Accredited Online Colleges
The U.S. News rankings evaluate degree-granting online programs at regionally accredited institutions. Explore our rankings and directory of schools offering online bachelor’s and online master’s degree programs in seven disciplines.
Online Graduate Programs
Earning a master's degree online can help professionals get ahead in their career – whether it's to change fields or advance into a management role.
Popular Degree Profiles
Accounting, Computer Science, Health Care Administration and Management, MBA,Project Management, See all
Online MBA & Graduate Business Programs
An online master’s degree in business can equip students with leadership skills that are vital to advancing careers. Many programs offer opportunities to network with classmates and business leaders.
Popular Degree Profiles
MBA, Accounting, Executive MBA, Finance MBA, Human Resources, International Marketing Management, International MBA, See all
Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs
Earning a master’s degree can help graduates study criminal behavior, take on leadership roles in the justice system or work on research or policy analysis.
Popular Degree Profiles
Criminology, Forensics, Homeland Security, See all
Online Graduate Education Programs
Some school districts require their teachers to have a master’s degree, so earning it online can lead to career growth for current and future educators. A graduate program in education might also provide the right state teaching credential or license and lead to a bump in salary.
Popular Degree Profiles
Curriculum and Instruction, Doctor of Education, Education Leadership and Administration, Master of Education, See all
Online Graduate Engineering Programs
There are several academic routes for those earning an online engineering degree to pursue, including specializing in specific areas such as electrical, civil or mechanical engineering.
Popular Degree Profiles
Biomedical Engineering / Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering,Engineering Management, Mechanical Engineering, See all
Online Graduate Information Technology Programs
For anyone interested in programming, designing or sharing technology expertise, an advanced online degree in computer and information technology may be the best option, especially as demand for employees with these skills grows.
Popular Degree Profiles
Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Software Engineering, See all
Online Graduate Nursing Programs
Thanks to the growth of online nursing degree programs, students can advance their careers in one of the most in-demand health care professions. Many programs include a clinical component, often on campus or at a facility near a student’s home.
Popular Degree Profiles
Doctor of Nursing Practice, Master of Science in Nursing (BSN Option), Master of Science in Nursing (RN Option), See all
Is an Online College Degree Right for You?
Online colleges offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degrees. As prospective students explore these online options, there are also benefits and drawbacks to consider.
Experts say the quality of an education from a reputable online college is, in many cases, just as high as one pursued in person, and that online learning offers the ability to communicate with a professor and other students through technology. Enrollment in online courses has grown each year for more than a decade.
And since many universities have embraced the flexible online format, more employers are taking these degrees – and other online credentials, like graduate certificates – seriously, experts say. It’s important, they note, to check if a degree program is accredited before enrolling to make sure that it’s legitimate; having regional accreditation will also increase the likelihood that any earned credits will be accepted at other accredited universities.
People interested in getting an online college degree, especially working adults looking to go back to school, should consider the flexibility of online learning given their responsibilities outside the classroom. Those with full-time jobs and families might find a part-time online degree program ideal, enabling them to juggle their various daily responsibilities without having to commute to a physical campus.
In many online degree programs, students can access course material on their own time and in a location of their choice, regardless of their distance from a university. In others, students might attend live lectures through videoconferencing. Some programs have both. How long it takes an online learner to finish a degree program varies depending on the structure of a program’s academic calendar and the number of classes a student takes each term.
Prospective online college students should be aware that tuition for an online programisn’t always less expensive than an on-campus one – and federal financial aid may be available for those who take enough credits. And like at traditional colleges, admissions requirements differ for each program.
Online learning also has its downsides, and not every subject is suited for online education, though even some surprising fields like fine arts are starting to embrace it. Prospective students should be on the lookout for scams; in addition to checking whethera program has accreditation, they should research university faculty and support services at colleges where they plan to apply, such as the ability to interact with advisers virtually.
Pursuing an online degree requires more personal responsibility from students as they learn material and complete assignments and group work based on their own schedule. Online learners therefore need to be prepared to effectively manage their time. And though communication with instructors and students is possible through electronic means, prospective students should weigh whether they want to sacrifice face-to-face interaction for the flexibility online education provides.
Ultimately, experts say, students should choose an online degree program wisely, keeping in mind the impact it can have on a career.
source : https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education
Georgia Institute of Technology usually referred to as Georgia Tech, is located in Georgia’s capital city of Atlanta and was founded in 1885 during the post-civil war reconstruction era. The school is part of the University System of Georgia and has multiple satellite campuses across the world.
University of California, Berkeley is often called UC Berkeley or simply Berkeley and was founded in 1868. As the name suggests, the school is located in Berkeley, California and it is the flagship institution out of the 10 research universities of the University of California system.
The University of Virginia, also known as UVA or sometimes simply as Virginia, is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville is a gateway to the Shenandoah National Park, which stretches into West Virginia and other surrounding areas. UVA is the public flagship university of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819.
Located in Stanford, California, Stanford University was founded in 1885 as The Leland Stanford Junior University by the parents, California Senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, who named the school after their son who sadly had died at the age of 15 from typhoid fever. The school is referred to often as simply Stanford and colloquially as “The Farm” because of its heritage since part of the land donated was the family’s Palo Alto Stock Farm. When the school opened in 1891, it had an enrollment of 555 students.
Princeton, New Jersey is home to Princeton University, one of the nation’s Ivy League colleges. Princeton is the 4th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and was founded in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey in 1746. This also makes the school one of the nine colonial colleges which were chartered prior to the American Revolution. Over time the school has changed locations, once to Newark before transitioning to its current campus. It was 1896 when the school took its official name as Princeton University.
The California Institute of Technology, or Caltech, is located in Pasadena, California and was founded in 1891 as Throop University, a preparatory and vocational school. The school was renamed the California Institute of Technology in 1920 and today it is a world-renowned science and engineering Institute.
Cambridge, Massachusetts is home to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, most commonly known as MIT. The school was founded in 1861 and used a European polytechnic university model with an emphasis on laboratory instruction in engineering and applied science in order to address the growing need for educated as well as skilled workers as the industrialization of the United States continued.
The University of California, Los Angeles, often called UCLA, is a public research university and is located in the Los Angeles, California district of Westwood. UCLA became the second oldest institution in the University of California system in 1919.
Located in La Jolla, California, the public research university of the University of California, San Diego is a valuable part of the University of California system. The institution’s history dates as far back as 1903 when the Marine Biological Association of San Diego, the predecessor of Scripps Institution of Oceanography was chartered. It was not until November 18, 1960, that the University of California, San Diego was officially established, and has continued to grow and excel in higher education.
The Colorado School of Mines also referred to as simply Mines, is located in Golden, Colorado, formerly known as Golden City which was established in 1859. By 1866, Bishop George M. Randall had arrived at the then territory of Colorado and began to plan for a university which would include the School of Mines. In 1870 the Jarvis Hall Collegiate School was opened just south of Golden with the School of mines opening in 1873 under the auspices of the Episcopal Church. One year later the school became a territorial institution and later a state institution in 1876 when Colorado became an official state.
