Does the benefit of pursuing higher education outweigh the drawbacks? More students are asking this question as the US' collective student debt has reached $1 trillion, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, while job prospects continue to wane for many.

Once a near-ironclad guarantee for career advancement, a college education does not provide access to the professional success it once did.

As a result, higher-education institutions around the country are building strategic online partnerships to strengthen their ...