Although most of the major universities in the country don't yet offer entire degrees online, some of the best schools in the world allow students to study a large number of credit units through online education modules. For instance, Cornell offers online classes in subjects as diverse as Art History, Communications and Government. Harvard University has an extension school that offers distance education classes where a student can take the majority of their degree credits, so only a few classes are needed on campus.
Some people think that online education is just a shortcut that allows people to earn a degree without putting in the required work. The online diploma mills that emerged years ago helped spread this reputation. However, accredited, reputable schools that offer distance education options have intense workloads. Students are required to complete a comparable number of credit hours to conventional schooling in order to be awarded a degree when enrolled at reputable online schools.
Students worry that classes taken online won't be of any use to them if they decide to transfer to a real campus at some point in time in the future. As long as you take classes from a body that is properly accredited, you should be able to gain at least partial transfer credit for your online classes. Look for schools that are regionally accredited to be sure that you can transfer credits if you decide to attend a physical campus.
As long as the online school is accredited, nothing about earning a degree online makes the degree any less valid than one that you obtain from a traditional school. Employers are more willing all the time to consider employees that have educations obtained online. The model has seen ongoing growth and acceptance over time. People should not feel that an online degree will limit career or ongoing education opportunities. California is a state that stands as a model for the acceptance of online degrees, as people with a law degree obtained online are allowed to write the California bar exam to become a practicing lawyer.