also a big party of the MBA program.

Networking is so critical to success, Thunderbird requires that MBA students spend the first few weeks at the Glendale campus. After eight monghts they will then get to travel to Genva for a week.

In addition, they may also spend a week in Beijing and a final week back at Thunderbird.

“If you have a job that requires travel, it is hard to pursue an MBA that doesn’t require you to be at a specific location,” Valencia said.

These programs improve the quality of the education by getting students enrolled that are established in their field.

Officials expect enrollment numbers to double in the next three years.

In the past, traditional universities dismissed online education. As society approaches the future, the popularity of persuing an education opposite that of traditional schools has increased.

This year online course enrollment will reach approximately 1.7 million students, that is triple those that enrolled in 2002. Nearly 10% of all students enrolled in college or a university will be enrolled in an online school.

The University of Phoenix was the country’s first online university in 1989.

As students continue to enroll in online colleges and universities, officials are expecting many new on-line schools to open.

“Online education is a great way to give additional education support,” said Bill Pepicello, president of the University of Phoenix. “Some of the large colleges and universities will reinvent themselves to get in the online market.”

The University of Phoenix is successful because it takes access to education to levels that a traditional colleges do not provide. Approximately 300 thousand students are attending either online or at one of the over 190 University of Phoenix campus locations, officials say.

“Online education allows a greater number and diversity of classes to be offered, because online courses aren’t constrained by time or location,” Pepicello said. “In some instances, online education enchances class-size issues, because some students may not be able to physically attend class but can attend the class online.”

The University of Phoenix is also an excellent option for those who do not wish to attend traditional colleges or universities.

“It’s more productive for some types of students, notably those who perform better with a more diverse schedule where time and location is not an issue,” Pepicello said.

A group that most on-line universities and colleges call their bread and butter are those students that are considered ‘non-tranditional students’ by other college and university institutes.

“There is not a standard profile for a University of Phoenix online student, other than they will be more tech savvy as a whole,” Pepicello said.

Accusations have surfaced of online program being ‘degree factories’ and providing attending students with below standard educaiton. Pepicello said the online college and universities are still trying to perfect the online education market.

Online universities and traditional universities offering online services, are trying to make the experience more well rounded.