Methodology
In each of the guides listed below, we only considered programs that are offered in online or hybrid formats. To determine the Intelligent Score for each school on a scale from 0 to 100, we also considered other factors such as accreditation, the required number of credits to graduate, and cost per credit.
The Best Online Degrees
Online Colleges
We started our search by finding the universities that simply do online education well at the undergraduate and graduate level. As increasingly more universities try their hand at online education, it’s important to identify those programs which have already figured out how to prepare students for their future careers. The Best Online Colleges highlights thirty universities that have received multiple awards for their online degrees.
We evaluated each college for the strength of its online resources, its reputation, and program strength. If thirty doesn’t feel like enough options, we’d also recommend checking out California Baptist University, the University of North Dakota, and the University of Cincinnati. These universities tend to be on the more expensive side, but are well-recognized for the strength of their online degrees.
We also analyzed universities at the undergraduate level with our Best Online Bachelor Degrees. All of our top picks have excellent reputations for teaching bachelor degrees well online, but we also had some runner-ups. Champlain College, the City University of Seattle, and North Carolina Central University didn’t make our final list because they didn’t have the same name-recognition as our final 20, but they’re worth a closer look.
Nursing
Nursing is one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S. We’re expected to need one million new nurses by 2026 to fill opening roles and take over positions from retiring nurses. We found the best online nursing programs at three levels:
The Best Online RN to BSN degrees give additional training to registered nurses with an associate or diploma of nursing. Since the Institute of Medicine and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing are currently united in making sure at least 80% of RNs have a bachelor’s degree by 2020, RN-BSN programs are increasingly important. In addition to our top universities, we feel these are worth a closer look: Ashland University, Henderson State University, and Lewis-Clark State College.
The Best Online Master of Science in Nursing degrees help nurses hone in on their field. Nurse specialists are in increasing demand due to their training in caring for specialized groups like the elderly and those dealing with addictions. While Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina: Charlotte didn’t make our top list for being on the expensive side, we feel these universities are still worth examining for their reputations and degree options.
For the Best Online Nursing degrees, we took a broader look at each university’s nursing department as a whole, evaluating its opportunities for nurses at all stages of their careers. One factor to consider: there is a growing call for nurses to obtain doctorates in part due to a shortage of nurse educators. Some of our runner-ups include: Jacksonville State University, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Bradley University.
Master of Social Work
Social work is another field where earning a degree can see you helping people directly in only a couple of years. Social workers are in high demand as the U.S. faces an increasingly elderly population and the opioid crisis drives a need to help addicts and their families.
The Best Online Master of Social Work identifies the top 28 universities, honing in on those with an excellent reputation and flexibility when it comes to time commitments and specializations. All of our top picks are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and are fully online.
We also liked California State University San Bernardino, Florida State University, Portland State University. The on-campus requirements of these schools prevented them from making it to our best list – usually a long weekend once or twice each year — but we feel these universities are worth a closer look if travel isn’t an issue.
Master of Education
147,000 people graduated with master degrees in education in 2016. It’s the second most-popular graduate field only to business degrees – who came in number one with 185,000 graduates in 2016. It’s a good thing, too. The U.S. is in dire need of teachers, with every state reporting shortages in at least one specialization.
To find the Best Online Master of Education, we analyzed over 350 programs to find the top 30 that will best prepare students for careers as educators. Depending on your career goals, you might prefer a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Science in Teaching (MST), or a Master of Education (MEd). Our top picks offer a variety of options while maintaining high standards for their program strength.
Business
Business degrees vary widely — a degree in business can help students enter a career in just about every industry. We took a wide lens approach when finding the Best Online Business Degrees, paying attention to what fields are hiring the most (healthcare and technology), and rating universities based on their bachelor and master degrees alike. Every program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – the gold standard for business degrees.
We also recommend taking a look at University of Arkansas, University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Iowa for Online Business Degrees. Though they didn’t have offer as many degrees as our top picks (and University of Arkansas’ program is not quite as well-known), we feel these programs could be the right pick for the right student.
Then we examined the most popular graduate degree of all to find the Best Online Master of Business Administration (MBA). The best schools on our list are all AACSB-accredited, have strong reputations, and offer multiple concentrations to help tailor your degree to your particular interests.
In addition to our top picks, we’d encourage you to consider Widener University, Midwestern State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Though these programs didn’t make our final cut because they weren’t quite as well known, or didn’t offer quite as many degree specializations, they have strong programs worth adding to your list of consideration.
Read our degree guides for more information on specific degrees, outlooks, and career information.
Art and Design
Bachelor
- Art and Art History
- Fashion
- Film Degree
- Game Design
- Graphic Design
- Interior Design
- Music
- Photography
Graduate
Biblical Studies & Theology
Bachelor
Graduate
Business and Management
Associate
- Accounting
- Administration and Management
- Administrative Assistant
- Finance
- Hospitality Management
- Human Resources
- Logistics
- Marketing
- Office Administration
Bachelor
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Business Management
- Certificate in Accounting
- Certificate in Human Resources
- Construction Management
- Economics
- Emergency Management
- Entrepreneurship
- Finance
- Forensic Accounting
- Healthcare Management
- Hospitality Management
- Hotel and Restaurant Management
- Human Resources
- International Business
- Internet Marketing
- Logistics
- Marketing
- Organizational Leadership
- Project Management
- Public Administration
- Real Estate
- Risk Management
- Small Business Management
- Sports Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Sustainability
Graduate
- Accounting
- Business Analytics
- Business Law
- Certificate in Finance
- Certificate in Human Resources
- Construction Management
- Digital Marketing
- Economics
- Emergency Management
- Entertainment Management
- Entrepreneurship
- Finance
- Forensic Accounting
- Hospitality Management
- Human Resources
- Management
- MBA in Business Administration (No GMAT)
- MBA in Business Administration
- MBA in Entrepreneurship
- MBA in Finance
- MBA in Healthcare Management
- MBA in Human Resources
- MBA in Information Systems Management
- MBA in Information Technology
- MBA in International Business
- MBA in Marketing
- MBA in Nonprofit Management
- MBA in Project Management
- MBA in Supply Chain Management
- MBA in Sustainability
- Negotiation And Conflict Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Organizational Management
- Project Management
- Public Administration
- Public Policy
- Public Relations
- Real Estate
- Sports Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Taxation
- Training And Development
- Training and Development
Doctorate
Computer and Technology
Associate
Bachelor
- Certificate in Technology Programs
- Certificate in Web Design and Development
- Computer Forensics
- Computer Programming
- Computer Science
- Cyber Security
- Information Systems Security
- Information Technology
- Management Information Systems
- Network Administration
- Web Design
- Web Design And Development
- Web Development
Graduate
- Biotechnology
- Computer Forensics
- Computer Science
- Cybersecurity
- Data Science
- Database Management
- Educational Technology
- Information Systems and Technology
- Information Systems Security
- Internet Security
- Web Development
Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
Associate
Bachelor
- Criminal Justice
- Criminology
- Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation
- Homeland Security
- Law
- Legal Studies
- Paralegal Certificate
- Paralegal Studies
- Probation Officer
Graduate
- Corrections
- Crime Scene investigation
- Criminal Justice
- Criminology
- Forensic Science
- Homeland Security
- Law Enforcement Administration
- Legal Studies
- Public Safety Administration
- Security
Education and Teaching
Associate
Bachelor
- Child Development
- Early Childhood Education
- Education
- Elementary Education
- Math
- Math Education
- Physical Education
- Science Education
- Special Education
Graduate
- Adult Education
- Assessment And Measurement
- Certificate in Elementary Education
- Child Development
- Coaching
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Early Childhood Education
- Education
- Educational Administration
- Educational Leadership
- Elementary Education
- Gifted And Talented Education
- Health Education
- Higher Education
- K-12 Education
- Math Education
- Online Teaching
- Reading And Literacy
- Science Education
- Secondary Education
- Special Education
Doctorate
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Education
- Educational Administration
- Educational Leadership
- Higher Education
- Special Education
Liberal Arts and Humanities
Associate
Bachelor
- Anthropology
- Communications
- English
- Environmental Science
- General Studies
- History
- History
- Human Services
- Journalism
- Liberal Arts
- Library Science
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Writing
Graduate
- Art and Art History
- Communications
- Creative Writing
- English
- English Language Learning
- Environmental Management
- History
- Human Services
- Journalism
- Liberal Arts
- Library Science
- Media Communication
- Political Science
- Social Studies
- Social Work
- Sociology
Doctorate
Nursing & Healthcare
Associate
- Health Information Technology
- Health Science
- Healthcare Administration
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Office Administration
- Physical Therapy Assistant
- Vet Tech
Bachelor
- Certificate in Dental Assistance
- Certificate in Medical Billing and Coding
- Certificate in Medical Office Administration
- Certificate in Sonography
- Dental Assistance
- Health Informatics
- Health Science
- Healthcare Administration
- Healthcare Management
- Kinesiology
- Medical Coding
- Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Nutrition Science
- Pharmacy Technician
- Physician Assistant
- Public Health
- Radiology Technology
- Respiratory Therapy
- RHIT
- RN-to-BSN (Accelerated)
- RN-to-BSN
- Sports Medicine
- Veterinary
Graduate
- Certificate in Nursing
- Clinical Research
- Gerontology
- Health Informatics
- Health Science
- Health Services
- Healthcare Administration
- Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing
- Nursing Administration
- Nutrition
- Physician Assistant
- Public Health
- Sports Medicine
Doctorate
Psychology and Counseling
Associate
Bachelor
- Behavioral Analysis
- Behavioral Psychology
- Christian Counseling
- Counseling
- Forensic Psychology
- Psychology
- Substance Abuse Counseling
Graduate
- Addictions And Recovery
- BCBA
- Behavioral Psychology
- Christian Counseling
- Counseling
- Educational Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Human And Family Development
- Marriage and Family Therapy
- Organizational Psychology
- Psychology
- School Counseling
Doctorate
Science and Engineering
Bachelor
- Aeronautics and Aviation
- Biology
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering
- Exercise Science
- Software Engineering
Graduate
- Biomedical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering
- Engineering Management
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Software Engineering
Trades and Career
Associate
Bachelor
Affordability Rankings (Most Affordable)
- Accounting
- Business Administration Programs
- Community Colleges
- Computer Programming
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Early Childhood Education
- Educational Leadership
- Finance
- Health Science
- Master’s Programs
- Nursing Programs
- RN-to-BSN Programs
- School Counseling
- Special Education
Other Rankings
- Best Online Associate Degrees
- Best Online Bachelors Degree Programs
- Best Online Bible Colleges
- Best Online Business Degree Programs
- Best Online Catholic Colleges
- Best Online Certificate Programs
- Best Online Christian Colleges
- Best Overall Online Counseling Degrees
- Best Overall Online Psychology Degrees
- Best Overall Online Real Estate
- Best Online Colleges and Top Online Universities
- Best Online Colleges for Veterans
- Best Online Colleges for Working Adults
- Best Online Colleges with Lowest Out-of-State Tuition
- Best Online Colleges with Open Admissions
- Best Online Community Colleges & Trade Schools
- Best Online Degrees
- Best Online Doctoral Degree Program
- Best Online Master’s Degree Programs
- Best Online PhD Programs
- Best Online Schools with Accelerated Bachelor’s Degrees
- LGBTQ+ College Student Guide
- Online College Guide For Deaf And Hard Hearing Students
- Most Affordable Online Colleges & Universities
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I Get My Master’s Degree Online?
- How Much Does an Online Master’s Degree Cost?
- What to Know About Earning an Online Bachelor’s Degree
- How Much Does Online Bachelor Degree Cost?
- Can You Get a PhD Online?
- How Much Does An Online PhD Cost?
- Are Online PhD Programs Legitimate?
What’s Next?
Over the next twelve months we’re excited to dive deeper into the world of online education to help connect people to the next step on their educational journey — no matter their background. Stay tuned for our upcoming articles, Best Online Master of Counseling and Master of Public Administration.