Getting a Business Degree Online

Some schools offer exclusively online classes, with no physical campus to attend, while other colleges offer online degree programs in addition to their campus classes. Business degrees online can be attained as an associates degree, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree. In addition to these degrees, other certificate programs are available online, covering education in business and related fields.

Conventional Business Degrees Explained

College Course Hours

Getting a business degree online is similar to getting a business degree on a physical campus in that, each college course is typically three credit hours. In rare instances, courses can be one credit hour or four credit hours. These hours represent the amount of time that should be spent, per week, during a typical semester.

Here is an example of a class schedule during a college semester:

• George is a full-time college student this semester, taking a total of five courses.
• All five of his classes are three credit hours each.
• Five courses at three credit hours per course equals 15 total hours.
• He should anticipate spending at least 15 hours per week on his studies in order to successfully complete the semester.

Associates Degree in Business

An associates degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours, with courses averaging three credit hours each. This type of degree normally takes two years to complete at a conventional college campus. An associates degree usually prepares a student for the bachelor’s program in business. But, there are also two year associates degrees that are geared towards preparing students for a career straight out of the program.

Bachelor's Degree in Business

A bachelor’s degree in business normally requires a minimum of 120 credit hours, and takes approximately four years for a full-time college student to finish.

Masters Degree in Business

A master’s degree in business usually takes from two to three years to complete in its entirety. It is important to note, that a master’s degree in business is not always the same as an MBA program. Before you can enter into a master’s degree program, you should have your bachelor’s degree in business. You may find some college schedules available that allow you to work towards your bachelor’s degree and master’s degree simultaneously, and sometimes courses can overlap, to shorten the time it takes to complete both programs.

Based on a student taking a full-time class load (12 hours plus per semester), here is a table to reference when choosing the business degree program that is right for you:

Business degrees online can take varying lengths of time to finish, depending upon the number of hours you can devote to your studies each week.

Keep in mind as well that in order to enter into any college degree program, you are required to posses a high school diploma or equivalent.

Types of Online Business Degree Programs

All online business schools offer different programs. Earning a business degree online requires you to choose a school that offers the degree program you are interested in pursuing. Business degrees can be general or focus on a specific aspect of business, and in turn, the curriculum is geared towards preparing you for that industry.

Some examples of specific business degrees available online:

• Business Administration
• Business Professional Studies
• E-Commerce
• Entrepreneurship
• International Business
• Business Law
• Business Management
• Business Information Technology

Top Online Business Schools

One thing to remember when choosing an online business school is to make sure the school offers accredited degrees. This means the degree you receive after completing the online program is equivalent to a degree you would receive at any other university or community college.

Popular online schools offering multiple accredited business degree programs include:

1. Kaplan University
2. Capella University
3. University of Phoenix

Getting a Business Degree Online Conclusion

Getting a business degree online can be very different from taking courses within a classroom environment. You should prepare to do just as much work, if not more work, when studying to receive your degree online.

Some ways to prepare for an online college schedule are:

1. Stay self motivated and involved in classroom assignments.
2. Prepare to contact your professor if you have any questions.
3. Prioritize your schedule, allotting the appropriate hours needed to succeed in each course. See the “College Course Hours” portion of this article.
4. Prepare a home office to study and participate in your online classes.
5. Make sure your computer is virus free, uses a high speed internet connection, and your hard drive is cleared out as much as possible.
6. Let friends and family know your class schedule, so they can avoid interrupting you during those times.

Written by Christina Freeman