10 Best Online Degrees in 2025
The most popular online degrees lend themselves well to virtual learning platforms and can help launch your career with relevant coursework.
Online degrees are growing in popularity thanks to the many benefits they provide for students. Earning a degree online at a top online college allows students to earn a career-boosting qualification while maintaining other important life commitments such as work and family.
You may be wondering what is the best online degree to get, so we have broken it down into the top 10 best online degrees to earn. These subjects lend themselves well to online learning and can provide students with the training they need for an exciting career.
List of Best Online Degree Programs
From business to healthcare, technology to liberal arts, there is no shortage of opportunity with online learning. Below, we'll dive into 10 of the most popular fields, with many programs available at affordable online schools.
1. Business Administration
Business administration is a great degree to earn online because it typically only has instruction-led classes with no in-person requirements or labs. While there may be some group projects or presentations, these can easily be completed through a virtual platform.
Business administration online degrees qualify graduates for several well-paying roles, including management, marketing, finance, and accounting. There are many specializations within business administration degrees, so students can customize their learning experience to prepare for their chosen career.
2. Nursing
While becoming a nurse will require some in-person training, online nursing degrees are some of the most popular degrees to earn. To become a nurse, the most basic requirement is to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) exam and graduate from an approved nursing training program, such as an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).
Many nurses continue their education with an online RN to BSN program. These programs allow students to finish their bachelor's degree online while improving their job prospects and salary potential. Clinical hours can typically be completed in the student's area of residence.
Nurses can also study for a master's degree in nursing online to increase their qualifications for leadership positions.
3. Computer Science
Computer science is a well-paying industry with many different areas of specialization. Earning a degree in computer science online is a quick and easy way to start a career as a computer engineer, computer network architect, or computer scientist.
Students will typically need to take several mathematics and data courses as well as learn programming languages. Capstone projects can easily be completed online, even as a group.
4. Marketing
Marketing degrees can be applied across many industries, and qualified marketers are in high demand. A degree in marketing is perfect for students who are creative and enjoy the challenge of crafting persuasive narratives in different media formats.
Online marketing programs can allow students to specialize in specific areas of marketing, such as digital marketing, social media marketing, and advertising. Studying this degree online can have the added benefit of learning the skills of virtual work for a successful remote marketing career.
5. Communications
If you're looking for a versatile degree that opens the doors to various career paths, communications might be the ideal choice. Communication is a skill used in nearly every profession, and an online communications degree can give students the skills they need to excel in several fields.
An online communications degree will teach students the fundamentals in written, oral, audio, and visual communication, preparing them for roles as social media marketing managers, journalists, public relations specialists, copywriters, and more.
6. Human Resources
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the human resources field is expected to grow 8% from 2023 to 2033. This is a valuable career that's here to stay, and earning your degree online has never been easier given the variety of flexible, affordable online human resources programs.
With an online human resources degree, you'll learn about important topics like labor relations, ethics, talent acquisition, management, and more. With these skills, you'll be well-equipped to explore positions in talent recruitment, training, and HR management, among others.
7. Cybersecurity
Skilled cybersecurity professionals are in extremely high demand. Earning an online degree in cybersecurity can position students for career success. Graduates of online cybersecurity programs often go on to become information security analysts, security auditors, penetration testers, and security engineers.
And if you're looking to advance your career post-graduation, an online degree in cybersecurity can pair well with professional certifications in information systems, security management, advanced penetration testing, and more, each of which can also be completed entirely online.
8. Data Science
The unfathomable amount of data generated and stored has created a long-lasting demand for skilled data scientists. Data scientists will have a general qualification that allows them to work with data in many different contexts ranging from business to scientific research.
Students in online data science degrees will typically learn about statistics, programming, big data, probability, database management, and cloud computing. This is an ideal degree to learn online since most modern data is digital and is analyzed with computer software.
9. Education
Educators shape the young minds that create the future of society. Whether you're earning your first degree or advancing in your field of study, an online education degree can be a flexible, efficient way to pursue your career goals.
Education is a broad field that contains many different sub-fields and areas of specialization. You can explore programs in your state and beyond by earning your degree online. This allows you to focus on a specific area of interest and gain professional qualifications. You might also consider earning an online certificate alongside your degree to further your skill set.
10. Psychology
While psychology is sometimes associated with clinical psychotherapy, an online degree in psychology is much broader than many people realize. The skills you gain in a psychology program can be applied to various careers spanning almost every field.
Skills related to communication, conflict resolution, organizational structure, leadership, data science, and human development can all be applied to a number of careers, making you an attractive candidate to future employers.
Psychology graduates often go on to succeed in fields such as human resources, organizational psychology, marketing, public relations, research, management, and education, as well as traditional clinical psychology careers.
Find an Online Degree Program
Online degrees are flexible, affordable, and accessible. If you're ready to explore online learning, contact a program of interest on Learn.org and start your degree today.