Online Master’s Degrees
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Online master’s degrees can be more affordable and flexible than their traditional in-person counterparts. From business administration to psychology, you have a wide array of fields you can choose from for your master’s program.
An online master’s degree can help you advance your career and even earn more money. You’ll not only strengthen your skills and knowledge in your area of interest, but also increase your likelihood of standing out to potential employers .
Discover the many types of online master’s degrees you can get and learn more about the pros and cons of earning an advanced degree.
Featured Online Master’s Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Explore Online Master’s Degrees by Subject
Use the jump links below to learn more about online master’s degrees that interest you.
Arts & Humanities
A master’s degree in the humanities strengthens your communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills by requiring you to analyze and interpret literature, art, and history. It can also prepare you to teach at the high school or community college level.
Best Online Master’s in English Programs
By Staff Writers
Best Online Master’s in History Programs
Best online master’s in art history programs.
If you’re passionate about running a company — whether that’s through entrepreneurship or by crunching numbers to inform business decisions — a master’s in business could be right for you.
Best Online MBA Programs
By Meg Embry
Best Online Master’s in Human Resources Programs 2024
Best master’s in project management online 2024, criminal justice & legal.
Online master’s programs in criminal justice and legal studies can help you understand criminal behavior, the legal repercussions of crime, and how law enforcement works.
Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs 2024
By Doug Wintemute
Best Online Master’s in Criminology Programs
By Kathleen Curtis
Best Master’s in Legal Studies (MLS) Online Programs 2024
By Genevieve Carlton, Ph.D.
Education & Teaching
Master’s programs in education qualify you to teach in various settings and across various age groups. These degrees — especially a master of education (M.Ed.) — can also prepare you to manage a school, develop curricula, and work more broadly in education administration.
A Guide to Master’s Degrees in Education and Teaching
By Evan Thompson
Best Online Master’s in Library Science Degrees of 2024
Online master’s in educational leadership programs.
By Ellery Weil, Ph.D.
Healthcare & Nursing
An online master’s in healthcare or nursing will prepare you to work in higher-level roles in healthcare . Depending on what you study, you may have to complete practicums in person . Some healthcare master’s programs may also require prior medical work experience.
Best Online Speech Pathology Programs of 2024
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Psychology & Counseling
Want to apply the study of the human mind in a higher-level role? Or aiming to advance your therapy career? Then consider a master’s in psychology or counseling. You can study general psychology or counseling or specialize in a subtype , such as behavioral psychology and human development.
Best Online Master’s in Psychology Programs for 2024
Best online master’s in counseling programs 2024.
By Thomas Broderick
Best Online Master’s Programs in Mental Health Counseling for 2024
By Ann Feeney
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math
A master’s degree in STEM can advance your understanding of specialized areas. Tech and computer science jobs are in particularly high demand as our world becomes more dependent on computer systems and machines.
Best Online Master’s in Computer Science Programs of 2024
By Aaron Perkowitz
Online Master’s in Engineering Programs
By Heather Mullinix
What Are the Different Types of Engineering?
Social sciences.
A master’s degree in a social science can prepare you to work in a number of key roles in government, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. Social science entails the study of human behavior, societies, politics, and social systems.
Best Online Master’s in Political Science Programs
By Nalea Ko
Best Online Master’s in Sociology Programs
By Marisa Upson
Best Online Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) Programs
Social work.
Social work can be challenging work but also highly rewarding. With an online master of social work (MSW) degree, you can work in fields like child welfare, mental health, and public policy.
Best Online Master’s in Social Work Programs for 2024
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By Lorraine Mumby
How Long Does It Take to Earn a Master’s Degree?
Most master’s programs consist of 30-60 credits and take roughly two years to complete. Online master’s degrees tend to offer more flexible scheduling options than traditional in-person programs.
Online programs with accelerated coursework can typically be completed in less than two years — commonly one year or less.
Is an Online Master’s Degree Worth It?
If you’re considering a master’s degree , it’s important that you weigh the pros and cons.
An online master’s degree can offer a more affordable, more convenient path toward career advancement and higher-paying jobs . For most people, however, this often means having to balance coursework with a full-time job and family obligations.
Here are some of the biggest pros and cons of online master’s degrees to consider.
Pros of Online Master’s Degrees
Cons of online master’s degrees, how to choose the right online master’s program for you.
Make sure you consider several factors when choosing a master’s program , particularly how the program is set up, whether the school is accredited, and whether the school is a nonprofit or for-profit institution.
Program Format
Schools may deliver master’s degree courses through various class formats . Most online programs offer remote learning options with an emphasis on flexibility and convenience for adult learners.
You may prefer a part-time program if you want to complete coursework around existing work and family obligations. Alternatively, you could pursue a full-time degree or an accelerated program to try to graduate faster.
Online master’s programs deliver course content either synchronously, asynchronously , or in a hybrid format . Synchronous coursework means you’ll participate in live online lectures and classes, whereas asynchronous means you can complete everything on your own schedule.
A hybrid program combines in-person and online courses.
Accreditation
Be sure to check that your target schools are accredited before you apply to any online master’s programs.
Accreditation means a school meets certain quality standards set by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Department of Education (ED). You can check a school’s accreditation status using the directories on the CHEA and ED websites.
Beyond institutional accreditation, some online master’s programs receive programmatic accreditation for their specialized curricula. Examples include MBAs, which may be accredited by agencies such as the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs .
Similarly, master’s in education programs often hold accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation .
For-Profit vs. Nonprofit Schools
As you search for online master’s degrees, beware for-profit colleges . These schools are typically lower quality and costlier than nonprofit schools .
While you may find an online master’s program at a for-profit school appealing, understand the potential problems you might face by attending. Issues with for-profit schools can range from earning nontransferable credits, to graduating with high amounts of student debt, to receiving a “bogus” degree.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Master’s Degrees
Is an online master’s degree respected.
An online master’s degree is respected, so long as it’s from an accredited school and program. Accreditation demonstrates that a school meets a certain standard of education for its students. An accredited online program is as credible as its in-person counterpart.
What master’s degree has the highest salary?
A master’s degree in nursing boasts one of the highest salaries for master’s degree-holders, with nurse anesthetists earning a median salary of $212,650 in 2023 , according to the BLS.
Computer science and technology master’s degrees can also lead to a high salary, with computer and information systems managers earning a median annual salary of $169,510 .
Which master’s degree is the most in demand?
The MBA remains one of the most popular master’s degrees among career-focused college students. Other in-demand master’s degrees encompass subjects like computer science , accounting , and nursing .
Earning a master’s degree can qualify you for management-level roles in the technology, business, and healthcare sectors.
What is the easiest master’s degree to get?
While you can’t say for sure that one master’s degree will be easier to get than another, humanities-related degrees generally provide more flexibility in curriculum requirements. More technical programs may have more rigid structures and rigorous curricula.
Ultimately, the difficulty of a master’s degree program will depend on your own strengths and weaknesses, personal circumstances, and program requirements.
Note: The insights on this page were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges.
Explore More College Resources
What Is the Cost of a Master’s Degree?
Most master’s programs cost over $57,000. Students can save money in online and public college programs. Find average master’s degree costs in our guide.
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Updated December 1, 2023
Is a Master’s Degree Worth It?
If you’re measuring ROI strictly by earnings, the answer is “maybe,” but advanced degrees also offer personal and societal benefits that are difficult to quantify.
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Updated August 29, 2023
MBA vs. Master’s Degree: How to Choose
Is it better to get a master’s in management or an MBA? Factors like demand, employability, costs, and career goals matter.
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Updated July 11, 2024
10 great Coursera online master's degree programs you can apply to this summer, from data science to public health
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- Coursera offers thousands of free courses and paid certificate programs from top schools and brands.
- It also hosts online master's degrees , including ones from UPenn and the University of Michigan.
- They are a less expensive way to access the same classes, faculty, and degree as on-campus programs.
Coursera is probably best known for its free course options, from a Yale psychology class on how to be happy to an immensely popular Stanford machine learning course . It also offers short-term certificate programs from companies like Google and IBM .
But it also has master's degree programs — remote, accessible, and comparatively more affordable routes to what are often the same classes, faculty, and degrees offered to on-campus students.
Below, you'll find 10 popular Coursera master's programs, which range from electrical engineering to public health. Keep in mind that application deadlines span from May 30 to August 31, 2021.
10 popular Coursera online master's programs:
Master of computer and information technology from university of pennsylvania.
One of the top schools in the world, University of Pennsylvania offers a completely online Master of Computer and Information Technology degree. The MCIT Online program is tailored for non-computer science majors and prepares students for roles in finance, healthcare, education, and government, as well as the core software development industry.
Students come from diverse disciplines (history, chemistry, medicine) and graduates have earned jobs at tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Bloomberg, and more.
Master of Business Administration from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The iMBA program gives online students the same MBA degree as on-campus students. Students web conference into live classrooms, conduct team projects, and interact with professors during virtual office hours to complete 18 courses and three capstone projects.
Students hail from more than 90 countries and 48 US states, leading to diverse perspectives and a global network.
Master of Applied Data Science from University of Michigan
The University of Michigan's Applied Data Science master's degree program comes from one of the top 10 information studies programs and blends classroom learning with hands-on projects. S
Students learn to master core data science concepts (machine learning, natural language processing) and explore timely topics such as privacy, data ethics, and persuasive communication.
Master of Science in Management from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The iMSM is a nine-course, completely online master's degree in management. The University of Illinois says it gives students the same education from the same faculty as its on-campus students.
The core covers the foundational management classes (leadership and teams, marketing management, strategic management, and more) on top of accounting and finance classes. From there, students can customize their degree with elective courses in global business, business challenges, and data-driven decision-making and communication.
Global Master of Business Administration (GMBA) from Macquarie University
This intentionally global MBA program builds your expertise in traditional foundation topics — marketing, accounting, and more — as well as developing unique, future-focused skills that will help you stand out and succeed in the future.
Students hone skills in strategy, leadership, analysis, and problem-solving using real-world issues from industry partners who help develop each course.
Please note the following price is in AUD.
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado Boulder
The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder is completely online and flexible. Students can take an individual course in the program to build a professional skill or a fraction of the courses to earn a graduate certificate.
To earn the full master's degree, students get to complete their choice of 30-credit hours. They can choose from over 30 elective courses in key areas: power electronics, embedded systems, photonics and optics, controls and communications, electromagnetics, and computer engineering.
Admission to the program is based on performance, so no formal application is required to begin. You just need to successfully complete one "Pathway Specialization" in order to be officially admitted into the program. Then, you combine those credits with more courses to reach your 30 credits.
Master of Public Health from University of Michigan
The University of Michigan , another one of the best global universities , offers its own totally online master's degree in Public Health. Students gain expertise in core public health concepts and customize their education in areas such as precision nutrition, health communication, data analysis, environmental epidemiology, and more.
To prepare for a wide variety of roles, students develop skills in data collection and analysis, intervention strategy, and communication methods over their 42 credits. Each student also gains real-world training through Applied Practice Experiences (APEx) .
Master of Science in Population and Health Sciences from University of Michigan
The fully online Master of Science in Population and Health Sciences teaches students about today's most challenging public health issues and hones their data analysis skills.
Designed by one of the nation's top five public universities , the University of Michigan's program is multidisciplinary and research-intensive. Public health experts show students how to conduct literature reviews, understand research methodologies, analyze and interpret data, compare findings, and prepare scientific writing for publication, among other things.
Global Master of Public Health (GMPH) from Imperial College London
Imperial College London, one of the top 20 universities in the world , offers an online master's degree program in Public Health and, with it, access to faculty that have helped shape global policy (such as researchers who led the Ebola response). Students learn about biostatistics, epidemiology, health systems, health economics, population health improvement, and more. To sharpen research skills, students also explore public health issues impacting their own community.
The program is completely online, and students are given opportunities to develop work to submit to peer-reviewed journals and build portfolios to launch the next stage of their career.
Online Master of Computer Science from Arizona State University
Named the most innovative school in the US (US News) for four consecutive years, Arizona State University's fully online Master's combines classroom education and hands-on applied projects in topics such as AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, and big data. Online students receive the same degree as on-campus students and learn from the same faculty.
ASU students also have unique opportunities to work with on-campus organizations — such as its Blockchain Research Laboratory.
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