Online College Degree-Holders Average Salary
At one time, online colleges were unregulated and many programs didn’t adequately prepare students for their careers. Today, this has changed drastically. With an online degree from an accredited university, you’ll be just as prepared for a job in your chosen field as you would had you gone to a traditional campus college. However, as an online degree holder, will you sacrifice salary? Will employers offer you good jobs even though you have a non-traditional degree?
First and foremost, just getting your degree, no matter where you get it, will increase the salary that you’re offered. According to reports, high-school drop-outs make an average of $20,000 per year and high school graduate or those with GEDs make an average of $26,000 for you. You can compare that to the following salaries that you’ll receive if you go to college:
- Some College: $31,000
- Associate’s Degree: $33,000
- Bachelor’s Degree: $43,000
- Master’s Degree: $53,000
- Doctorate Degree: $81,00
Online education is growing at a rate of 30% or more every year, so millions of people are pursuing education online. Employers now rarely recognize a difference between an online degree and typical degree from a campus college. In fact, many traditional college now offer degrees fully online, so it can be impossible to tell the difference unless you tell them that your degree was completed online. When an employer looks at your resume, he or she may not realize that your program was offered online.
How much you can expect to make depends on your career field. According to Elearners, here are some of the salaries you can expect with some of the most common online degrees, based on median salaries over the past few years:
- Emergency Medical Technician: $28,971
- Human Resources Assistant: $33,197
- Counselor: $34,549
- LPN: $38,941
- Home Care Case Worker: $44,279
- Paralegal: $44,854
- Police Officer: $48,696
- Grants/Proposal Writer: $50,319
- Web Designer: $51,152
- High School Teacher: $51,907
- Associate Pastor: $60,680
- RN: $61,323
- Psychologist: $77,444
- Accounting Manager: $80,381
- Database Administrator: $83,706
- Attorney: $88,540
- Engineering Manager: $113,106
- Director of Communications: $127,802
- Chief Information Technology Officer: $200,656
- CEO with an MBA: $631,674
As you can see, there is quite a range in salaries depending the degree you get, and of course, you expectations for salaries will also chance depending on where you live. If you become a CEO of a large company in New York City, you’ll make thousands – or even millions – more than you will if you’re the CEO of a tiny company in a small town in the Midwest. With higher salaries, cost of living is also higher in larger cities, so keep that in mind when you’re searching for a job with your online degree.
Overall, though, no matter when you get your degree, the more education you have, the more money you’ll make. Whatever you spend on your online degree, you’ll make your money back easily after you graduate! Remember, scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid can help you pay for college, so the path to a higher salary could be less expensive than you think.
Top Online Universities
In today's competitive job market, having a college degree makes all the difference. For those individuals who are too busy with jobs or family life to attend college classes at a physical campus location, online learning at accredited universities can be a good alternative. Below are the best online colleges in the United States where degrees can be earned entirely online, without ever having to set foot inside a classroom.
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | Kaplan University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Getting its name from the founder of the popular test prep books, Kaplan University offers degrees at the associate's, bachelor's, and master's level. In addition, students may pursue certificates in education, business, information technology, arts and sciences, healthcare, nursing, criminal justice, and law. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | Ashford University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Located in Clinton, Iowa, Ashford University offers associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees both on campus and online. The university, founded in 1918, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Student Government Association produces a variety of activities on campus, including intramurals, homecoming, and a host of extracurricular activities. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | DeVry University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. A leader in its field, DeVry University offers courses in business administration, computer information systems, engineering, network and communications management, and health information technology, to name a few. The university operates on a trimester schedule which allows students to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in as little as three years. |
 Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees Doctorate Degrees | Walden University — Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Through its online program, Walden University confers the Bachelor of Science (BS), Master of Science (MS), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Public Health (MPH), Education Specialist (Ed.S.), Doctor of Education (Ed.D), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and Ph.D. |
 Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees Doctorate Degrees | Capella University — Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Capella University's online programs confer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in business, information technology, education, psychology, public health, public safety, and human services. Composed of mostly graduate students, Capella's student body hail from all 50 states and 55 countries. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | Post University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Embracing students who found themselves needing to put their bachelor's and master's degree programs on hold, Post University will accept up to 90 undergraduate credits toward one of its 20 online bachelor's programs, and up to nine credits toward any of its 16 online master's programs. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | Liberty University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. The mission of Liberty University is to promote both the intellectual and spiritual development of its students. Located in Virginia, the university boosts over 12,000 residential students and more than 45,000 online students, making it one of the largest Christian universities in the world. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | American InterContinental University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. American InterContinental University features both in class and online courses leading to associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. The university offers programs in business administration, criminal justice, education, healthcare management, information technology, marketing, and visual communication. The university also features an extensive study abroad program, which allows students to expand their global mindset. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees | Strayer University — Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Strayer University is known for its programs aimed at working adults seeking career advancement. At its more than 75 campuses, Strayer provides instruction leading to degrees in accounting, business, criminal justice, information systems, management, public administration, health services administration, and education. |
 Associate's Degrees Bachelor's Degrees Master's Degrees Doctorate Degrees | Colorado Technical University — Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. At Colorado Technical University, students study a variety of topics, including Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Engineering, Finance, Health Sciences, Information Systems and Technology, Management, and Public Administration. |
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