This is part one in a series of tips and ideas for choosing an online bachelors degree.

If you’ve ever thought about going back to school for a degree, you may want to think about getting a bachelor’s degree online. More and more accredited schools are offering this to potential students, and there are a lot of benefits to getting your degree online, like making it fit your work schedule, no travel costs and benefiting from academic minds the world over. The most important four criteria for choosing the source of your online degree should help you choose the best degree and university for you.

First, when choosing to get an online bachelor’s degree, the first thing you want to consider is what do you want to study? Most online degrees focus on accounting, business, management and related fields of study. If any of these appeal to you or can help you move up at work, you may want to consider which one you want to tackle.

Second, check out the online schools. Are they accredited? Wasting money on a school that no one will recognize won’t help you. Accredited schools meet certain criteria with the Department of Education and the Higher Commission for Learning. Alternatively, you may choose a school that is accredited with the Distance Education Training Council (DETC). While many employers recognize DETC schools, the credits may not transfer to a traditional university if you choose to pursue more education later.