Over the last 20 years, the range of online degree programs available in a wide variety of subjects has exploded. Over this time, online degrees have grown from being an experimental form of distance learning, to being equally accepted as in-person degrees by students, instructors, and employers.
It’s a good thing there are so many online degrees to choose from. Not all online degrees are similar, and many offer distinctive trade offs when compared to one another. Some online degrees are extremely affordable. Others are highly flexible or offer accelerated coursework. And still others carry nationally-known names that look good on your resume.
With that said, the vast number of online degree options today can also be overwhelming.
Gaining admission to an undergraduate or graduate program can be an intensive process by itself. Choosing academic programs of interest shouldn’t be.
Choosing an Online Degree
OnlineCourseReport’s veteran staff has well over a decade of college ranking experience and includes seasoned educators, researchers, and journalists. Over our time following the rapid developments within online education, we’ve sought to hone our methods for ranking online degree programs to better align with what actually works for real students.
Our Ranking Methodology:
The most current research points to the fact that a large portion of online students are nontraditional and adult learners. While being a “traditional” or “nontraditional” student shouldn’t entirely dictate which degree program you choose, many programs have been built to accommodate the unique needs of working adult students.
While we certainly look at academic quality and other support measures, the overwhelming number of online students for whom flexibility and unique support measures are important has helped us to hone our methodology over time.
While our specific methodology may vary depending on the precise ranking, we take note of several metrics within each of the following categories for every ranking we complete:
- Academic Quality: metrics in this category look at high admissions standards, low class sizes, special program accreditation, overall teaching and research ranks for a given school, and other related metrics.
- Flexibility: metrics in this category look for aspects of online degrees that make them particularly well suited to your needs and lifestyle. This may include accelerated courses, the ability to proceed part-time, the ability to test out of courses, asynchronous courses, generous transfer policies, and other elements.
- Affordability: metrics in this category include the percentage of students who receive financial aid, the average amount of financial aid (for undergraduates), the out-of-state tuition rate (when applicable), special online tuition rates, and other affordability boosting elements presented by the program.
Rankings of the Best Online Degrees
We’ve applied our ranking methodology to a wide range of academic disciplines, degree levels, and types of schools. Check out some of our most popular rankings below. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Search for a degree in the widget to the left or contact us.
General Course Rankings
- Best Online Courses For Accounting
- 40 Best Online Courses for High School Students
- 30 Best Online Courses for Working Professionals
General Online Degree Rankings
- The 30 Best Online Universities
- The 50 Most Affordable Online Universities
- Top 25 Military Friendly Online Colleges
- Best Online Prison Education Programs
Online Business Degree Rankings
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Accounting Degree Programs
- The 50 Best Online Bachelor’s in Human Resources Degree Programs
- The 20 Best Online Associates in Accounting Degree Programs
- The 20 Best Online Associate’s Degrees in Business Administration
- The 20 Best Online Master’s In Human Resources
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Accounting Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Business Administration Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Master’s in Supply Chain Management Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Finance Degree Programs
- The 24 Best Online Executive MBAs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Accounting Degree Programs
- Top 10 Online Entrepreneurship MBAs
- Top 10 Online MBA Degree Programs
- The 19 Best Masters in Marketing Degrees Online
- The 20 Best Bachelors in Marketing Degrees Online
- The Best 50 Online MBA Programs
Online Counseling Degree Rankings
- The 10 Best Online Master’s in Psychology Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Master’s in Substance Abuse Counseling Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Psychology Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in School Counseling
Online Criminal Justice Degree Rankings
- The 50 Best Online Associates in Criminal Justice Degree Programs
- The 20 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs
Online Education Degree Rankings
- The 10 Best Online Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Education Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Educational Technology Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Educational Administration Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Library Science Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Elementary Education Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Education Leadership
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Special Education
- The 10 Best Masters in Early Childhood Education
Online Health Care Degree Rankings
- The 30 Best Online Master’s in Health Informatics Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Master’s in Public Health Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Health Informatics Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Master’s In Health Care Administration Degree Programs
- The 25 Best Online Master’s of Science in Nursing Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online RN to BSN Degree Programs
Online Humanities Degree Rankings
- The 20 Best Online English Master’s Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in English Literature and Writing Degree Programs
- 30 Best Online Courses for Writing
Online Management Degree Rankings
Online Religious Degree Rankings
- The 25 Best Online Christian Universities
- The 25 Best Online Catholic Universities
- The 10 Best Online Master’s in Theology Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Theology Degree Programs
Online Technology Degree Rankings
- The 20 Best Online Master’s in Cyber Security Degree Programs
- The 20 Most Affordable Online Master’s in Cyber Security Degree Programs
- The Best Online Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Computer Science Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Information Technology Degree Programs
- The 20 Most Affordable Online Master’s in Data Science Degree Programs
- The 10 Best Online Bachelor’s in Computer Science Degree Programs
- The 9 Best Online Master’s in Management Information Systems (MSISM)
- 10 Best Online Master’s in Computer Science
- The 10 Best Online Masters in Information Technology Degree Programs
- Best Online Masters in Data Science
- The 30 Best Online Courses for Web Development
- 30 Best Online Courses for Web Design
- 30 Best Online Courses for XML
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