If you are caught between juggling work and family, an online bachelor's degree program may be the solution you need to complete your education. Online degrees are also an option if you are a freshman college student who wants to pursue a degree from a university or college in another state without incurring dormitory costs.

Distance education is not a new concept. At one time, distance learning was pursued through the mail. Actors and athletes who traveled frequently pursued these education programs. Nowadays, distance education over the Internet has been revolutionized by the virtual classroom and laboratory simulations, chats, and video conferencing. Training and exchanges between professors and students, and even student-to-student interactions, now closely resemble those that take place in real classroom settings.

Because of the extent with which a classroom setup is simulated online, many universities and colleges have branched out into distance learning. As a result, options available to students have expanded to include most courses and well-known and highly regarded institutions.

To regulate this type of education, the government enforces laws and guidelines to protect students. Students should be aware of these policies. There are three basic rules that they should be aware of before enrolling in an online degree program. The first is the Twelve-Hour Rule, which mandates institutions to provide at least twelve hours of regular instruction hours in a week. The second is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), known also as the Buckley Amendment. These are guidelines that prohibit institutions from publishing the records of students for public viewing. Students, however, may request copies of their own records and even request a review of these records should they find inaccuracies in them. The third rule is the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act). This protects the rights of the instructor to present or display his instructional manuals over the Internet.