Fully Online vs. Hybrid Degrees: What the Labels Mean

"100% online" is one of the most common phrases on degree pages, and one of the least precise. A program can deliver every course online and still ask you to spend a week on campus each summer, or to complete hundreds of supervised hours at a clinic near your home. This guide explains the delivery categories we use, the in-person requirements that sit underneath them, and how to read a program page to find them.

Why "online" can still mean in person

The federal definition of distance education is about instruction: courses delivered to students who are separated from the instructor, using technology, with regular and substantive interaction "either synchronously or asynchronously." The definition of a distance education course goes further. A course still counts as distance education "notwithstanding in-person non-instructional requirements, including orientation, testing, and academic support services."

In other words, an in-person orientation or exam doesn't stop a course from being "online" in the regulatory sense. Field experiences sit outside the course delivery question entirely. That's why a university can describe a program accurately as online and still require you to travel.

National data uses similar distinctions. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in fall 2021, 61 percent of undergraduates were enrolled in at least one distance education course, and 28 percent took distance education courses exclusively. Taking courses online and studying entirely at a distance are different things.

The delivery categories we use

We label each program by what a student must physically do, based on the university's own pages:

Campus visits and placements are recorded separately, so a program can have both. Keep three ideas apart: online coursework, no campus visits and no placements. A program can have the first two without the third. Drexel's online MPH in Epidemiology is "100% online, with no residency component," yet requires an Applied Practical Experience: "a minimum of 120 hours of hands-on practical experience" through a project with your employer, an outside organization or an online course-based setting. The university says these experiences "can be completed remotely or near your home."

Campus visits and residencies

Visits range from a few days in total to regular trips every term. Examples from university pages:

• Concordia University Wisconsin's MSN-FNP is "primarily online but include[s] a required three-day

on-campus Advanced Health Assessment intensive."

• Montana State University Billings says classes in its Master of Health Administration are "almost

entirely online," with "One onsite seminar each semester."

• Auburn's PhD in Nursing is "primarily online, only requiring students to visit campus 1-2 times per

semester."

• Dakota State's PhD in Cyber Defense has an

annual residency of "three on-site research seminars held on the Madison, South Dakota campus."

• Johns Hopkins' online MA in Global Risk ends with a capstone residency course "in Washington, DC at

the end of the MAGR program."

If you're considering an online doctorate, check for residencies early. For each requirement, note how many visits there are, how long each lasts, where they happen and whether travel and lodging are included in tuition. Not every page says; ask if yours doesn't.

Placements: clinicals, practicums and internships

Placements are supervised work in a real setting. They appear in many programs in fields such as nursing, social work, counseling and education. They are normally done in your own area, but the details differ:

• Who finds the site. Arizona State's online MSW includes "960 hours of supervised practicum

experience at two field sites, placed within your geographic region by ASU's Practicum Education Office." Other programs expect you to propose a site or a preceptor.

• What setting qualifies. Boise State's online MSW says "All field work is completed in person at

approved local agencies under the supervision of a licensed master's-level social worker." Kennesaw State's online MEd in Instructional Technology requires current employment as a P-12 educator "or access to a P-12 educational setting."

• How much. Hours range widely. Fort Hays State's RN-to-BSN includes "a 32-hour hands-on

practicum"; Drexel's DNP requires "a minimum of 1000 post-baccalaureate precepted clinical hours."

• Where it can happen. Arkansas State's RN-to-BSN says its site-based project hours "must also be

done in a state in which Arkansas State has State Operating Authority." NC-SARA notes that it shares data on out-of-state learning experiences "like clinical hours and practice teaching." If you plan to move, ask how that affects your placement.

Watch the wording. New Mexico State's DNP lists its format as "100% online with in-person clinicals." That's accurate — and it's also a program you can't complete without in-person work.

Our guide to campus visits and placements covers planning, travel and costs in more detail.

Proctored exams

Exams are the in-person requirement most often left out of program overviews. Approaches include:

• Online proctoring. Boise State's online BBA says "any required exams can be completed online through

ProctorU," and the University of Florida's online MPH says exams "are administered through an online proctoring service."

• Scheduled live exams. Texas A&M's online MS in Statistical Data Science notes that "Exams may

require online, live attendance to a scheduled session."

• Testing centers, which some programs require for certain exams.

Ask what software or equipment online proctoring needs, whether there are fees, and whether any exam must be taken at a physical site.

How to read a program page

Overview pages are written to summarize. The details usually sit in four places:

1. Curriculum or course list. Field courses show up as course titles with credit hours — Auburn's

online MSW lists "SOWO 7920: Generalist Field (10 credit hours)."

1. FAQ pages. These often answer the travel question directly. Drexel's online MSN in Nursing

Education answers: "No, you will not be required to come to Drexel's campus during this program."

1. Student or field handbooks, which describe residency dates, placement rules and approvals.
2. State authorization and licensure pages, which say where placements can happen.

Look for explicit statements. Phrases such as "no required campus visits" (Arkansas State's MS in Higher Education) or "offered online only with no in-person requirements" (Boise State's online MBA) are clear. "Flexible" and "convenient" are not.

To start from programs where we confirmed the answer, browse programs with no campus visits, then check whether placements apply. If you also need to know when you'd have to be online, read our guide to synchronous vs. asynchronous learning.