Online Degrees In Massachusetts (MA)

Despite its small size, the state is home to 177 postsecondary institutions, which may help to explain its high rate of college attainment. Still, this rate has leveled off in recent years as the population has aged and slowly begun dropping out of the workforce. The state’s continued economic growth deeply relies on a pipeline of educated workers. By 2020, 72 percent of jobs in Massachusetts may require postsecondary credentials. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) expects that by 2025, the state’s public colleges and universities may fall short of producing their share of new college degrees by up to 65,000.

Simply put, if the state cannot produce enough skilled labor, employers in its fastest-growing industries may go elsewhere and the economy may suffer.

Earning an online degree in Massachusetts also benefits graduates financially. The MDHE finds a strong correlation between higher levels of education and higher incomes, and the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center shows faster wage growth among college-educated residents. Workers with no education beyond high school are also disproportionately unemployed.

Online degree programs in Massachusetts enable students to earn these necessary credentials, often at a faster pace than traditional on-ground programs, preparing students to fill these in-demand positions more quickly, perhaps even more affordably. Plus, these programs’ flexibility means that studies can be fit into any personal or work schedule.

Top 10 Online Colleges in Massachusetts

Depending on your circumstances in life, you’ll need to consider certain criteria in your online degree search. To help you, we’ve put together this list of the top 10 Massachusetts colleges that offer online degree programs, focusing on a range of criteria including tuition, number of online degree programs, student support resources and more.

Top Online Degree Programs in Massachusetts

Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, we’ve created this list of the top online degree programs in Maine, which may help to indicate fast-growing or in-demand occupations.

Quality of Online Education in Massachusetts

Home to schools such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts is a state renowned for its educational quality. Aspiring online learners may appreciate knowing that high quality extends to many of the online degree programs in Massachusetts as well.

The state is part of the New England Board of Higher Education compact and a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). What does this mean to students? SARA members agree to follow processes to ensure consistent quality in their distance education offerings across state lines, while giving students access to a greater number of offerings and keeping their tuition costs down.

Individual colleges are taking steps to maintain high quality online degree programs, too. For example, Boston University has won numerous awards for its distance-education quality, including an Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education award from the Online Learning Consortium. And many schools in Massachusetts voluntarily partake in quality assurance programs. Framingham State University and Quincy College follow standards for Quality Matters to promote student engagement and continuous quality improvement among distance education courses, and the University of Massachusetts Boston has adopted the Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) Rubric and Process to support continuous quality improvement as well.

What to Look for in Online Degree Programs in Massachusetts

NC-SARA along with the Online Learning Consortium, Quality Matters and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies suggest that students ask the following questions in order to make an educated decision about which online degree program to enroll in.

What do you expect of the program? What are your academic and professional needs as a student? What does the program expect of you in terms of time to completion and face-to-face activities?

What learning experiences are used? What is the typical class size? Is the learning self-paced or on a deadline schedule? What is it like being a student here?

What student support services are offered? Would you have the support you need from faculty and staff? Consider issues such as academic advisement, tutoring, counseling, orientations, tutorials and other factors, and whether these are sufficient for your needs.

What are the costs, and can you afford them? Be sure that you understand costs associated with the program and what financial aid options are available to you.

What are the technology requirements? Also, how much technical support and equipment are available, and is that sufficient?

How does the school support positive outcomes? Consider things such as career services offerings, its alumni networks, partnerships with area employers and ability to obtain licensing upon completion.

Top Occupations in Massachusetts

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the following occupations are seeing the greatest job growth in the state.

Scholarships and Financial Aid in Massachusetts

Though Massachusetts boasts many highly respected colleges and universities and a large number of college-educated residents, it unfortunately ranks near the bottom of college affordability rankings, according to the Institute for Research on Higher Education. In order to fill its education gap, the state is taking big steps to assist students in affording college.

Among these, there is the MassTransfer A2B + Commonwealth Commitment. In this program, students planning to start their educations at community colleges in Massachusetts and transfer to four-year public institutions may receive guaranteed admission upon completing their associate degrees, along with a freeze on tuition and fees and a 10 percent rebate off those tuition and fee payments at the end of each semester.

The MDHE also offers a number of grants and scholarships. The following is a small sampling:

MASSGrant & MASSGrant Plus: These grants offer need-based funding to undergraduate students who reside in Massachusetts. The two programs differ in terms of type of school and whether students are enrolled full or part time.

Gilbert Matching Student Grant Program: This grant can provide funds for students who participate in Massachusetts colleges and universities and schools of nursing.

Part-Time Grant Program: This program is designed to address the growing number of students attending part-time college by providing tuition assistance to encourage more state residents to complete their educations.

Scholarship Listing

Tests You May Need To Take

Any school in Massachusetts you may consider might have its own testing requirements for prospective students. Some schools, such as UMass Online, Wheaton College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy don’t require scores from college entrance exams, while others, such as Brandeis University, require SAT or ACT scores. Check with your desired program to ensure you meet its admission requirements.