Best Online Master’s Programs in Alaska 2024

By James Barham
Reviewed By Academic Influence Staff

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: Nov 22, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Alaska ranked by the academic success of faculty and alumni associated with the colleges and universities and their online degree programs. Faculty and alumni with influential ideas are the foundation of respectable online degree programs employers can trust.

Top Online Master's Programs in Alaska

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Alaska

The six colleges and universities in Alaska are largely located near Anchorage and Fairbanks, two of the state’s largest cities. However, the University of Alaska Southeast houses campuses in the island towns of Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka. Also, 2 universities in Alaska offer online degrees for students in more remote areas, or anywhere. While the tuition for Alaska’s largest universities, the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, offer competitive rates of $8,000-$9,000, the University of Alaska Anchorage’s student population is nearly twice the size, with nearly 11,000 students. This state also offers two private colleges, both with religious backgrounds, in Alaska Pacific University and Alaska Bible College.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Those hoping to truly immerse themselves in Alaska’s wilderness may want to consider attending Iḷisaġvik College, which is a tribally-owned community college located in Barrow, the northernmost point in Alaska. Many of the degrees students pursue in Alaska fall in the science and social science fields, but students also have the option to obtain on-campus or online degrees in areas like religious studies, education, and liberal arts.

Alaska’s landscape is as vast as its history. The massive glaciers, thousands of miles of coastline, our country’s highest mountain peak, and wildlife that live among the people are only some of the features that have helped earn this state its nickname, The Last Frontier. Though there are numerous online degree programs in Alaska, students aspiring to see caribou in person or witness the Northern Lights may want to get their degree on one of Alaska’s sprawling college campuses.

Fortunately, a number of colleges in Alaska offer hybrid degree options, where you can take some online courses and some courses on campus.

For students hoping for a mix of adventure and education, learn more about Alaska’s higher education institutes, degree options, online degree programs, and top career paths.

What are Alaska’s Colleges & Universities?

Alaska’s Best Overall

Online master’s degrees offered by respected colleges and universities are generally respected by employers. The main thing to consider about your online master’s choices is whether the school name is well known and respected. In many cases, employers won’t know your degree was earned online. But even if they do, a degree from a respected college is automatically to your benefit.

We rank the colleges and universities in this list by the influence of their alumni and faculty. For master’s degree students, including online master’s degree students, having faculty who are influential in your field matters a lot. It’s a big indicator that you have the chance to get a quality education. And, knowing that you will join an alumni association with some impressive people is nice, too.

Frequently Asked Questions About Online Master’s Degrees

An online master’s degree costs about $40,000 for the average grad student. However, the cost of your online master’s degree will depend on the type of grad school you attend. In 2018-2019, the average cost for a year of tuition in a public grad school was $12,171. The average cost for a year of tuition in private, non-profit grad school was $27,776. An online master’s degree will usually cost about the same as a traditional master’s degree. Some schools will charge 5-10% more for online courses. This added cost pays for the technology and specialized training needed for online instruction. But getting a master’s degree online can also help you save money. The costs above don’t include expenses like housing, transportation, or certain campus fees. As an online grad student, you can save a lot of money by avoiding these added expenses. Many online master’s degree programs are also accelerated. Most master’s degree programs are designed to be completed in two years. But you may be able to earn your online master’s degree in as little as 12-18 months. Earning an accelerated online master’s degree can save you money on tuition.

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

How do we determine Alaska's best online master's degree programs?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Online Master’s Program in Alaska 2023

#1
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks , AK
#1 Best Grad School in Alaska 2024 #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #1 Best Colleges in Alaska 2024 #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Alaska 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
38%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/22
Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Cost of Degree: $12,958
Expenses: $15,190
Starting Salary: $47,376
Salary after 4 years: $58,412
Cost Recoup Time: 6 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
Online Degrees
MA in Criminal Justice Administration

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MA in Arctic and Northern Studies

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Concentrations

General Management
STEM Focused: Fisheries, Marine Biology, Oceanography

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Master of Security and Disaster Management

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Master of Special Education

Master’s with Initial Teacher Certification
Master’s with Additional Endorsement
Initial Special Education Teacher Certification
Teaching Endorsement in Special Education

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Compare school
#2
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau , AK
#3 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #3 Best Colleges in Alaska 2024 #3 Most Affordable Colleges in Alaska 2024 #2 Best Online Colleges in Alaska 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
30%
Student body
1K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Southeast
Cost of Degree: $12,318
Expenses: $13,648
Starting Salary: $54,687
Cost Recoup Time: 8 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
Online Degrees
MAT in Special Education

Required Credits: 39
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MAT in Elementary Education

Required Credits: 39
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Educational Leadership

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Reading Specialist

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MPA in Public Administration

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MAT in Secondary and Middle Grades Education

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Special Education

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Compare school

Alaska’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest

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Best Online Master’s Programs in Alaska 2024

Top Online Master's Programs in Alaska

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Alaska

What are Alaska’s Colleges & Universities?

Alaska’s Best Overall

Best Online Master’s Program in Alaska 2023

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online Degrees

Concentrations

University of Alaska Southeast

Career Outlook for degree at University of Alaska Southeast

Online Degrees

Alaska’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest