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Earning one of the best online bachelor’s in finance degrees is a first step to taking control of your financial future and personal happiness. 

If you’re someone who likes to have everything in order and gets a little rush when shopping for the best bargains and saving a few bucks, then an online bachelor’s in finance may be the degree to turn your personal joys into a career. Finance is no longer a career in which you’ll be stuck in a dark room behind a computer all day, though if that is what you are looking for, you could find a job like that with this degree. Individuals with bachelor’s in finance can choose their own destiny, whether that be interacting with other people face-to-face or handling financial statements in solitude. 


What You Will Learn While Earning a Bachelor’s in Finance

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself that dealing with numbers all day would be dull, but try thinking beyond the numbers. Yes, people in the field of finance deal with numbers, but numbers are just representations of other things and ideas.

If you’re balancing financial statements for a business, those numbers allow the company to pay its employees a paycheck and provide for their families. In essence, people in finance ensure that their coworkers are able to take care of their loved ones and have the financial resources to do what they love doing in life. That’s nothing to scoff at!

Some course topics you may take while earning your bachelor’s in finance include: 

  • Accounting
  • Microeconomics
  • Business statistics
  • Investing 

Careers and Salaries

With a bachelor’s in finance, you can pursue many types of careers, including, but not limited to, becoming a financial analyst, accountant, auditor, or budget analyst. You can also expect to earn an income of $70,000-$85,000 per year. 

What are the Best Bachelor’s in Finance Degrees?

Online College Plan uses data from the National Center for Education Statistics to determine the best programs. We factor in how robust the school’s online education is, how well that school delivers on its promises, how affordable the program is, and how selective the school is as a whole. For more information, see our methodology page.

  1. Topping our list of the best online bachelor’s in finance degrees is the Bachelor of Science in Finance from the illustrious Penn State! While Penn State is sometimes overshadowed by its Ivy League big brother, Penn State’s business degrees are top-notch. 

    In 2020, Penn State’s online bachelor’s degrees were ranked among the top ten in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The Bachelor’s in Finance offered by this school is AACSB-accredited, which means wherever you may end up in life, employers will know you received a top-tier business education. 

    The finance program through this school will give you the tools and knowledge to sit for certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certificated Financial Planner (CFP). The school also provides you with flexibility in the classes you take so you can reach your personal goals!

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  2. Western Governors University, with its distinctive owl mascot, is the perfect university at which to pursue your finance degree, especially for those looking to control the pace of their studies. Most students complete their WGU degree within three years of enrolling in the program. 

    WGU allows its students to transfer up to 33 credit hours into their bachelor’s degree, making this school ideal for those that have some college credits already that they don’t want to lose. ACBSP accredits this business program, and classes are offered in six-month terms. 

    What makes this program stand out is how the university structures how you pay for your education. Instead of paying for each credit hour you take, you’ll pay a little over $3,000 per six months, which means that you have control over how fast you move, and ultimately how much you have to pay, while progressing through the program. 

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  3. Capella University offers the majority of its degrees and programs online, but this format allows the school to employ top instructors from across the United States. Currently, the university offers over 50 degree programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Finance, to its students. 

    The finance degree consists of 180 quarter credits, and students can transfer in up to 135. To specialize in accounting, you will be required to take eight courses on the subject. To graduate, Capella University requires its students to complete a capstone project to prove their mastery of the materials taught.

     The business degrees offered by this university are ACBSP accredited. Students applying for this degree may be eligible for an $8,000 scholarship to help pay for some of their education! You can expect to take one to three courses every ten weeks while working toward your degree. 

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  4. In 2020, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Florida’s online bachelor’s degree programs as No. 4 in the nation. If you decide to get a degree from this school, you are joining a community with a long history of school pride and innovation. This school even invented the popular sports drink Gatoraid specifically for their football team, the Florida Gators!

    The University of Florida allows you to choose between pursuing either a Bachelor of Art or Science in Business. So, if you’re wanting to get all the business basics while exploring other areas like anthropology or geology, then you have the choice. The school is accredited regionally and nationally by AACSB International. 

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  5. Despite its name, the American Public University is not a public university. This academic system is comprised of two universities: American Public University and American Military University. If you’re wondering why the system has an institution called a military university, it’s because more than half of the university system’s students come from a military background. 

    Part of what makes a course useful, engaging, and memorable are the instructors who teach the material. The Bachelor’s in Business offered by this university is taught by instructors who have real-world experience managing Fortune 500 companies. Who better to teach you finances than these professionals? 

    To be eligible for enrollment in a bachelor’s degree at this university, you won’t have to submit ACT or SAT test results. All you need is proof that you graduated high school or have the equivalent (e.g. GED). The school does require, however, that its students complete their bachelor’s degrees within ten years of enrollment. 

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  6. The University of Washington offers one of the best educations in the nation and is referred to by some as a “Public Ivy.” This university is ranked as having one of the best job-placement rates for its business graduates. UW offers over seven business programs to choose from, including one with a finance concentration. 

    One crucial and undervalued part of pursuing any kind of business degree is the ability to network with other future business leaders. UW understands the importance of networking and fosters networking at every opportunity. The university also encourages its students to obtain certain certificates, such as in Microsoft Excel, which can give you a leg up on other applicants when applying for a job. 

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  7. Sporting the maroon and white school colors after becoming an Aggie while cheering on the Texas A&M teams can be a thrilling experience. If you decide to become an Aggie, you’ll join more than 50,000 other undergraduate students that chose the same, which means that wherever you go after your studies, you’re likely to find alumni. 

    As a school founded in the sciences, you can be sure that the business education offered by here is one of the best you can get. Finance majors take classes in three main areas: 

    • Corporate Finance
    • Investments
    • Markets and Institutions

    This degree will teach you the skills to manage both your own finances and those of others, so you’ll become the one to know for everything money-related. 

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  8. Liberty University is a relatively new educational institution with origins dating back to the 1970s, but don’t let the school’s age deceive you about the quality of its programs. The past few decades have ushered in many new offerings from this university, including quality business and medical schools. 

    Liberty offers its students a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. The degree is 120 credit hours in length, with most students completing the degree in under four years. If you have previous college credits, you can transfer up to 75% of the credit requirements. The program is ACBSP accredited, and classes are taken in eight-week blocks. 

    This university also allows its students to earn college credits for life experience. So, if you have on-the-job experience or other types of training, you should inquire with the school about potential credit! 

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  9. Located in Miami, this college has been educating students since the early 1940s. Florida International University is the largest university in southern Florida and has a student body of over 50,000 students. In 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked FIU as having the sixth-best undergraduate international business program in the nation. 

    The Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a Finance major offered by FIU’s R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School of Business is 120 credit hours in length. Unlike some other online programs, this school pairs its online students with a success coach who mentors them through difficulties that inevitably occur while earning a degree. 

    The program has three start dates in the fall, spring, and summer. Admissions are fairly selective, and applicants to this program are expected to have at least a 2.5 GPA for lower-division courses. 

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  10. With a motto like “A higher degree. A higher purpose,” it’s hard not to consider this university among our top 30 online bachelor’s in finance. Walden is similar to Liberty University in that it was also founded in the early 1970s, but this school differs in that it is primarily an online university. Walden has a student body of almost 50,000. 

    With well over 100,000 alumni around the world of business, majors won’t find it hard to get a helping hand when the time comes. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration offered through this university is 181 credit hours in duration, 135 of which can be transferred in from another institution. The program is ACBSP accredited, and the school offers many scholarships to its students to help defray the cost of tuition. 

    Walden University also partners with IBM, which may open up doors to you upon graduation with your business degree.

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  11. The University of Central Florida has the largest on-campus student body in the nation, numbering more than 65,000 students enrolled! Give this university your undivided attention because, in 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked it in the top three up-and-coming universities in the nation! UCF has 13 colleges that offer more than 220 different degrees to its students. 

    UCF gives its students a choice between choosing to pursue a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in Finance. The school’s in-state tuition is hard to beat, too, at around $200 per credit hour for this degree. Four courses consisting of a total of 12 credit hours comprise the required core for the finance major. Those four courses include: 

    • Intermediate Corporate Finance
    • Debt and Money Markets
    • Equity and Capital Markets
    • Advanced Topics in Financial Markets
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  12. Home to more than two dozen Nobel prize winners, including Bob Dylan, and three Pulitzer Prize winners, the University of Minnesota ensures that you’ll receive one of the best educations available. In fact, Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked this university in the top 50 best universities in the entire world in 2019!

    At U of M’s Carlson School of Management, you can choose to either major or minor in Finance while pursuing your degree. The Twin Cities are a hub for Fortune 500 companies, with 17 of these corporate megaliths located in this region. This means that upon graduation, there may be opportunities for employment, as these companies know U of M’s reputation for producing excellent business and finance students. If you want to enroll for the next academic year, deadlines for admission are January 1 of each year. 

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  13. Veritas Baptist College is an academic institution that strives to incorporate strong Christian ideals into the mastery of your chosen field of study. Unlike other colleges and universities, this college rejects the humanistic educational philosophies and instead chooses to embrace a Biblical philosophy of education. 

    Students of Veritas Baptist College can choose between a Bachelor of Ministry degree and a Bachelor of Christian Education degree while minoring in a business-related topic. This college is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements but lacks regional accreditation, which may cause some employers to question your degree. 

    While this degree isn’t for everyone, those wanting a strong Christian education while pursuing a ministry career may find this program ideal. 

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  14. If you love watching NCAA sports, then you are well acquainted with the Arizona Wildcats as their prowess is known throughout college sports. Arizona is more than it’s sports, however – in 2017, the Center for World University Rankings placed this university as the 34th-best in the nation. The university is considered a selective school, so if you’re lucky enough to be admitted, take advantage of every opportunity, as there will be many. 

    At Arizona, students can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance. The overview of this degree states that a moderate level of math knowledge will be required for success in the corresponding courses. For those transferring to this university with an associate’s degree in a business field, the Finance major can be completed in as little as 16 months. If you want to complete the degree in 16 months, two courses will have to be taken every seven weeks. 

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  15. It’s hard to mistake the University of Illinois for any other university, with its distinctive orange and blue school colors that you will see worn on campus or at sporting events. In 2020, U.S. News & World Report listed this university as tied for the 14th-best public university in the nation. 

    The University of Illinois offers a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree. This university is considered a very selective school, and most applicants have at least a 3.0 GPA in previous coursework when applying to this institution. A lot of research occurs at this academic institution, and it’s considered an R1 Research University, which means that it has some of the highest research activity in the nation. 

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  16. The University of Georgia was established in 1785, making it one of the oldest public universities in the nation. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UGA in the top 50 universities in the nation. The Georgia Bulldogs are a formidable opponent in NCAA competition and have also produced notable academic and business alumni. 

    UGA’s Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance is designed to be completed in four years. The school provides its students with scholarships to help decrease tuition costs and works closely with large employers such as JP Morgan for job placement post-graduation. Topics that will be covered in this degree include: 

    • Investment Management
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Trading Strategies
    • International Finance
    • Derivatives and Corporate Finance
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  17. 1869 was a special year for Rutgers University because it was when the first intercollegiate football game was played against Princeton University. This is why Rutgers University is sometimes referred to as the “birthplace of college football.” If you’re curious about which team won the game, it was Rutgers, making this school the first college to win a football game against another college!

    The Bachelor of Science in Finance from Rutgers offers its students unparalleled opportunities to interact with successful Wall Street professionals. You’ll learn first hand what it takes to be successful in that cut-throat environment. Business graduates from this university go on to successful, lucrative careers ranging from hedge fund managers to personal financial planners. 

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  18. The University of Michigan is known for producing some of the brightest academics, with an impressive 25 Nobel Prize winners and several Turing Award winners. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the University of Michigan as having one of the top ten graduate business schools in the nation. This university is very selective when admitting students. The majority of students entering this university from high school in the past few years had an impressive cumulative GPA of 3.9.

    The business degree you’ll earn through the University of Michigan opens doors for you throughout the world. The school has some pretty impressive statistics on graduates, with 97% of Bachelor of Business Administration majors receiving a job offer within a few months of finishing their degree. Almost 200 companies hired BBA graduates from U-M last year and paid them almost $80,000 as a starting salary. 

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  19. The Ohio State University has one of the top three largest university campuses in the nation. What’s more, the university is known for producing Olympic athletes. So far, there have been 104 Olympic medals won by Ohio State athletes, 46 of which were gold medals. You can count Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Fortune 500 CEOs among this university’s alumni as well. 

    The Bachelor of Science in Finance offered by The Ohio State University has many unique advantages, such as study abroad options and internships to gain valuable practical business knowledge. More than 90% of business students participate in an internship during their course of study, although an internship is not mandatory to meet graduation requirements. The university also has a finance honors program designed for academically gifted and motivated students wanting to learn cutting-edge financial and business information. 

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  20. At the official university of the state of Wisconsin, you will receive one of the best educations from a public university at an affordable price. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked this university as tied for the tenth-best undergraduate public university in the nation, and in 2020 the school was named the seventh-best school from which to receive an undergraduate business education. 

    When pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration from UW Madison, you will have the option to choose from ten business majors, including a major in Finance, Investments, and Banking. Some students pursuing a Finance major participate in the Duff & Phelps YOUniversity Deal Challenge, which students from UW Madison have won the last four years – a testament to the quality finance education you will receive. 

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  21. Located in sunny San Diego, Ashford University is a for-profit university that is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Since 2013, this university has had a close relationship with Forbes Media, and Ashford’s business school is called Forbes School of Business & Technology. 

    The school’s Bachelor of Arts in Finance degree is also accredited by IACBE, one of the two primary accrediting bodies for business degrees. Classes are held in five-week modules, and students take one course at a time, which allows them to get an in-depth knowledge of each subject. The school allows up to 90 credits to be transferred into their program. 

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  22. The University of Southern California is the oldest private research university in the Golden State. You may have heard about USC in the media due to its involvement in the 2019 college admission scandal, but don’t let that scare you away because, despite everything, the school provides an excellent business education. 

    You can expect to work hard while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in finance from USC’s Marshall School of Business because this school is known for producing some of the best and brightest graduates. This program may be particularly suited for someone looking to learn about real estate finance, as the school offers a specialized track in this area. For those who have broad interests, the school also allows its students to pursue double majors. 

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  23. The University of Buffalo is located in Buffalo, New York, and was founded by Millard Fillmore, who would later become the 13th president of the United States. Although this school is commonly referred to as the University of Buffalo, it’s legal name is the State University of New York at Buffalo. You would think that the University of Buffalo’s athletics would be named the buffalos, but they are actually referred to as the Bulls. 

    The school of management at UB houses six departments with dozens of tenured professors who have earned prestigious awards. With that said, if you choose UB, prepare to soak up all the business knowledge possible by renowned academics. Students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Finance are encouraged to participate in internships to gain hands-on experience learning how finances work.

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  24. If you have never heard of Shiloh University, you are not alone, and that may be due to the school’s niche objective in training church leaders. The main office of this university is run out of Kalona, Iowa. The university is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

    All of the classes through this university are offered 100% online, which means that there are no on-campus residency requirements to receive your degree. If you plan on putting your finance degree to work for a church or other religious organization, then this university may be the right choice for you. The university also offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in various religious subjects. 

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  25. Temple University is located in Philadelphia and is home to one of the best business schools in the world. In 2017, Temple University was ranked in the top 80 undergraduate business schools in the world by Times Higher Ed World University Rankings. There is much pride in becoming a Temple Owl because the school handles its business both on the courts and in the classroom. 

    Temple’s Fox School of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance to those wanting a thorough business education that will make them successful wherever they go. When pursuing the Finance major, the school encourages its students to participate in the school’s Financial Management Association, which often leads to connections with Fox alumni and future job opportunities. 

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  26. There’s no place like home is what Dorthy said in “The Wizard of Oz” about Kansas, and if you decide to attend Ottawa University, you may agree. The school originated in Kansas but now has another residential campus in Surprise, AZ. This university was founded on a liberal Baptist foundation, which still permeates the school’s culture. 

    Immersing yourself in different financial models is what the Bachelor of Science with a Finance concentration is all about. To get the Finance concentration on your transcripts, the school requires that you take four courses, one of which has to be a Foundation of Finance course, for a total of 12 credit hours. You can choose three of the courses currently offered below to complete this concentration: 

    • Money and Banking
    • Investment Finance
    • International Finance
    • Investment Theory
    • Real Estate Finance
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  27. What better place to earn a finance degree with the dream of working in big business than right next to Washington, D.C.? The University of Maryland is a large research university with grant money for research in subjects ranging from space to homeland security. Faculty of this institution have received accolades such as the Fields Medal and Nobel Prize. In 2018, The Princeton Review ranked this college as being one of the Top 10 Universities for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. 

    The University of Maryland has a unique “Plus One” program that allows its students to earn their Bachelor’s and Master’s in Finance degrees in just five years – that cuts an entire year off what the two degrees would typically take to complete. Those looking to save some time and money and know that they want to pursue a master’s degree may find a perfect fit with this program. 

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  28. U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Cincinnati as the 64th-best public university in the nation in 2020. This university has a long history of educating students that dates back to 1819, making it the oldest school of higher education in Cincinnati. The school’s Latin motto translated into English is “Seek the Highest,” which is likely what you want from a school at which you’re earning a finance degree. 

    The University of Cincinnati offers a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Finance. The Finance major can be completed in as little as one and a half years. The degree is offered through the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Acceptance into the Finance major requires that students have already taken at least 30 credit hours while maintaining a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. 

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  29. Arizona State University is known as one of the top research universities in the nation and is respected for its innovation and business acumen. ASU has been innovating in the online education domain for years, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked ASU’s online programs as one of the top four among online bachelor’s programs. 

    The online Bachelor of Arts in Business offered through ASU is an AACSB-accredited degree that will get you on the right path to getting into a lucrative, fulfilling finance career. After completing the school’s highly regarded undergraduate business degree, you should consider pursuing ASU’s online MBA degree, which is ranked as the sixth-best online graduate business program in the nation by U.S. News and World Report

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  30. Trident University International is a school that offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in business, education, health science, and more. You may have known this school as Touro University International, but in 2007 it was purchased from the Touro education system, and the school changed its name to Trident University International. 

    Trident University International offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration that will give you the financial information needed to pursue a career in banking or elsewhere. WASC Senior College and University Commission regionally accredits the school. Admission requirements to this school are relatively welcoming, with the only acceptance requirements being proof of a high school diploma or its equivalent, a minimum high school GPA of 2.0, and evidence that you can speak English proficiently. 

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What kind of job can I get with a finance degree? 

This is a good question, and you may be surprised at the wide range of opportunities that await people who have pursued finance as a career. “Those who control the money control the world” is a common saying that may not be far from the truth, so be someone who controls the money!

One popular career option is to become a personal financial advisor. Personal financial advisors spend their days advising other people how to manage their money best and make more money through using their specialized knowledge of tax and investment strategies. Most personal financial advisors have a bachelor’s degree, with only 11% having a master’s degree or higher. 

Another popular career for finance majors is to become a loan officer. Loan officers go by various other titles such as business banking officers and portfolio managers. The primary responsibility of loan officers is to evaluate and authorize clients wanting to borrow money. 

How important is accreditation? 

There are many types of accreditation that a school may pursue. The job of accrediting bodies is to ensure that the education provided by an institution is of the highest quality, and the type of accreditation a school bears signals to hiring organizations and other educational institutions that the candidate is equipped with the fundamental knowledge and skills of their particular degree. Major public universities commonly have both regional accreditation and accreditation for some of their individual programs. 

Gaining regional accreditation is considered more rigorous than meeting national accreditation standards. Regional accreditation becomes especially crucial if students ever wish to either transfer to another academic institution or want to pursue a higher degree in the future from a regionally accredited school. Typically, regionally accredited schools will only accept transfer credits from other regionally accredited schools. There are seven regional accrediting bodies in the United States, which include: 

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Higher Learning Commission
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
  • Accrediting Commission for Schools
  • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Two of the primary national accreditation bodies include the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The U.S. Department of Education was created to monitor federal assistance programs and ensure higher education institutions are following federal education laws. 

Are online degrees respected? 

This is another great question and one that causes some online students to worry. As more and more schools are providing online education, employers recognize that this form of schooling teaches the same skills that traditional on-campus students possess. If we were to look back 20 years ago, we might conclude that online students may have to look a little harder for employers who are willing to accept and recognize an online degree, but times have changed. 

While some learners may not be able to grasp the information taught through an online platform effectively, others can utilize this medium to save time, money, and the hassle of commuting to a campus. The education provided through a virtual classroom will be essentially identical to the one you would receive in-person. 

Today, many schools do not even specify whether the degree was earned online or on its campus, which has taken some of the stigma out of online education. Employers will be unable to tell that you earned your degree online unless you tell them. If you’re still worried that some employers may not recognize your online degree, you should talk with an admissions counselor at the school you select and ask them whether or not your degree and transcripts will specify that you earned your degree online. 

If you’re interested in pursuing higher education, then you should check out the Top 20 Fastest Online Doctoral Programs