Online degrees were initially meant to satisfy mature students that want to combine study with work or other personal commitments and responsibilities. Becoming increasingly popular, universities worldwide started to introduce online Bachelor degrees as well, in addition to Master’s and Ph.D. online programs. The basic and the most important benefits of an online degree are:

flexible study hours – so you can learn at your own pacean online degree from an accredited college/university is just as valuable as a traditional degreeoverall, an online course can help you lessen the total cost of your studies since you won’t have to physically attend classes.

Regardless of the common misconception, most times online courses can actually increase student interaction, because students feel more comfortable and are less intimated by the traditional classroom setting.

Have a look at some of the most popular online degrees and their interesting features including affordable online courses.

Online Engineering DegreesOnline BBAs and MBAsOnline Courses in Computer ScienceOnline Healthcare StudiesOnline Graphic Design Degrees

Online Engineering Degrees

The engineering field, in general, is very popular, but over the last years, a number of universities started to add online engineering programs, available mostly for Master and PhD level. Individuals attaining degrees in engineering have the opportunity to select from a substantial number of specialty areas including civil, electrical, industrial, chemical, mechanical and general construction fields. Engineers solve technical problems, create effective and functional designs and devices and adhere to safe environmental and economic practices that benefit the employers for whom they work and the communities where their work is utilized. Engineers are generally high paid professionals with substantial opportunities for advancement with experience and additional education. Online engineering courses are mainly dedicated to students who are already working in the field and want to enrich their knowledge, specialize in a certain sub-field and prepare for creating projects in a real-world setting or directly apply what they learned at work. An engineering degree also enables you to stay in touch with the latest advancement and innovations in the field. With a great focus on project-based learning, during an online engineering program, you will always have access to technical and academic support, including learning materials and resources. Examples of universities offering online engineering degrees:

University of LiverpoolEindhoven University of Technology

Online BBAs and MBAs

Although at first, you could only find online MBA programs, today many Bachelor degrees in business administration (BBA) are available as well. A degree in Business Administration gives students and future graduates versatility in the workplace and they can find employment in many various fields of business. Although a very competitive field, the main reason for the popularity of a business administration degree is the fact that it provides you extensive knowledge of how to operate and manage a business and what you learn can be applied to almost any career field. Students enrolled in an online business administration course watch video lectures, participate in active assignments and have full access to digital learning resources. The social interaction involves connecting with your peers, professors, and tutors through an online platform; this can sometimes mean Skype conferences or webinars. In fact, an online course in business administration can have more benefits in terms of networking since you can establish useful current or future business contacts from all over the world, not just your region or home country. Examples of universities offering online business administration degrees:

RMIT UniversityEuropean University Cyprus

Online Courses in Computer Science

The popularity of studying an online computer science degree is easy to understand; computing knowledge gives you a serious advantage in your career, regardless of the field you choose, salaries are pretty high and employers always seek ambitious software or hardware engineers. While pursuing an online course in computer science, you can use multimedia content, discussion forums, blogs, video conferencing and benefit from strong student support services. Studying computer science means a lot of individual work and the impact of this work is easier to evaluate and measure compared to other fields. For this reason, after you have studied the theories, you can instantly put it into practice and exercise as much as you want until you get it right. In the wide area of computer science, you can specialise in subject areas like cybersecurity, information technology, cloud computing, video games and more. Examples of universities offering online computer science degrees:

Boston UniversityTallinn University

Online Healthcare Studies

All over the world, the need for knowledgeable healthcare professionals is on the rise, more specifically for healthcare administration and health management experts. Although having a different focus, most healthcare programs share a significant part of coursework. As a student, you will first learn the basics of medical science, medical terminology and then you will receive relevant information on medical software, office management, and health information systems. Because any healthcare degree cannot be complete, without any practical work, students must either visit a campus or another medical center or laboratory with which the university has a partnership. Thus, you will notice that most healthcare degrees are blended, meaning they combine online study with either campus classes or lab/research practice. The benefit of online health programs is the fact that you attend identical lessons and academic expectations are the same as for on-campus students, or they can sometimes be more rigorous as you will be required key skills like time management and effectiveness. An online health degree will help you acquire the necessary abilities to work directly with patients, deal with medical devices and technology, manage patient files and records and more. Examples of universities offering online healthcare degrees:

University College CorkCalifornia State University Northridge

Online Graphic Design Degrees

Highly demanded in the current job market, the fundamentals of graphic design can be easily taught and learned through an online course. Students enrolled in a graphic design degree learn how to convey messages through various forms of visual communication; this means learning about app creation, web design, multimedia and more with the help of software programs and tools. Graphic designers are also involved in creating promotional displays, brochures, logos –means of marketing and/or branding used by any company or organization. Like computer science, graphic design also involves a lot of independent work, so attending virtual classes offered by universities can be very convenient. Through an online degree in graphic design, you will have access to extensive networking opportunities that can further become a serious advantage for future possible internships or career offers. Featuring a student-oriented approach, graphic design online courses are usually interactive. Students log in and engage via online platforms and instantly receive feedback from instructors. Some universities integrate multimedia technologies in which each user can experience his/her own personalized homepage and learning portal. Examples of universities offering online graphic design degrees:

Anglia Ruskin UniversityHellenic Open University

These are just a few examples of online degrees that you can apply to, but in reality, you can study online almost any field you’re interested in and earn a degree. One aspect that you will have to be very careful about is to check if the university is accredited and if the diploma will be recognized and honored by employers.

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