Online Bachelor’s Degrees

By Joy Miller Edited by Tania Staley
Updated on September 20, 2024
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Browse Online Bachelor’s Degrees by Subject Area

The following degrees can be earned 100% online. Click on the field of study that most interests you to jump to that section.

There is a wide range of online bachelor’s programs available. All salary data provided is from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Online Bachelor’s in Accounting

A Bachelor’s in Accounting often appeals to people who enjoy working with money and numbers.

If you enjoy computation, working on budgets or taxes, balancing books, or working with any other financial documentation, this may be the degree for you. You’ll take accounting, taxation, economics, and finance classes.

The accounting field is a lucrative one. The average annual salary for accountants and auditors is $79,880, while the average salary for financial analysts is $99,890.

Online Bachelor’s in Business Administration

Earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) can lead to a lucrative career. The median annual wage for business and financial careers is $79,050.

BBA programs often appeal to those with effective communication and leadership skills. If you enjoy leading group projects, you could do well in business administration.

Most business administration courses are geared towards teaching how to budget and manage company finances effectively. Additionally, courses for this degree can help improve your leadership and communication skills.

You’ll study accounting, economics, finance, business administration, management, and organizational leadership.

Aside from mid- and upper-level management jobs, you can pursue careers in human resources management, financial analysis, accounting, operations, marketing, data analysis, and corporate buying.

Online Bachelor’s in Communications

If you’re an extroverted person who enjoys public speaking, storytelling, and chasing down a good story, a Bachelor’s in Communications might be the perfect degree for you.

You can study composition, communications, marketing, sociology, business, journalism, public speaking, mass media, and networking. You can also choose from several concentrations, including visual communications, communications engineering, marketing communications, or mass communications.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for media and communications is about $66,320.

Many news anchors, reporters, writers, and editors have communication degrees. Depending on your specialization, you could also pursue a career as a marketing manager or director, public media specialist, public relations specialist or manager, or communications manager.

Online Bachelor’s in Computer Science

If you are interested in tech, computers, and the internet, you might consider a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. Internet and computer technology influence all industries. This means that there are many potential jobs available for computer science majors.

Along with job security, the field usually pays well. The average annual salary for people with careers in the computer and information technology sector is $104,420, well over the national average.

A bachelor’s in computer science is considered one of the highest-paying bachelor’s degrees because of its potential to lead to lucrative careers.

Careers in this field include a variety of computer- and software-related jobs. Some career possibilities, listed with their annual average salaries, are:

  • Software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers – $130,160
  • Computer network architects – $129,840
  • Information security analysts – $120,360
  • Database administrators – $101,510
  • Computer systems analysts – $103,800
  • Computer programmers – $99,700
  • Network and computer systems administrators – $95,360

These are just some of the many computer science jobs available.

Online Bachelor’s in Counseling

A Bachelor’s in Counseling could be a good choice if you desire to help people, can listen without judgment, are empathetic, and have a natural curiosity about human behavior.

You’ll study addictions, substance abuse, human sexuality, marriage and family therapy, aging and the fear of it, group counseling theory, professional ethics, and social and cultural diversity.

A degree in counseling can help pave the way to rewarding careers, and since people of all ages need counselors, it’s a steady career choice. You could become a substance abuse counselor, general mental health counselor, couples and family counselor, school counselor, or eating disorders and body image counselor.

Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice

If you’ve ever considered becoming a police officer, homicide detective, criminal prosecutor, or criminal psychologist, a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice can help you get there. This degree often appeals to people interested in upholding the law and seeking justice and what makes criminals behave the way they do.

The majority of your courses will likely focus on criminal justice and law. You’ll learn about crime in America, crime statistics, and crime prevention. Courses on investigation and gathering and examining evidence are common as well.

Potential bachelor’s degree-level jobs in criminal justice include security managers, paralegals, case managers, associate attorneys, sheriffs, police officers, and probation officers.

Online Bachelor’s in Education

Earning a Bachelor’s in Education, particularly secondary education, can equip you with the skills needed to teach at junior high and high school levels.

This degree often appeals to people who enjoy working with pre-teen and teenage students, have excellent self-control, and can stay patient under pressure.

You’ll likely be required to take many general education classes, some classes specific to education, and then many specific classes in the subject you’re hoping to teach. For example, if you want to teach high school English, you’ll likely take many literature and writing courses.

Additionally, you’ll take teaching-specific courses, such as the following:

  • Instructional Planning
  • Introduction to Special Education
  • Classroom Management
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Strategic Instruction

You’ll also be required to pass a licensing exam to become fully certified.

Online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education often appeals to people who love working with younger children, particularly those five years old and younger. A Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education can prepare you for daycare, nursery, or preschool jobs.

This degree could also be beneficial if you want to be a nanny or household assistant because many parents need in-home help educating their young children.

You’ll study child health and safety, beginning literacy, language development, and math and science for young children.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for preschool teachers is $37,130.

Online Bachelor’s in Elementary Education

A Bachelor’s in Elementary Education is another degree that might appeal to you if you love working with children. This degree can allow you to develop the skills needed to teach kindergarten through sixth grade in public and private schools.

Many courses commonly taken for this degree are similar or the same as those taken for other education degrees.

Common topics of study are:

  • Core subjects, such as math, English, history, and science
  • Art and music
  • Foundations of language and literacy
  • Different learning types
  • Teaching in diverse settings

In addition to readying you for a career as an elementary school teacher, this degree could also help you pursue a job as a reading interventionist, public school administrator, or personal tutor.

Online Bachelor’s in English

If you love reading and writing or want to pursue a career involving heavy research and writing, a Bachelor’s in English may be great. This degree can also be beneficial if you wish to go to graduate school because it can help you develop the foundation needed to research and write well.

In addition to taking many literature and composition classes, your courses will likely cover literary and critical theory, multidisciplinary studies, and the history of the English language.

With this degree, you could become a writer, copywriter, editor, proofreader, technical writer, communications specialist, content writer, marketing manager, or paralegal.

The average annual salary for careers in the media and communication field, a career field that can be pursued with a B.A. in English, is $66,320.

Online Bachelor’s in Finance

Finance degrees and accounting degrees are very similar. They’re so similar that sometimes they’re combined in one program. This means that the same type of person who may be drawn to an accounting degree may also be drawn to a finance degree.

The same skills and characteristics that could benefit you in an accounting program can also help you in a finance program.

Even the courses required to earn a finance degree are often similar to those for an accounting degree. Some examples of common core finance classes are various “principles of” classes, such as principles of marketing, financial modeling, accounting, and professional development in finance.

Earning a Bachelor’s in Finance can be a lucrative decision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average annual salary for personal financial advisors is $99,580.

Online Bachelor’s in General Studies

A Bachelor’s in General Studies can help prepare you for various career paths. Whether you choose to go on to grad school or straight into the workforce after earning this degree, you have options.

Many employers seek out people with general studies degrees because they have such a well-rounded and wide array of knowledge.

With a general studies degree, you can design your curriculum to a certain extent, so it’s hard to provide you with a list of potential classes. It’s safe to assume you’ll take many general education courses in math, English, science, public speaking, and history.

You’ll likely pull most of your other classes out of humanities or business fields.

The average salaries for those with general studies degrees vary because the topics studied and careers pursued greatly vary. The average salary for those with this degree is $55,000

Online Bachelor’s in Healthcare Management

The degree plan for a Bachelor’s in Healthcare Management is often similar to that of a health services degree. The two degrees usually appeal to the same types of people, and even the courses are often incredibly similar.

Many of the potential job opportunities are the same for both degrees as well.

If the two are so much alike, why are they two separate degrees? That’s a great question. Some people in the field argue that they should be combined, but they remain two separate degrees for now.

There’s a small difference in potential job responsibilities for the two types of degree holders. Though both types of degree holders can work in hospital management and supervisor jobs, people in healthcare management typically have less direct contact with patients and staff.

People who work in health service fields typically work with their staff. People who work in management usually oversee employees and departments.

Online Bachelor’s in History

If you love studying the history of different countries or the world as a whole, earning a Bachelor’s in History may be a no-brainer.

Most people who major in history minor in secondary education so they can teach history to middle and high school students. The average annual salary for a middle school teacher is $64,290.

This isn’t the only option for this degree though.

In addition to teaching history at the secondary or post-secondary education levels, a degree in history can also lend itself nicely to one of the following careers:

  • Historian
  • Researcher
  • Journalist
  • Historical consultant
  • Archivist
  • Diplomat
  • Museum curator

You may also want to use your history degree to go on to law school, as many history majors do.

Online Bachelor’s in Human Resources

If you’re interested in working in a human resources department, earning a Bachelor’s in Human Resources can help your chances. We’ve all likely dealt with or will one day deal with a human resources person at some point in our lives, even if it is just during our recruitment and new hire orientation process.

Human resources specialists deal with conflict in the workplace, recruit, hire, and sometimes fire people, and assist employees with their tax and benefits information. They are sometimes required to keep up with timesheets and budgets as well.

Common topics of study in a human resources program are financial accounting, employee training, organizational ethics, legal issues, tax law, and business law.

The average annual salary for HR specialists is $67,650.

Online Bachelor’s in Information Technology

Earning a Bachelor’s in Information Technology (IT) can lead to a lucrative career. The IT business is booming right now. This degree field often appeals to people interested in computer science, technology, gadgets, and fixing things.

Examples of common courses in for this degree are:

  • Fundamentals and Intermediate Computer Networks
  • Fundamentals and Intermediate Computer-Based Systems
  • Fundamentals and Intermediate Project Management in IT
  • Foundations of Database Management
  • Programming Languages

These are only a few courses you might be required to take for this degree.

After earning this degree, you could pursue a career as a systems administrator, systems analyst, database administrator, or cybersecurity specialist.

The average annual salary for computer and information technology occupations is $104,420.

Online Bachelor’s in Management

No matter what field you work in, chances are you have a manager or management team on-site. Management teams are needed in almost every field.

You could be well-suited to management if you’re good at communicating and directing others, solving problems, and thinking critically and creatively about new solutions to old problems. Being hardworking and driven to succeed are beneficial traits for managers as well.

Courses in a Bachelor’s in Management program typically center around helping you cultivate and improve these skills.

You’ll likely study public speaking, communications, best leadership practices, organizational behavior, research skills, business strategy, and HR. These courses can help you become a great leader and win promotions into higher-level supervisory and managerial positions.

Management degree holders often become executives, management consultants, and policy analysts. The average annual salary for management occupations is $116,880.

Online Bachelor’s in Marketing

If you have all the skills listed in the communications section and are creative, innovative, and love to sell things, you might go far in a marketing career. Marketing has become as essential to businesses as production or sales, so marketing experts are needed in most industries.

A Bachelor’s in Marketing program can teach you how to sell products and services to reluctant buyers. To market a product effectively, you need to understand how to promote it, who to promote it to, how to refrain from overselling it, and how to price it competitively.

You’ll study public speaking, foundations of e-commerce, sales and marketing, global marketing, graphic design, internet and social media marketing, media types, business writing, and finance management. The most popular jobs are normally in design, advertising, and sales.

Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership

Earning a Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership involves studying a blend of project management and business administration topics. This degree might be right for you if you’re interested in moving up in your current field or hope to change careers into a supervisory or leadership position within a specific field.

If you enjoy working with and guiding large teams of people, have good leadership and communication skills, and generally work well with others, a curriculum in organizational leadership may be a good fit for you.

Earning a degree in organizational leadership can help you develop your skills as a team leader while also learning core business concepts, such as budgeting, cost control, and risk assessment.

This degree can help you pursue jobs in many fields, particularly where people must work together to succeed.

Online Bachelor’s in Nursing (RN-to-BSN)

Earning a Bachelor’s in Nursing can be a rewarding decision. In nursing, you can start working relatively early and earn money while continuing your education.

Many colleges offer flex nursing programs known as RN-to-BSN programs. These programs can help you advance in your nursing career by allowing you to use the knowledge you’ve already gained as an RN toward moving up the nursing ladder.

These programs typically consist of online courses that can be taken at your own pace. This can allow you to move swiftly or slowly into higher nursing positions without ever having to step foot on a college campus.

This system usually focuses on nursing competency, not grades and assignments.

Online Bachelor’s in Project Management

Bachelor’s in Project Management programs are often incredibly similar to degree programs in organizational leadership. Many of the same courses and attributes apply to a project management degree.

Project management degrees typically involve slightly more overseeing and less hands-on work though.

Some courses you’ll likely be required to take to earn your bachelor’s in project management are:

  • Stakeholder Management
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Managing People and Promoting Collaboration
  • Budgeting
  • Operations Management
  • Effective Project Scheduling
  • Risk Assessment and Management
  • Sustainability

Classes in leadership, accounting, and economics are typically required as well.

A degree in project management can help you pursue many different and potentially lucrative careers. One possible job you could pursue is project management specialist. This career has an annual average salary of $98,580.

Online Bachelor’s in Psychology

Bachelor’s in Psychology programs are often very similar to degree programs in counseling. Psychology tends to put slightly more emphasis on research and critical theory. The main goal of counseling is to listen to people and try to help them.

Psychologists also help people, but they emphasize finding the root causes of people’s behavior, not just finding a solution.

If you’re interested in the human mind, human behavior—particularly aberrant behavior—and the reasons people act the way they do, a degree in psychology could be the way to go. You can also pick a specialization, such as child psychology or criminal psychology.

No matter your specialization, you’ll likely study educational psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and aberrant behavior.

Online Bachelor’s in Social Work

If you have a large, empathetic heart that can’t stand to see people suffering or in pain and want to do something about it, earning a Bachelor’s in Social Work can lead you to a rewarding career. Social work is all about helping people within their circumstances.

Often, this means working with people in poor neighborhoods and may require you to reach out to them in their environments instead of yours. It’s not unusual for social workers to work inside people’s homes, where they work, or the schools their children attend.

Social workers also connect people to social service organizations that can help improve their stations in life.

We often hear about social workers working with abused and neglected children through departments like the Department of Human Resources (DHR), but there are other potential jobs for social workers.

Social workers often become nonprofit employees, supervisors or managers, mental health therapists, hospice workers, nursing home administrators, and veteran outreach specialists.

Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management

A sports management career could be a choice if you have leadership capabilities and an intense love of sports. Most Bachelor’s in Sports Management programs focus on teaching the marketing, management, and finance skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the sports world.

Potential courses include:

  • Principles of Management and Finance
  • Accounting
  • Public Speaking
  • Principles of Intermediate and Advanced Sports Management
  • Sports and Society
  • Ethical Issues in Sports
  • Sports Facility Design and Management

A degree in sports management can help you pursue many sports-related careers, but a common career is a business manager for athletes. The average annual salary for athletic business managers is $84,900.

Accreditation

To ensure your online bachelor’s degree program is legit and respected, you’ll want to check that your school is regionally accredited.

Regional accreditation is the most widely accepted form of accreditation. If your school has regional accreditation, then your credits are more likely to transfer and employers are more likely to recognize your degree.

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