The demand for distance learning online college degrees continues to rise as working and nontraditional students look for flexible ways to either begin a career or advance within a career.
With this increase in demand has come an increase in the number of technical online colleges available to distance learners who are pursuing a professional or technical undergraduate degree.
This article will present some of the options available for prospective online students interested in an online technical or professional Bachelor or Associate degree.
Technical Online Colleges – State Options
Students should explore their state's higher educational system, as many states have established college and university systems which include technical and trade schools. For example, the State University of New York (SUNY) system has a broad network of universities, community colleges, and professional schools, some of which offer distance and online learning for undergraduate technical degrees.
To find a list of the technical colleges offering online degrees in a given state, contact that state's Department of Education or the appropriate university state system headquarters, and request information on the state-sponsored technical colleges which provide online degrees.
Technical Online Colleges – For-Profit National Options
A number of large, for-profit online universities have been developed over the last twenty years, many of which offer a broad range of technical and professional degrees. This section will detail some of the biggest online universities offering undergraduate technical degrees.
The University of Phoenix, with over 400,000 enrolled students online, is easily the largest online school. It has a course structure which mixes live classes with an asynchronous schedule, and offers a number of Bachelor and Associate degrees online in professional fields. Among these are:
- Associate of Information Technology
- Associate of Medical Records
- Associate of Health Care Administration
- Bachelor of Information Technology
- Bachelor of Health Administration
- Bachelor of Criminal Justice Administration
Kaplan University, with over 100 degree offerings, has a course structure which mixes synchronous and asynchronous classes. It has a number of professional and technical programs, including:
- Associate of Criminal Justice
- Associate of Fire Science
- Associate of Health Information Technology
- Associate of Medical Office Management
- Associate of Medical Transcription
- Associate of Information Technology
- Associate of Paralegal Studies
- Bachelor of Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Fire & Emergency Management
- Bachelor of Fire Science
- Bachelor of Information Technology
- Bachelor of Paralegal Studies
Ashford University, one of the fastest growing online distance learning institutions, has a fully asynchronous schedule which offers maximum flexibility. Its technical degree offerings include:
- Bachelor of Health Care Administration
- Bachelor of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
- Bachelor of Human Resources Management
- Bachelor of Social and Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Sports and Recreational Management
ECPI College of Technology, a distance learning online college which focuses solely on Bachelor and Associate degrees online, has a fully asynchronous schedule which provides students with very flexible schedules. Among its technical degrees are:
- Associate of Business Administration
- Associate of Electronics Engineering
- Associate of Network Security
- Bachelor of IT Management
- Bachelor of Network Security
- Bachelor of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Healthcare Administration
- Bachelor of Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Restaurant Management
- Bachelor of Electronics Engineering
The above schools are good examples of the large, for-profit colleges and universities which are available to students shopping around for an online technical degree. Of course, there are many more schools available, including (but are not limited to) Strayer University, DeVry University, Capella University, and ITT Technical Institute.
Technical Online Colleges – Nonprofit National Options
In addition to the large, commercial schools, there are a number of national, nonprofit colleges and universities which provide technical and professional degrees, some of which are less expensive than their for-profit competitors. This section will detail a couple of the leading options.
Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit university supported by 19 states, offers a unique, asynchronous schedule in which students accumulate proficiencies and skills rather than course credits. It offers a number of undergraduate professional degrees, including:
- Bachelor of Business Management
- Bachelor of Human Resources Management
- Bachelor of Information Technology Management
- Bachelor of Information Technology
- Bachelor of Health Informatics
- Bachelor of IT – Networks Administration
- Bachelor of IT – Networks Design and Management
- Bachelor of IT – Databases
- Bachelor of IT – Security
- Bachelor of IT – Software
Saint Leo University, a Catholic distance learning online college, offers a number of technical degrees via an asynchronous learning schedule. Bachelor and Associate degrees online are available, and include:
- Associate of Business Administration
- Associate of Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Health Care Management
- Bachelor of Human Resources Management
- Bachelor of Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Computer Information Systems
Nonprofit online universities and colleges, many of which are subsidized by local and state governments, often have generous financial aid packages. It should be noted that many state university systems run schools which are nonprofit institutions as well.
Benefits of Technical Online Colleges
A distance learning online college offers a flexibility which cannot be matched by traditional, campus-based schools. In addition, many online institutions are less expensive, as students do not pay for many of the peripheral costs of attendance usually associated with college learning.
Students interested in an online technical or professional degree – whether they are looking to launch a career or advance within a given field – are encouraged to shop around amongst the many state, commercial, and nonprofit options to find the best educational fit.
David Harris-Gershon - David Harris-Gershon – a blogger for Tikkun magazine and a freelance writer on Israel, the Middle East and America’s role in ...
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