How to Get an Online Bachelor Degree in Business Administration

How to Get an Online Bachelor Degree in Business Administration February 18, 2013

The best part of completing an online degree is that while earning their degree, you can spend time with your family and continue working as well. Many people are choosing to get an online bachelor degree in business administration because of the program’s generally lower cost and its greater flexibility.  I saved thousands of dollars taking online courses and definitely encourage you to look at taking online or distance education courses to complete a business degree.

What to Look for In a School

Before applying to and attending any school, individuals should look for certain criteria in their prospective school. The fact is that online degree programs vary widely in terms of value, name recognition, and quality, as do other universities, colleges, and businesses. That is why it is important to look for the best accredited online bachelor degree program in business administration in terms of cost, reputation, value, quality, and even student satisfaction. online bachelor degree in business

Of course, the first and most important aspect to look for in any school is that it is nationally accredited; this is the only way to ensure the degree will respected and accepted by grad schools and potential employers. There are ways to search online to find schools that are listed in order by this set of criteria. Those lists usually compile lists based on data collected to match these factors.

Just as important as the above criteria is the rank and effectiveness of the school’s business administration program. It is not enough to have a school that is highly ranked based on reputation and quality if their business administration program is not equally strong. This is when student satisfaction plays a big factor. The program should have a high rate of graduation and GPAs. Even more, you  should try to find out the percentage of graduates who have gone on to find a job in their field. This will give you a better idea of the program’s success rate.

Costs and Time to Complete an Online Degree

Like the other variables in the online program search, these factors will vary depending on the school you’re looking at. The costs associated with an online bachelor degree in business administration will be similar to a traditional program, but tend to be a bit more affordable. Tuition can range anywhere between $13,000 and $44,000 and that may or may not include books and other resources needed for classes.

As with traditional programs, an online bachelor degree program typically takes three to four years to complete depending on how many credits are taken. Someone going part-time can expect the program to take a little longer than four years while someone going full-time can expect to graduate within four years. For those that want to complete it quicker, there is also the option of taking courses in the winter and summer which can reduce the overall time.

Best Online Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Programs

There are many ways, as already stated, to rate business programs. Based on the above criteria, there are three programs that stand out and rank the highest:

East Carolina University

University of Wyoming

Fort Hays State University

While each of these colleges do have on-campus programs, their online programs are ranked highly because of their low cost, quality courses and instructors, and overall reputation. Student satisfaction is also taken into consideration when ranking these business programs.

How to Start Your Online College Degree

The very first thing to do for any individual thinking about completing an online bachelor degree in business administration program is to find the schools they like the most. Narrowing down the list to two to three is probably best before applying. Next, students must find out the individual schools’ requirements and ensure they meet them (this typically includes a high school diploma or GED). Applying for financial aid and scholarships is also a good idea to students have some support in paying for school. Finally, go online, fill out their application and submit any material required of the student.

Are you looking at an online school to get a college degree?  What’s most important to you?


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