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Best Online Online Teaching Degree Programs (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Key takeaway: Online teaching is the practitioner degree for people who will run a course: K-12 virtual school, college adjunct work, or corporate training delivered at a distance. SNHU, American Public University, and UAGC sell master’s versions. It shares CIP 13.0501 with instructional design. The difference is the job: this silo is the teacher of record; instructional design is the person who builds the course the teacher of record then runs. In IPEDS 2024, 250 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 245 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). Compare accredited programs below.
Most of the IPEDS completions in this CIP are master’s degrees. A standalone bachelor’s in online teaching is rare. If you need initial teacher licensure, start at the education silo and confirm your state’s rules; a professional master’s in online teaching will not issue a first license in most states.
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
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Projected job growth (2024-2034) for online teaching careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Librarians and Media Collections SpecialistsSOC 25-4022
$68,270Median annual pay
Median hourly$32.82
Mean annual$72,840
Employment (US)133,790
Pay range (25-75%)$56,310 - $84,480
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
This is not a first teaching license in most states, and it is not the designer credential. If you want to build courses rather than teach them, use instructional design.
A online teaching degree covers learning theory, LMS administration, online course design, assessment at a distance, accessibility, and a practicum in an online classroom. Most of the IPEDS completions in this CIP are master’s degrees. A standalone bachelor’s in online teaching is rare. If you need initial teacher licensure, start at the education silo and confirm your state’s rules; a professional master’s in online teaching will not issue a first license in most states.
Can I earn a online teaching degree online?
Yes. In IPEDS 2024, 250 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 245 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
Is online teaching accredited?
CAEP accredits teacher-preparation programs. An online-teaching master’s that does not lead to initial licensure is often not CAEP-accredited, and that is fine if you already hold a license. Confirm whether the catalog is a licensure program or a professional master’s for teachers who already teach.
What do online teaching graduates earn?
Instructional Coordinators The national median annual wage was $77,440, with the 10th percentile at $47,980 and the 90th at $121,670 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 232,600 in 2024, projected to grow 1.3 percent through 2034, with 21,900 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary by employer, geography, and experience.
