1.      University of Phoenix is the largest and best known of the professional universities that have sprung up over the last thirty years.  The school has an extremely successful online degree program and dozens of campuses across the country.  The University has come by its leading status in part because of the quality of its programs.  The business degrees are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP); the BSN and MSN programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNA); the Master of Arts in Education degree has received approval from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC); and the counseling degrees from Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

• Business: The MBA with nine areas of specialization, the Master of Management, Master of Management/Human Resources Management, and Master of Science in Accountancy.

• Public Administration: The Master of Public Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration.

• Nursing: The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), MSN in Healthcare Education, and the MSN in Nursing Informatics.

• Education: The Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) in Administration & Supervision, MAEd in Special Education, MAEd in Elementary Teacher Education, MAEd in Secondary Teacher Education, MAEd in Early Childhood Education, and two additional specializations.

• Technology: The Master of Information Systems (MIS).

• Criminal Justice: The Master of Science in Administration of Justice/Security.

• Healthcare: The Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), MHA in Education, MHA in Gerontology, MHA in Informatics, and Master of Science in Psychology.

2.    Benedictine University is a Catholic institution founded in 1887 and maintaining its small, quality education tradition on the campus in Lisle, Illinois.  They have ventured into online education with a selection of graduate programs that includes a surprising dual degree option.  The University has developed an impressive group of graduate options coming from a small school with an excellent reputation – tapping their schools of healthcare, education and business to provide online master’s degree options.

• Business: The MBA available with seven areas of concentration including the unusual Internet Marketing, the one-year Accelerated MBA, Masters in Management, Masters in Management & Organizational Behavior, and the dual degree MBA/MPH.
• Healthcare:  The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Nutrition & Wellness (MSNW) and a dual degree combining the MPH and the Master of Management & Organizational Behavior.
• Education: The Master of Education (MEd) in Reading and Literacy.  The program is designed to meet K-12 standards for the State of Illinois.

3.      Capella University is one of the larger, well established online universities that has been accredited nationally by Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.  The National Council for Accredited Teacher Education (NCATE) has accredited the fourteen master’s degree programs in education and teaching.  Within the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences the counseling degrees have been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

• Business & Technology: The Master of Business Administration (MBA) with nine areas of specialization, Master of Information Technology, Masters in IT Project Management, Master of Organizational Development, Master of Human Resources Management, and several additional degrees.

• Education: The Master of Science in Education for Curriculum & Instruction, MSEd in Special Education, MSEd in Instructional Design, MSEd in Educational Administration, MSEd in Reading & Literacy, and seven additional specializations.

• Social & Behavioral Sciences: The Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy, MS in School Counseling, MS in Mental Health Counseling, MS in Addiction Counseling, MS in Clinical Psychology and nine additional Psychology specializations.

• Public Administration: The Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Health, Master of Public Administration, Master of Criminal Justice, and more.

4.      Kaplan University is one of the most respected online universities in the nation, operated by the Washington Post Co. as a subsidiary that has become one of the company’s most important properties.  Kaplan holds accreditation in all of these fields; in some cases it applies to certain degree programs and in others it is on a state by state basis.  For professions that require state licensure, such as teaching and nursing, Kaplan has gone to great lengths to meet academic standards required by each state for those credentials.

• Business: The Master of Science in Accounting, MS in Management with seven specializations, and the MBA with eight specialization areas including the MBA in Health Care Management and the MBA in International Business.

• Criminal Justice: The Master of Science in Fire & Emergency Services, MS in Homeland Security & Emergency Management, MS in Criminal Justice in Policing, MS in Criminal Justice in Executive Management, MS in Criminal Justice in Corrections, and additional CJ specializations.

• Public Health: The Master of Health Care Administration and the Master of Public Health.

• Education: The Master of Science in Education, MS in Higher Education, MS in Instructional Technology, and the Master of Arts in Teaching.

• Legal Studies: The Master of Science in Environmental Policy, the MS in Legal Studies, and the Master of Public Administration.

• Nursing: The Master of Science in Nursing in Adult Nurse Practitioner, the MSN in Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN in Informatics, MSN in Nurse Educator, MSN in Nurse Administrator, and the RN to MSN option.

• Technology: The Master of Science in Information Technology in Business Intelligence, the MS in IT in Security &  Information Assurance, MS in IT in Entrepreneurship, and the MS in IT in Project Management.

5.      Grand Canyon University is an accredited institution of some 2,500 on campus students based in Phoenix, AZ.  Over the past ten years this university has developed an online education program that has been assembled with educational excellence and the requirements for professional qualifications in mind.

• Liberal Arts: The Master of Science (MS) in Criminal Justice for Law Enforcement, MS in Criminal Justice for Legal Studies, MS in Psychology, MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Master of Arts in Christian Study.

• Education: The Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) in Special Education, MAEd in Educational Administration, MAEd in Secondary Education, MAEd in Elementary Education, and more.

• Health Sciences: The Master of Public Health, Master of Science (MS) in Marriage & Family Therapy, MS in Health Informatics, MS in Addiction Counseling, MS in Health Care Administration, and more.

• Nursing: The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, MSN in Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN in Clinical Nurse Specialist, MSN in Nurse Education, MSN in Nurse Leadership, and additional specializations.
• Business: The Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Leadership, Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA), the MBA in Finance, MBA in Health Care Management, and six additional MBA specializations.

6.      Walden University: This university focuses exclusively on distance learning, providing all of their undergraduate and graduate programs online.  There is an exceptionally wide range of academic disciplines to choose from, all of which have received accreditation or partial accreditation from the appropriate commissions and organizations.  The University itself is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  Walden’s education degrees are accredited by the State of Minnesota, where the university is based, for teaching licensure.

• Education: Master of Science (MS) in Early Childhood Studies, MS in Education, MS in Higher Education, MS in Instructional Design & Technology, Master of Arts in Teaching.

• Management & Technology: Master of Business Administration (MBA) with thirteen specialization options, Master of Science (MS) in Accounting, MS in Management, MS in Project Management, MS in Information Systems Management, and more.

• Health Sciences: The Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), Master of Science in Health Informatics, and the Master of Science in Clinical Research Administration.

• Public Administration: The Master of Public Administration, and the Master of Public Health

• Nursing: The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Education, MSN in Leadership & Management, MSN in Nurse Informatics, and the RN to MSN track with specializations.

• Psychology and Social Services: The Master of Science (MS) in Psychology, MS in Forensic Psychology, MS in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling, and the MS in Mental Health Counseling.

7.      Ashford University is based on a campus in Clinton, Iowa that has been in operation since 1918.  In recent years the small college has branched out into online education, providing a worldwide education platform from their traditional Midwestern collegiate base.  The University was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1950.  With the development of online undergraduate and graduate programs the school has achieved recognition from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.

• Business: The Master of Arts in Organizational Management,  Master of Business Administration (MBA), MBA in Entrepreneurship, MBA in Finance, MBA in Global Management, and ten additional MBA specializations.

• Public Administration: The Master of Arts in Public Administration

• Education: Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) in Higher Education, MAEd in Special Education, MAEd in Child Development, MAEd in Curriculum & Instruction, and ten additional MAEd specializations.

• Healthcare: The Master of Health Care Administration (MHA).

8.     University of the Rockies was founded in Colorado Springs as the Colorado School of Professional Psychology.  Since its early days the school has had a name change and an expansion of the academic programs offered both on campus and online, but their focus remains on psychology and related disciplines.  The University has been accredited by the Higher Education Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  It is also an associate member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology.

• Human Services offers the Master of Human Services, a general social science degree that includes studies of social service operations, nonprofit agencies, grant writing for social service programs, organizational management, and professional ethics.

• Psychology is the mainstay of the University, which offers the Master of Arts in Psychology with sixteen areas of specialization.  Professionals from a wide range of business and public service fields can opt for concentration in Criminology & Justice, Mediation & Conflict Resolution, Mental Health Administration, Organizational Consulting, Career Management & Counseling, and eleven others.

• Organizational Development is a growing academic field that can be found in business schools, management programs and social science departments at other universities.  The Masters in Organizational Development & Leadership  delves into the psychology of organizational design, change management, executive coaching, human resource management, and organizational research

9.      Post University is another small U.S. university that has moved into online education with some inititiative and energy.  The campus is located in Waterbury, CT where it has operated for 120 years.  Today there are four other campuses in CT and Post has become the largest provider of online education in the state.  The school is accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

• Human Services: Degrees offered online include the Master of Human Services (MSHS), the MSHS in Clinical Counseling, MSHS in Alcohol & Drug Counseling, and MSHS in Program Administration
• Business: Degrees offered are the MBA in Corporate Innovation, MBA in Entrepreneurship, MBA in Finance, MBA in Leadership, MBA in Marketing MBA in Program Management, and a multidisciplinary MBA option.  The degree takes 14 – 20 months to complete.
• Education: Degrees include the Master of Education (MEd) in Teaching & Learning, and the MEd in Instructional Technology.  Master of Education online program is licensed by the State of Connecticut through the Connecticut Department of Higher Education

10.  Argosy University operates a comprehensive online degree program through their Chicago campus, which is one of nineteen locations in thirteen states.  There are four graduate schools within the online university, each with a strong faculty and carefully designed classes that make up quality master’s degree programs.  Argosy University has national accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, and maintains accreditation for individual programs in each of the states where it operates campuses.

• Psychology: Degrees include the Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology, MA in Clinical Psychology, MA in Counseling Psychology, Master of Marriage & Family Therapy, Master of Substance Abuse Counseling, and ten additional specializations.

• Health Sciences: Degrees include the Master of Public Health and the Master of Science in Health Services Management.

• Business: Degrees include the Master of Science in Management, the Master of Business Administration in International Business Management, MBA in Accounting, MBA in Information Systems, and the MBA in Marketing.

• Education: Degrees include the Master of Arts in Education in Teaching & Learning, MAEd in Higher & Postsecondary Education, MAEd in Adult Education & Training, MAed in Educational Administration, MAEd in Instructional Leadership, and additional specializations.