In the recent past, if you wanted to get a college education, you needed to go to a regular campus program. This could be really challenging, especially for older students with work and family obligations.
Now, as online technology improves, more and more educational opportunities are being offered online. Getting an online degree is one of the most preferred ways for students to earn their education. This allows you to earn your degree on your own time, and to continue with your busy work and personal life as you go to school. Bachelor’s, master’s and even some doctoral degrees are now offered online.
Online master’s degrees are particularly popular for experienced professionals. Earning an online master’s degree allows them to expand their career possibilities and increase their salary. There now are many specialties of master’s degree online that you can earn, including public health, nursing, accounting, business, education, health administration, TESOL, and many more.
Because online master’s degrees are becoming so common and popular, they are becoming much more accepted by employers. This is especially the case with online master’s programs that are fully accredited with major accrediting bodies.
Major accrediting bodies include the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. You should ensure that whatever master’s program you’re interested in has been accrediting by a widely recognized accrediting body. This ensures that your degree will be seen as valuable by potential employers.
We have reviewed many of the online master’s programs that are available without the GRE, and these are the ones that are most in demand:
#1 Master of Public Health (MPH)
With this degree, you will be able to work on creating healthier communities through research, education and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The focus in this profession is on health promotion and disease and injury prevention. In most master of public health programs, you can specialize in biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral health or environmental health. See all Masters in Public health degrees.
Recommended University:
- Walden University
- University of Southern California
- Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University
- University of New England
- University of Arizona
#2 Master’s of Nursing (MSN)
A masters msn nursing degree is considered to be the entry level degree for nurses who are interested in advancing their careers in education and management. This degree also will prepare you for a career in nursing administration, health policy, or a variety of advancing nursing roles, such as nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife or clinical nurse. You could focus on a variety of specialities, such as acute care, adult family, geriatrics, neonatal, pediatric, psychiatric or obstetrics. See all Masters in Nursing programs.
Recommended Online University:
- Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University
- Indiana Wesleyan University – Online – Non-Profit – Ranked by US News & World Report
- University of Central Florida
#3 Master of Health Administration (MHA)
If you are interested in managing a health care facility or as an administrator of health care, earning a master’s in health administration is a smart choice. You will be prepared to become a leader who is able to respond to the dynamic and changing field of health care. You will learn how to critically examine and evaluate health care issues and trends, and will be able to provide stellar leadership in the administration of a health care facility. See all Masters in Healthcare Administration programs.
Recommended Online University:
- Saint Joseph’s College
- George Washington University
- Des Moines University
- Ohio University
- Indiana Wesleyan University
#4 Master of Business Administration (MBA)
With an online master’s degree in business, you can learn the leadership skills and connections in the industry that are so important for advancing your business career. Many online MBA programs allow you to select a variety of concentrations, including finance, entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing or project management. See 10+ online mba’s with no gmat requirement.
Recommended Online University:
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- Western Governors University
- University of Dallas
- Post University
#5 Master’s of Accounting
Earning your master’s degree in accounting will ready for a variety of professional careers in accounting and consulting. This is an advanced business degree that will cover the fundamentals of accounting, the most effective methods of accounting, and the knowledge that you will need to pass the CPA examination. See all Masters in Accounting degree programs.
Recommended Online University:
- Indiana Wesleyan University – Online – Non-Profit – US News Best Master’s universities in the Midwest.
- Post University Online
#6 Master’s of Finance
This master’s program will prepare you for a career in investment management, corporate finance and financial analysis. The curriculum in this program usually is focused on investment analysis, corporate finance and financial management. Also, you will take classes in economics, accounting and quantitative methods. Some programs also will cover portfolio management, financial modeling, mergers, and real options. See all Masters in Finance degree programs.
Recommended Online University:
#7 Master’s of Education
This master’s degree is essential for moving ahead in the field of education and typically includes many specialities. For example, you can focus on curriculum and instruction, counseling, school psychology, teaching and administration. Depending if you want to continue to teach or want to work in administration, you should choose your speciality with care. Earning a master’s degree in this field is often key to maximizing your salary potential in many local school systems. See also 50+ Online Masters of education degreee programs.
Recommended Online University:
#8 Master’s of Adult Education
You will be able to play a more important role in higher education by learning about the unique and vital needs of adult learners. You will greatly expand your expertise in adult education with a curriculum that stresses reflective practice, current theory and best practices. Also, you will learn how to better approach collaborative learning, program development and different learning styles for students with diverse backgrounds.
#9 Master’s of Environmental Science
In this type of master’s program, you will work to better understand the principles and processes that are vital to land resource management and the environmental sciences. Some of the common classes that you take in such a master’s program are environmental risk assessment, ecology of plants and plant communities, water quality, watershed analysis, environmental biophysics, landscape and ecosystem ecology, integrated plant management, insect ecology and microbes in the environment.
Recommended Online University:
#10 Master’s of Environmental Management/Assessment
As a graduate of this degree program, you will be able to better grasp the institutions and the processes that have an effect upon the development of environmental and energy laws and policy problems. You will learn how to analyze, monitor and mitigate the impacts of the operations of an organization, and be able to analyze and communicate health, safety and environmental risks to stakeholders. You could end up in a career as an environmental program specialist/project manager, industrial compliance manager or environmental auditor.
Recommended Online University:
#11 Master’s of Public Policy (MPP)
This advanced degree focuses on the analysis of issues that are related to public policy and the complex decision processes that surround them. You will learn about the economic and political factors that go into public decision making, policy formulation, microeconomic analysis of various policy options, resource allocation, decision modeling, statistical methods and many other public policy topics. This is an ideal degree for those who wish to spend their career working for the government or a nonprofit organization. See 5+ Best Online Masters in Public Policy degrees.
Recommended Online University:
#12 Master’s of Public Administration (MPA)
This master’s degree will prepare you to serve in various parts of the local, state and federal government, as well as many nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit organizations. Most programs in this area will focus on the investigation of executive organization and management. You will learn about the roles, development and principles of public administration; management of public policy, economics, sociology, law and regional planning. See 5+ Top Online Public Administration Masters programs.
Recommended Online University:
- Indiana State University
- Rutgers University Online
- Post University Online
- California State Dominguez Hills Online
#13 Master’s of Social Work (MSW)
For social workers who want to maximize their salary and career potential, earning the MSW degree is a smart decision. Most of the programs in this field allow you to choose either a clinical or a direct track. In the clinical track, you will focus on learning social work skills that you will use a in a medical or clinical setting. In a direct practice track, you will learn the skills that you need to practice social work at an advanced level in an agency setting. Generally, the MSW is considered the terminal degree in this field. See 5+ Best Online MSW degree programs.
Recommended Online University:
- University of Southern California
- Rutgers University Online
- University of New England Online
#14 Master’s of Counseling
A Master of Arts or a Master of Science in counseling usually will focus on therapies and behavior modification methods. People who earning this master’s degree will usually work as a career counselor or a school counselor. However, it also is possible that they will work in private practice, a hospital or mental health clinic. If you want to open your own psychological practice, you generally are going to need to earn your doctoral degree. Many master’s in counseling programs require about 60 hours of credit. See all Masters in Counseling degree program options.
Recommended Online University:
#15 Master’s of Psychology
A master’s degree in psychology can open up many new areas in career opportunities in psychology. The most common types of degrees are the Master of Arts and the Master of Science. Generally, an MA will have a stronger focus on the liberal arts, and the MS is going to be more focused on research. Some master’s degrees in psychology will prepare you for professional practice in your speciality area, and others are more designed as a complement to a future doctoral program. There also may be a choice between a thesis and non-thesis degree option. See 20+ Best Masters in Psychology degrees online.
Recommended Online University:
#16 Master’s of Project Management
This degree generally is designed for professionals at the mid career level who want to better improve their project management skills for application in many industries. Most of these no GRE programs will incorporate business acumen with strong communication skills and leadership skills so that you will be able to hit the ground running in your career in project management. People who graduate from good programs will be able to run not just single projects, but will be able to coordinate many integrated projects at once. See all Online Masters in Project Management Degrees.
Recommended Online University:
#17 Nurse Practitioner
Recommended Online University:
- Chamberlain College of Nursing
- Georgetown University Online
- Simmons College Online
