- University of Washington
- University of Central Florida
- Florida International University
- The University of West Florida
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
- University of Illinois-Springfield
- University of Northern Iowa
- The Baptist College of Florida
- Ball State University
- University of Central Missouri
From early childhood to career education, teachers make a lasting impact on their students’ lives. With patience and dedication, educators empower students to achieve their academic, career and personal goals.
If you’d like to start—or elevate—your career in education, consider earning an online teaching degree. Completing a fully online or hybrid bachelor’s program can offer you a more flexible path to this rewarding career and help you fulfill your state’s teaching licensure requirements.
Read on to learn about our top 10 picks for U.S. schools offering online bachelor’s degrees in education. We also review important factors to consider when choosing a degree program. Let’s get started.
Best Online Teaching Degree Options
How to Find the Right Online Teaching Degree for You
Earning a degree is a huge accomplishment, but it also requires a commitment of time, effort and money. Before jumping into a program, assess your options and discuss your goals with an admissions counselor. Consider the following factors before committing to a program.
Know Your Time Commitment
The first question to ask yourself is how much time you can commit to earning your degree. Online courses provide a pathway for working professionals who might not have enough scheduling flexibility for in-person courses. An asynchronous format is a great option for students who need to work their studies around their jobs and other responsibilities.
But even with excellent time management skills, it’s challenging to work and study full time. Enrolling as a part-time student may be more sustainable, but expect to spend more time completing your degree if you study part time. On the other hand, if you can focus solely on your education, you can accelerate your timeline and enter the workforce faster.
Degree-completion programs offer a shorter degree timeline, but they only serve transfer students. If you already hold an associate degree, consider earning your online teaching degree through a two-year degree-completion program.
Look at Accreditation
When searching for a teaching degree, make sure your prospective college and program are accredited.
Institutional accreditation verifies that a school and its faculty maintain a minimum standard of education quality. Plus, federal student aid requires applicants to attend institutionally accredited schools.
In addition to institutional accreditation, programmatic accreditation is important for teachers, who typically must graduate from an approved program to earn licensure or certification. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation evaluates teaching departments and degree programs.
Consider Your Future Goals
Will you need teaching credentials for your dream job? Though many teaching roles require licensure, some positions in early childhood education and adult education, for example, require a degree but not necessarily a license.
Each teaching program should clearly state whether it meets standards for state licensure. If you pursue an online teaching degree out of state, verify before enrolling that the degree meets your state’s requirements for teaching credentials, if applicable.
Programs that lead to licensure include a full-time, in-person student teaching experience; some online programs allow you to complete this requirement locally or even at your current place of work.
Cost of an Online Teaching Degree
In many cases, earning your degree online saves money, even if you are an out-of-state student. Some schools set a separate, flat tuition rate for all online learners. Others offer in-state rates to distance learners regardless of where they live. However, many colleges charge online support, distance learning or technology fees to remote learners.
One way to save money as an online student is by transferring credits from a community college. The University of West Florida estimates that most in-state students pay about $29,000 for their teaching degree. Students with 90 transfer credits, however, pay only about $9,000 to complete their BA at UWF.
On average, tuition at a two-year college costs about $3,500 per year for in-state students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In comparison, public four-year universities cost $9,375 per year on average. Taking two years of general education and prerequisites at a community college can cut down your total degree cost by thousands of dollars.
Online students may also save money by living at home or not living on campus. NCES estimates that students pay more than $11,000 per year in room and board while attending a four-year college.
Methodology
We scored 96 accredited, nonprofit colleges offering online teaching degree programs in the U.S. using 16 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes, student experience and application process. We pulled the data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites. We weighted each category as follows:
Student Outcomes: 38%
Affordability: 28%
Student Experience: 14%
Credibility: 10%
Application Process: 10%
Specific characteristics we considered within each category include accreditation, nonprofit status, average net price per year, median earnings among graduates, overall graduation rate, socioeconomic diversity, online offerings and Common App participation.
We chose the 10 best schools to display based on those receiving a curved final score of 88.18% or higher.
The highest-ranking schools are fully accredited, nonprofit institutions with relatively high graduation rates. Schools that rank well have higher student retention rates and lower average annual net prices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Online Teaching Degrees
Are online teaching degrees respected?
Yes. As long as your college and program are properly accredited, employers will respect your online degree as much as one earned on campus—and in most cases, they will not be able to tell the difference. If you aim to become a credentialed teacher, however, ensure your online program will prepare you for licensure in the state where you plan to teach.
Can I teach online with just a bachelor’s degree?
Yes. With a bachelor’s degree, you can pursue teaching credentials and become an educator at an online school. Some online teaching jobs do not even require licensure.