Do you know that every year hundreds of thousands of scholarships are disbursed by a huge number of federal agencies, non-governmental funding agencies, philanthropists, educational institutes and by corporate giants? The amount of money that goes into scholarships is astronomical, to say the least, and one might even wonder why.
Let us take a moment to understand why such scholarships are important from the economics perspective.
First of all, worldwide educational costs have risen quite dramatically. Research studies indicate that in the last fifteen years, public and private tuition fees for two-year and four-year programs have increased by at least 3% over inflation.
However, corresponding to such an increase in tuition fees, most people have not received a substantial increase in their income. With cost of living on the rise, income available for educational investments is surely less. Some studies specifically show that a large percent of the population is capable of only contributing enough to cover the cost of books and stationery over a four-year period.
Further, many countries, including America, are still recovering from the recession, hence, state funding for education has also decreased considerably. This, of course, varies from state to state in the country.
Another alarming fact is the tremendous increase in student debt, where the average student in the country acquires over USD 25,000 in student loans before he/she graduates. Add to this the increasing costs of on-campus accommodation, food, and other living essentials.
In each one of the above scenarios, it is quite obvious that there seems to be a huge and ever increasing gap between the disposable income of an average family and the soaring costs of receiving a quality education. While some struggle to make ends meet, and hence, by default, settle for semi-skilled and blue collar jobs, there are so many others who yearn for an education but are also stifled by the prospect of spending a lifetime in paying back student loans.
Given that this is the current financial scenario across the world, and also factoring in the obvious and ever increasing inflation in the cost of living, the establishment and disbursement of scholarships become quite essential to the economy.
Purely from the economic angle, without even considering other benefits of scholarships, the availability of such financial support to intelligent and deserving students facilitates an emergence of a highly skilled and employable workforce, who on their own time and manner, are capable of giving back not only to society but also to the economy of a nation.
They say it is never too late to pursue your dreams. This is especially true when it comes to career and education. Unfortunately, not all can afford to quit their jobs and go back to school. This can make it difficult to pursue higher studies or certain courses that can enhance skills. Fortunately, there are several free online learning platforms that allow anyone and everyone to be able to have access to good quality learning resources.
Here are some of the best websites for free online education that you can sign up for.
Coursera
Coursera is one of the most popular platforms for taking free online courses. It features classes, both free as well as paid, on a variety of different topics. This platform is currently being used by over 35 million learners that have access to 150 university partners, 2,700 courses, 250 specializations, and four degrees. These courses are curated in partnership with leading universities and organizations from around the world, such as Stanford and Harvard.
edX
edX is a platform that was founded by Harvard and MIT that brings together top-ranked universities. This platform was founded to help eliminate the primary barriers that prevent people from pursuing education, i.e., cost, location, and access. Along with free courses, edX also offers certain specialized courses for a specific fee. The platform can be accessed by interested educators and technologists through Open edX if they wish to assist in developing new educational tools.
Udemy
Udemy is another online learning platform that is quite similar to Coursera in terms of the format of the courses. The unique aspect of this platform is that it allows users to build their own custom courses by compiling individual lessons so that these can be taught online. There are over 100,000 courses in 50 languages on this platform that are taught by 42,000 instructors from around the world.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed is a platform made by TED to help share ideas and knowledge from teachers to students. This award-winning platform has a global network of more than 250,000 teachers that teach several free courses on a variety of categories and themes. The lessons are taught using animated videos and interactive content so as to make them more interesting for the students.
If you are planning to pursue an accounting degree, you should consider doing it online. There are more than 580 institutions in the country that offer master’s degrees in accounting, and many of them offer their courses online. Therefore, you can pursue this course without shifting to a different state, and you can also continue with your current job. Here are the top picks of online master’s degrees in accounting that you can consider if you are interested in this field.
Auburn University
The online master’s degree in accounting at Auburn University is open for you if you hold a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or business, and if you meet all the prerequisites for the business and accounting department. Students who enroll in this program receive study materials, instructions, and assignments that are similar to the on-campus course. The schedule is extremely flexible and can accommodate working professionals as well. Full-time students of this course can complete it within one year. They get to select electives like real estate finance and information risk analysis, among others. This course also prepares students for the Uniform CPA Exam. This whole program is available online, including the exam. However, students have to complete a three-day on-campus residency during their final semester.
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina offers an online Master of Accounting (MAC) degree through its Kenan-Flagler Business School. This school accepts students from all undergraduate backgrounds. However, students who have business or accounting backgrounds may get course waivers. Students who enroll in this course can choose a concentration in Tax or Audit. If you take up the full-time course, you can finish it in less than 15 months. You can start this course either in June or December. This way, even if you miss the application deadline for one semester, you do not have to wait for an entire year to enroll in the course. The MAC degree is entirely online, except for a one-week leadership immersion on campus, which is mandatory and takes place at the beginning of the course.
University of Connecticut
An online master’s degree in accounting from the University of Connecticut is one of the best online courses in the country. This university offers a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program. Full-time students can complete it in two semesters. Working professionals who enroll in this degree take two courses per semester. The University of Connecticut also offers you electives like Forensic Accounting, Disclosure for Not-for-Profit Entities, and Fraud Examination among others.