Best Online Bachelor's Degree Programs
A bachelor's degree can help you to become more competitive in the workforce and can prepare you for a career in a field like accounting, healthcare management, information security, nursing or whatever it is that interests you. The number of fields available at the online bachelor’s degree level is vast. This type of four-year education can be just right for high school graduates, career changers, adult learners and stay-at-home parents who want more direction for their future.Information from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that as of July 2019, 31.5 percent of the entire labor force (i.e., those over the age of 25) held a bachelor’s degree or higher.
If you need flexible learning options to earn your bachelor’s degree program because of a busy lifestyle, an online program could be a good fit. Accredited online bachelor degree programs can allow students to work on their own schedule and to graduate from a school that offers quality education in a degree program that more specifically aligns with their career goals.
Types of Online Bachelor Degree Programs
There are many different types of accredited online bachelor’s degree programs. Knowing the difference can help give direction to the type of bachelor’s degree program you should look for. Here’s a quick look at the various types of degrees at the bachelor’s level:
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.): This academic degree program can provide a broad education in a liberal arts field, such as English or the social sciences.
- Bachelor of Science (B.S.): This degree program can provide a narrow scope of study and technical instruction in an area like nursing or math.
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.): This degree program can offer an interdisciplinary education to art students in fields like ceramics, photography or drawing.
- Bachelor of Law (B.L.): This degree program can prepare students with foundational coursework in the law and can be a stepping stone toward a juris doctorate (JD) law degree.
- Bachelor of Business: This degree program type is focused on business coursework and could lead to a job in accounting, business administration or finance.
- Bachelor of Criminal Justice (B.C.J.): This degree program can provide a broad education in the criminal justice field and could lead to employment in the courts, in a law office or the police field.
- Bachelor of Computer Science (B.C.S): This online bachelor’s degree program can help students learn more about the computer science field and to prepare for industry certifications. Graduates could work in many different industries, as varied as artificial intelligence, business and the health field.
- Bachelor of Technology (B.T.): This degree program can prepare students for the Internet of Things (IoT) and can include courses on engineering and information technology, as well as software and information systems.
- Bachelor of Education (B.E.): This degree program can help students to learn about planning, instruction and management of students in classroom and could lead to an elementary, middle or high school teacher position.
Is an Online Bachelor’s Degree Worth It?
If you’re looking for more pay, earning a bachelor’s degree is worth considering. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2019 the median weekly pay for bachelor’s degree holders was $1,248. That compares favorably to those with an associate degree — $887 — or no college education at all — $746. Over a lifetime, the differences in the earnings by degree level can really add up!
Other benefits worth considering with a bachelor’s degree include:
- Job satisfaction: The College Board reports that 93 percent of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher report moderate or high satisfaction with their jobs compared to lesser percentages with people with an associate degree or below.
- The likelihood of having employer contributions for health insurance is on average higher with a bachelor’s degree than those with less education.
- Unemployment rates are lower for those with a bachelor’s degree or advanced education compared to those with less education.
- The likelihood of reporting very good or excellent health is reportedly to be 44 percent greater for those with a bachelor’s degree than those with less education.
Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs 2019-20
Prospective online students may find our ranking of the best online colleges for bachelor’s degrees extremely useful in their search for a college that best suits their needs. We’ve taken into consideration factors that can offer the best advantage for online students such as student-to-faculty ratio, total electronic library collection, average tuition, average financial aid awarded, along with a variety of student services. Take a look at our methodology to see why these colleges have made it to our ranking of the best colleges for online bachelor’s degrees.
https://www.apus.edu
https://www.ufl.edu/
https://www.utah.edu
https://www.fiu.edu
https://www.ncsu.edu
https://www.usf.edu
https://www.ucf.edu/
https://www.liberty.edu
https://www.uhd.edu
https://www.ou.edu
How Does an Online Bachelor’s Degree Program Work?
Online bachelor degree programs can be comparable to campus-based programs. Schools often use the same curriculum and syllabi in both. Additionally, at some schools, the same professor may teach both the campus-based and online courses. Often, it is the type of interaction that is different — instead of having live instruction or discussion in classes, you may have time to reflect and respond to a professor’s information or classmate’s comment online through online bachelor degree programs.
Other important concepts to understand about online education include:
- Fully online programs can provide all components of education 100 percent online; students need not attend any on-campus courses
- Hybrid programs combine online and campus-based learning, meaning students are required to spend some time on campus
- Asynchronous learning allows students to pace their studies according to their own schedule.
- Synchronous learning requires students to be online at specific times to listen to lectures, participate in live chats or video conferencing.
Online bachelor’s degree programs take about four years to complete, although some programs can be finished faster and others may allow for more time. This flexible option can be great for students who have significant commitments, such as family or a full-time job, and need to vary their course load from term to term.
To apply for a bachelor’s program, students generally need to submit an application and fee, high school transcripts, a short essay and test assessment scores, like from the SAT or ACT.
Scholarships may be available to qualifying students to help defray the costs of a higher education. Additionally, federal loans, federal grants and the federal work-study program are other ways to help pay for higher learning.
Most Popular Bachelor’s Degrees to Earn Online
We’ve used data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to come up with this ranking of the most popular bachelor’s degrees based on program count, employment growth, and median salaries related to each degree. Keep in mind that the BLS numbers shown below reflect national data, not those that represent what may apply to your particular location.
Popular Programs of Study | Median Salary | Projected Employment |
|---|---|---|
| International Business/Trade/Commerce | $145,265 | 11,068,800 |
| Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $109,690 | 5,674,000 |
| Management Science | $124,640 | 11,650,000 |
| Information Technology | $108,710 | 11,688,400 |
| Computer Engineering, General | $115,600 | 7,985,200 |
| Business Administration and Management, General | $102,813 | 38,961,000 |
| Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies | $132,670 | 19,176,000 |
| Business/Commerce, General | $102,813 | 32,467,500 |
| Computer Science | $104,842 | 13,404,500 |
| Psychology, General | $107,480 | 5,340,000 |
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2017-18, National Center for Education Statistics
Fastest-Growing Occupations that Require a Bachelor’s Degree
This list of the fastest-growing occupations with a bachelor’s degree is based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The wages and job growth projections cited in the table below are nationwide figures; the numbers in your location may vary.
Fastest-Growing Occupations | Annual Median Wage | Job Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $99,730 | 32% |
| Operations Research Analysts | $84,810 | 26% |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $63,790 | 20% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $100,980 | 18% |
| Management Analysts | $85,260 | 14% |
| Social and Community Service Managers | $67,150 | 13% |
| Registered Nurses | $73,300 | 12% |
| Construction Managers | $95,260 | 10% |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $87,850 | 7% |
| Financial and Investment Analysts, Financial Risk Specialists, and Financial Specialists, All Other | $81,590 | 6% |
Best bachelor’s degrees for High-Paying Jobs
Featured Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs
Click on one or more of the buttons below to find out more information about the online bachelor degree programs that are available in disciplines as diverse as art, healthcare, law, computer, science and more.
See Methodology Information Here
Article Sources:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, Degrees and Programs, University of Nevada, Reno, Accessed October 2018, https://www.unr.edu/degrees/art/bfa
- Bachelor of Technology, Thompson Rivers University, Accessed October 2018, https://www.tru.ca/distance/programs/technology/bachelor-of-technology.htm
- Asynchronous Learning, University of Michigan, Accessed October 2018, http://umich.edu/~elements/asyLearn/learning.htm
- Job Satisfaction by Education Level , College Board, Accessed October 2018, https://trends.collegeboard.org/education-pays/figures-tables/job-satisfaction-education-level-2008
- Measuring the Value of Education, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed June 2020, https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/data-on-display/education-pays.htm
- Quick Facts, United States, July 1, 2019, U.S. Census Bureau, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
- Take Your Next Step in your IT or Computer Science Career, University of Maryland University College, Accessed October 2018, http://learn-more.umuc.edu/search/it-and-computer-science-degree/?&marketcode=WB200451&gclid=CjwKCAjwpKveBRAwEiwAo4PqmzCU5fj1dEbS4IkINDHcyLU5UfjD5bJNbWKTyftgg7uu868oj12xSRoC2HwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds