Compared to workers with only a high school diploma, those with a bachelor’s degree make much more money ($1,334 per week vs. $809 per week) and have a significantly lower unemployment rate (3.5% vs. 6.2%). Earning a bachelor’s degree online certainly requires a lot of time and effort, but some programs are easier than others. This guide will show you which schools and areas of study will make earning your bachelor’s and accessing these career benefits as easy as possible.
What Are The Easiest Majors?
There are essentially two types of college majors: “hard” sciences and “soft” sciences. Hard sciences are based on highly controlled experiments that are easy to replicate (e.g., mathematics, physics, and chemistry). Soft sciences, also known as social sciences, are focused on studying human behavior, making it challenging to design experiments that can be fully controlled and replicated (e.g., psychology, political science, and economics).
While everyone has their own academic strengths and weaknesses, most students find it easier to learn new concepts in soft science majors than in hard science majors.
Another way to determine the difficulty level of a given major is by looking at the average GPA for students who take it — the higher the average GPA, the easier the major. Every year, the University of California — Berkeley publishes the average GPA for their undergraduate majors, giving us a glimpse into which subject areas are the easiest. Of the 25+ majors with over 100 graduate students in the latest academic year (we didn’t consider majors with relatively low enrollment due to the volatility of small sample sizes), the following five options had the highest GPAs:
- English (average GPA of 3.68): This soft science covers topics such as the history of English literature, how to conduct literary and cultural analysis, and techniques for critical and creative writing. While you would likely need to earn a more advanced degree for a career in academia, a Bachelor’s in English can qualify you for positions in marketing, fundraising, public relations, or any other role that involves a lot of communication.
- History (3.67): Similar to a Bachelor’s in English program, in a Bachelor’s in History program, you’ll develop advanced research and writing skills that can help you land a variety of communications jobs.
- Statistics (3.67): While statistics is considered a hard science, it’s not surprising that students with this major tend to have a high GPA. This is generally considered the easiest area of study within the field of mathematics. With organizations collecting much more data than ever, they often need workers who can interpret all this information. The number of statistician jobs is projected to grow by 33% over the next decade (the average growth rate for all occupations is just 5%).
- Business administration (3.66): A Bachelor’s in Business Administration is an excellent option for those particularly concerned about earning a high income after they graduate. The average salary for business and financial occupations is $76,570, and once you gain some experience, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to make six figures.
- Anthropology (3.64): This major is the study of humanity, covering human behavior, culture, linguistics, and more. Just keep in mind that you will likely need to earn at least a master’s degree in order to rise above the rank of research assistant in the anthropology field.
Why Should I Earn My Bachelor’s Degree Online?
The most significant benefit of online degree programs is that they eliminate the need to go to classes on campus. Unless you already happen to live within walking distance of your college, attending an in-person program forces you to make one of two choices: either pay for housing on or near campus or pay for all the gas that’s needed to drive back and forth from campus. Depending on your situation, you could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by attending an online program instead.
Also, it’s worth noting that online programs often offer many classes in an asynchronous format, allowing you to learn course materials and complete assignments at your own pace. This makes online bachelor’s degree programs a perfect fit for parents, full-time workers, or anyone trying to fit their college education into an already-busy schedule.
What Are the Alternatives to Earning a Bachelor’s Degree?
You may not currently be in a position to invest all the time and money it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree, even in an easy program.
In that case, you should know that there are less intensive alternatives for learning more about your field and advancing your career. If you haven’t yet earned an associate degree, doing so should allow you to start earning more money (just not to the same extent as earning a bachelor’s). Workers with an associate degree earn an average of $154 more per week than those with only a high school diploma, which adds up to over $8,000 more per year.
Many schools also offer certificate programs that can be completed in a semester or two. These programs are popular at community colleges and trade schools, which also tend to charge relatively low tuition rates. If you work in tech, consider bootcamps offered by private companies such as General Assembly, The Marcy Lab School, or Flatiron School. These services can help you quickly learn programming languages and connect you with their hiring partners in the industry.
Finally, do you know anyone who could serve as your mentor? This could be a former teacher, current colleague, or anyone with experience in your field who would be willing to provide advice and help you navigate your career. A mentorship can teach you many things you would never learn in a classroom, and it won’t cost you a single cent.
Our Research
This list features some of the easiest online bachelor’s programs in the country. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions.
We evaluated each school’s program on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation. Then, we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of the easiest online bachelor’s programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications, such as U.S. News & World Report, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The 50 Easiest Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs
