You owe it to yourself to find a college that offers an accredited education, but you do not have to pay hundreds of thousands to find it. You can find cheap online colleges that will fit your needs. There is a list of 10 cheap colleges that offer online degree programs including graduate programs in a range of fields. These schools will be explored for you so you can decide how you can keep out of huge debt and end up with perhaps $30,000 in university loans.
Western New England University
Located in Springfield, MA this land based college also provides online masters degree programs. Many of their programs are considered hybrid with only a little time spent at the campus while most of their courses are online. It depends on whether a lab is required. The curriculum follows any standard accreditation for the degree programs as well as requires essays and exams to be taken in a timely manner. Their most popular degree programs are:
Science in Accounting
Science in Engineering
Master of Arts in Communication
Tuition is about $319 per credit hour for the cheapest course and up to $982 per credit hour for the more expensive courses. Keep in mind these prices are for master degree programs, so their bachelor courses can be less. In terms of Western New England being a top ranked school they are currently 60th for best college overall and in 50th for engineering graduate programs. These rankings are not A-list but worthy of notice.
Chadron State College
The university has its base in Nebraska, but offers online programs. It is necessary to fill out an online application for bachelor and master degree programs. They have two highly popular online courses:
Master of Education
MBA
Their tuition costs are about $3,150 per semester. This includes a full course load for the degree program in which a bachelor or master is earned after all courses are completed. Chadron is considered the 67th best college, and 6th best public college in the Midwest.
North Caroline State University
Located in Raleigh, North Carolina this university started offering online degree programs for undergraduate and graduates. Admission requirements will vary from program to program, and before any master’s can be achieved a bachelor’s is needed from any accredited university. They offer four very popular degree programs for masters, as well as the bachelor required to go forward in education.
Master of Nutrition
Computer Science
School Administration
Industrial Engineering
Of the best colleges NC State is ranked at 101, but is considered 15th place for the best place for veterans to get their education. Tuition is $337 per graduate credit hour. Non-residents of the state pay nearly double the amount.
University of Wyoming Laramie
The outreach school and distance learning section provides online degree programs. There are three areas that are most popular for online education:
Social Work
Speech Language Pathology
Education Instructional Technology
Credit hours are $210 for residents, while non-residents pay $294 per credit hour. This includes online and distance courses. The U of Wyoming is ranking 161 out of the best colleges. It may not be high, but there are definitely some good reasons to attend particularly if cheap tuition is a must.
University of Phoenix
This is a private university and the largest offering online degree programs in a variety of disciplines. There are more than 112 campuses, not that it matters given that one can take courses online. When taking courses through their programs they are accredited. The most popular courses are:
Science in Accountancy
Science in Justice and Global Homeland Security
Degree in Arts in Education
Science of Psychology
Science in Nursing
Tuition costs will vary from program to program. Their master degree programs are about $740 per credit hour, which is slightly higher than other online universities. Since they are a private institution it accounts for the higher fees.
Virginia College
Virginia College offers plenty of online courses with tuition fees totaling $31,000 for a master’s program. This is on part with most universities that require $300 to $400 per class for a four year degree and double that for a two year master degree program.
The popular courses from this university include:
Criminal Justice
Cybersecurity
MBA
Arizona State University
Arizona State is ranked as the 142nd best college in the nation, but their engineering program comes out at 11th. With online courses they usually charge $463 per credit hour, at least in 2013. Popular courses include:
Advanced Study in American Media
Science in Industrial Engineering
Degree in Education in Early Childhood Education
Criminal Justice degrees
Western Governors University
This university is available to 19 states and supported by 20 corporations. They also offer online courses in a variety of programs. It was ranked as the 1st best college for online schools and received an award for distance learning. For a six month term one can expect to pay $2,900.
Their popular programs are:
Science in Information Technology
Science in Special Education
MBA in Healthcare Management
Science in Nursing Management and Leadership
Capella Univeristy
The last school on the list is Capella which is ranked 23rd in best online colleges. The university has received a record of 95% satisfaction rating from students for online courses. The average cost of a master degree program is $21,500 per year but this can change based on the program.
Popular courses are as follows:
MBA
Science in Nursing
Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Master of Public Administration
As you can see there are at least ten colleges that are ranked as the cheapest and offering online courses. You also have rankings for where they fit into the overall school rankings for various things including veterans, online, and all colleges. From the above it is easier to make a decision on whether online studies are for you and if it is affordable.
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