Earn Your Master's Online

The right master’s degree can help you reach career and salary goals you never thought possible. The right online master’s degree can help you do so from anywhere and at any time. Learn the benefits of earning your master’s online, and search our extensive database of top programs to see which one could be your ticket to a brighter future.

Online Master Degrees

Popular Online Master's Degrees

Business

Communications

Computer Science

Counseling

Data Science

Economics

Education & Teaching

Engineering

Healthcare Admin

Information Systems

MBA Programs

Nursing

Psychology

Public Administration

Public Health

Social Work

Why an Online Master’s?

Maybe you’re career-focused and want to take that next step at work. Or maybe you have your eye on a management position with a sizable salary bump and a corner office with a view. Whatever your motivation, it’s why you’re here. Let’s read some of the main reasons people just like you pursue their master’s degree online.

Workers with a master’s degree earned a reported $77,844 in 2019, $13,000 more than bachelor’s degree holders and twice the amount of those with just a high school diploma. See more detailed salary data in our chart below.

In a variety of industries, earning a master’s degree can fast-track career growth. A master’s education means more advanced skills and oftentimes preparation for management and executive responsibilities.

Online master’s degrees can help you change careers, both to new positions and to new industries. For example, if you have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing subject but want to become a nurse, a direct-entry MSN program can help you get there.

Many colleges with online master’s degrees allow students to choose programs with their own schedule in mind. Asynchronous programs, part-time study, and even accelerated programs can slow down or speed up learning to fit personal needs.

Online learning often cuts out some of the fees required for on-campus students. Many programs also have special tuition rates for online learning, or qualify for in-state tuition.

A woman wearing glasses sits on a sofa, leaning on one hand while holding a digital tablet. She appears engaged and thoughtful, with a cityscape visible through the window behind her.

Who Earns a Master’s Degree Online

There’s no such thing as a traditional graduate student. From the teacher earning an M.Ed. part-time after work to the MBA candidate immersed in a program full-time, no online master’s students are the same. Browse the different types of online master’s programs available and read about real students who have applied, enrolled, graduated, and moved their career forward.

More on Salary and the Master’s

A master’s degree means the potential for a higher salary in just about every industry. But in some areas, a master’s can mean more than others. Here’s the salary difference for an entry-level degree holder in four of today’s most popular career fields.

Bar graph comparing average salaries for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, International Business, and Physics, using blue bars for Bachelor's and red bars for Master's. Bar chart comparing starting salaries for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, and Physics, with salary ranges from $20,000 to $100,000.

Key Master’s Resources

What do most online master’s students need to succeed? Resources. Whether financial, academic, or technological. The editorial team at OMD.org has compiled a wide range of resources for anyone looking to earn a master’s, whether online, on campus, or both. Here are four key resources for graduate students, as well as a link to our growing collection of helpful guides.

View All Student Resources