Walden University: Distance Learning Degrees for Working Professionals

Walden University is an accredited, private, online university that was founded in 1970. It serves many students from diverse cultures and is dedicated to educating leaders, who are change agents in their communities and professions.

The university does not have a campus, and courses are offered entirely over the Internet. Face-to-face residencies for some master's and doctoral programs are offered at convenient locations and times.

The university is committed to serving non-traditional adult students from all over the world. It gives them an opportunity to obtain advanced degrees, through distance learning, which add value to their career portfolios and help them to earn the respect of their co-workers and employers.

Walden University offers master's and doctoral degrees in education, management, psychology, public policy and administration, and health and human services. It also offers master's programs in engineering and information technology and bachelor's completion programs in business.

Accreditation

Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Council (HLC) and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).

The Higher Learning Council (HLC) is one of the six regional accrediting bodies and it grants accreditation to degree granting educational institutions in the North Central region of the United States.

The Higher Learning Council (HLC) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

The university is a member of the Laureate International Universities network, which is the largest global network of accredited campus-based and online universities.

Distance learning

Walden University has an online classroom environment that is asynchronous, which means that students can participate when it is convenient for them, within an assigned period. The online syllabus provided by the instructor lists all the weekly discussion topics, required readings and assignments.

Students say that they spend between 15 to 20 hours a week on assignments, readings, online discussions and research projects.

Students can decide about when they want to study and at what times they want to log in, though some courses require that they log in a certain number of times a week. Once they log on, they can read the postings of their classmates and instructor and add their own.

Start dates for the courses are offered throughout the year, so students can begin whenever it suits them. Comprehensive university support services are available, which include a concierge service to provide technical support for the online courses.

Walden University is an accredited institution that is dedicated to helping working professionals around the world to earn recognized degrees without compromising on their family or job responsibilities. It does not have a campus and offers distance learning degree courses that are offered entirely via the Internet.