Explore Online Programs Offered at Top 20 National Universities
Those exploring online education at the top 20 ranked National Universities have plenty of options.
While not all of these colleges offer fully online degrees, most assign some complementary online coursework in at least a few on-campus programs. Some also have a range of online certificate programs, either for credit or not, along with stand-alone online classes for busy adults and others seeking specific skills.
And nearly all offer massive open online courses, or MOOCs, with companies such as edX and Coursera. MOOCs are courses that are available for free to anybody with internet and generally consist of recorded lectures from university professors. Those who pay for MOOCs receive additional features, including a verified certificate of completion.
[Discover reasons to consider paying for a MOOC verified certificate.]
"It used to be that education was a little 'one and done.' You got your degree, and then you were set for life," says Sanjay Sarma, vice president for open learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That's changed in recent years, experts say, as well-known colleges offer online students various types of credentials.
As industries evolve technologically, online education also enables professionals to keep their skills up to date and remain competitive in the job market, Sarma says.
For working and busy adults, here are some of the online offerings at the top 20 schools in U.S. News' 2018 Best National Universities rankings .
School (state) | U.S. News 2018 National Universities rank | Degrees offered online | Other online offerings |
1 | N/A | Free MOOCs and noncredit online courses in collaboration with companies such as Coursera, edX, Kadenze and NovoEd. | |
2 | A bachelor's and several master's degrees at the Harvard Extension School, all with on-campus requirements. | Numerous noncredit and executive education online certificates and credentials across disciplines, including at HBX through the Harvard Business School. Several MOOCs and stand-alone online classes through companies such as edX and GetSmarter. | |
3 (tie) | N/A | Noncredit, stand-alone online courses and online professional certificates through the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. MOOCs with Coursera and edX. | |
3 (tie) | Planning to launch an online physician assistant master's degree through the School of Medicine in 2018. | Open Yale Courses, which provide college course materials to the public for free. MOOCs with Coursera. | |
5 (tie) | Offers several degrees partially and fully online through various schools, including in engineering, statistics and social work. | Self-paced online courses, including through the Canvas Network. MOOCs with Coursera and edX. | |
5 (tie) | N/A | Professional certificate and stand-alone programs available online. MOOCs with edX. | |
5 (tie) | Three completely online degrees and several partially online options through the Stanford Center for Professional Development. | Twenty-eight online graduate certificates, five online professional programs and 226 online continuing education courses. MOOCs with Coursera and other free, stand-alone self-paced online classes. | |
8 | Two online graduate degree programs, including a social work doctorate and a master's in health care innovation. | Continuing education courses, including in the medical, nursing and education graduate schools. MOOCs on Coursera and edX. | |
9 | Graduate degrees mostly or fully online in nursing, environmental management and engineering management. | Various noncredit professional certificate online programs. | |
10 | N/A | MOOCs with edX and Coursera. | |
11 (tie) | N/A | MOOCs with edX. | |
11 (tie) | Several graduate degrees partially and fully online across disciplines, including doctorates. | A range of for-credit online certificate programs, as well as MOOCs with Coursera and course materials available on OpenCourseWare. | |
11 (tie) | A range of online master's programs across disciplines and schools, on top of online postbaccalaureate and bachelor's completion options, primarily through the School of Professional Studies. | Online professional development certificate programs, including in business analytics and museum studies. MOOCs with Coursera. | |
14 (tie) | No fully online degrees, but has executive master's programs combining online coursework with on-site residencies. | For-credit online courses for undergraduates. MOOCs with edX. | |
14 (tie) | Online master's degrees through Cornell Online, in systems engineering and human resource management for executives. | Various for-credit and professional education courses and certificate programs online. MOOCs through edX. | |
14 (tie) | Currently no full degrees online. Launching an online MBA in 2018. | Some online courses for credit. MOOCs with Coursera and edX. | |
14 (tie) | Primarily and partially online graduate degree programs in education and health care fields. | MOOCs with Coursera. | |
18 (tie) | Master's in data science fully online in addition to a few blended degree programs. | Several paid and free certificates online in executive education and pastoral subjects, plus other for-credit online courses. | |
18 (tie) | Graduate law degrees online, including a Master of Laws, or LL.M., in U.S. Law and a Master of Legal Studies for nonlawyers. | For-credit, online certificate options in fields such as human resources management. Some graduate and undergraduate degree programs include online courses. | |
20 | Online graduate degrees in business, communications, nursing and other fields, with many through the School of Continuing Studies, as well as an online bachelor's in liberal studies. | Professional certificates and executive leadership programs, including for Continuing Education Units, or CEUs, on top of stand-alone, open-enrollment online courses. MOOCs with edX. |
Trying to fund your online education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for Online Education center.
Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com.
