Best Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Degree Programs for 2023

Published: Jul 6, 2021
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Find top-ranked online bachelor’s in network administration degree programs for students wanting to combine their technical skills and business management acumen and to qualify as computer systems administrators, IT directors, information systems managers, and computer systems analysts.

Liberty University 99%
Southern New Hampshire University 92%
Roger Williams University 91%
Utica University 89%
Arizona State University 88%
Murray State University 85%
Thomas Jefferson University 78%
Lindenwood University 75%
Upper Iowa University 65%
California Baptist University 64%

Florida State College at Jacksonville 23 to 1
Southern New Hampshire University 21 to 1
California Baptist University 19 to 1
Excelsior University 19 to 1
Arizona State University 18 to 1
Liberty University 17 to 1
Murray State University 17 to 1
Bellevue University 16 to 1
Park University 15 to 1
Roger Williams University 15 to 1

Thomas Jefferson University $43,116
Roger Williams University $39,594
California Baptist University $37,018
Upper Iowa University $33,609
Utica University $24,214
Liberty University $22,713
Point University $21,850
Lindenwood University $18,640
Colorado Christian University $17,476
Southern New Hampshire University $15,380

Utica University $32,464
Thomas Jefferson University $22,068
Upper Iowa University $19,685
Southern New Hampshire University $18,900
Roger Williams University $17,476
Point University $16,200
Hodges University $14,940
California Baptist University $13,590
Colorado Christian University $13,474
Arizona State University $11,720

Excelsior University
Point University
Hodges University
Utica University
Colorado Christian University
Bellevue University
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Wilmington University
Lindenwood University
California Baptist University

Point University 47%
California Baptist University 64%
Upper Iowa University 65%
Lindenwood University 75%
Thomas Jefferson University 78%
Murray State University 85%
Arizona State University 88%
Utica University 89%
Roger Williams University 91%
Southern New Hampshire University 92%

Upper Iowa University 11 to 1
Wilmington University 12 to 1
Hodges University 12 to 1
Utica University 12 to 1
Thomas Jefferson University 13 to 1
Point University 13 to 1
Lindenwood University 14 to 1
Park University 15 to 1
Roger Williams University 15 to 1
Colorado Christian University 15 to 1

Florida State College at Jacksonville $2,095
Murray State University $8,040
Bellevue University $8,310
Arizona State University $10,710
Wilmington University $11,760
Park University $12,280
Hodges University $14,780
Southern New Hampshire University $15,380
Colorado Christian University $17,476
Lindenwood University $18,640

Park University $6,435
Liberty University $7,847
Murray State University $8,982
Wilmington University $9,000
Lindenwood University $9,684
Bellevue University $10,980
Arizona State University $11,720
Colorado Christian University $13,474
California Baptist University $13,590
Hodges University $14,940

Key Takeaways

An online bachelor’s in network administration allows network administrators to gain more chances to succeed professionally.
The program curriculum strongly focuses on information technology and computer science, thus producing graduates that are proficient in operations management, network security, and system analysis.
For a bachelor’s in network administration, students will take general computer and science classes.

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Exploring an Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration

Computer systems are the heart of communication in information technology, connecting computers to share resources, information, and software. Students planning on earning an online bachelor’s in network administration will learn network protocols, solving and troubleshooting network problems, and installing and maintaining network hardware.

Online programs in network administration prepare students to join the challenging field of information technology. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates a 15% projected job growth for IT and computer operations over the next decade (roughly 682,800 new jobs).

This degree takes four years to complete, although students have the option to enroll in accelerated online tracks to minimize completion time.

Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Careers

A degree in network administration (online) will prepare you for so many careers in the field of information technology. Some of these roles include network security analysts, network and computer systems administrations, information systems managers, and network engineers.

Network Administrator: Network administrators are those that install, troubleshoot, and upgrade hardware and software. They improve network performance, fix network and computer issues, and resolve connectivity concerns. They also manage desktop equipment and servers to guarantee that every workstation stays connected to the network and works seamlessly.

Computer Network Architect: These architects design and build networks like WANs (Wide Area Networks), LANs (Local Area Networks), and virtual private networks. These networks are designed based on a company’s present and future needs.

Computer network architects can also assist IT personnel troubleshoot any network issues in a company. They are proficient in computer systems design, management of enterprises and companies, and telecommunications.

Database Administrator: Database administrators make systems that secure and store data. They design and build databases, then maintain them. They are also the ones responsible for backing up data to prevent loss and create data security applications.

Computer Systems Analyst: These professionals assist organizations to operate efficiently. They go over and review a company’s computing infrastructure and IT systems and identify if there is a need to upgrade.

Computer systems analysts can carry out new systems by building hardware and software or supervising the installation. Most of these professionals work in specific industries like engineering, healthcare, and finance.

Information Security Analyst: The information security analysts safeguard computer systems and networks from attacks and other forms of cyber threats. They monitor computer networks for security breaches, conduct penetration testing, and set up protective software like firewalls.

Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Concentrations

Cybersecurity: In this concentration, students learn to establish security measures in different systems and networks. They also explore ways to recognize and test security vulnerabilities and inefficiencies, and identify strategies for threat detection, dealing with cyber attacks, and mitigating the damages.

Business Management: This concentration focuses on various networking needs of different sectors within a business. General project management and leadership skills are also used in this concentration.

Project Management: This specialization focuses on communication and leadership strategies, and how to manage projects—from start to implementation—including risk management, scheduling, and quality management.

This concentration will also train students on large-scale network installation and administrator and user training.

Core Courses in Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration

Computers and Information Systems: These courses cover the many types of computer and information systems, including software, networks, and their many components. You will learn how organizations differ in implementing their systems.

Database Operations: This course teaches how databases help organizations boost their processes and decision-making.

Wireless Network: This course covers the design and development of mobile and wireless networks.

Network Architecture: This course covers planning, creating, and setting up networks.

Programming for Network Administration: This course covers applying programming skills to networks, and programming of design, performance analysis tools, and diagnostics.

Frequently Asked Questions About Network Administration Degrees

A bachelor’s degree in network administration gives students the opportunity to combine their technical skills and business management acumen. Topics cover management and leadership as well as security and information systems, preparing students to provide tech services to a variety of businesses and organizations.

Classes can be taken online or on campus and include subjects like computer science, software security, routing and switching, and defensive network security.

Most programs require 120 credits and take about four to five years to complete, though there are numerous fast-track programs that allow you to earn your degree at an accelerated pace.

After graduation, students will qualify as computer systems administrators, IT directors, information systems managers, and computer systems analysts.

Learn more about how to major in computer science.

How do we determine the best online computer science bachelor's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Ranking and Selection Process: Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration

Our indexed online bachelor’s in network administration programs feature the best academic institutions in the US.

The online network administration degree focuses on how each school stands out in terms of the virtual learning platform, quality of instruction, transfer credits, online support, and tuition costs.

All the schools in the list are 100% online or hybrid class formats, with manageable class sizes for personal attention.

The online bachelor’s in network administration program courses are designed to develop communication, technical and critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills in the field of computer systems and network administration.

Students can take advantage of the training provided to prepare them for certification exams and career advancement. The schools also offer hands-on experiences thru virtual labs.

The schools on the list focus on all the critical areas of computer systems and network administration like troubleshooting, network operations management, network components, and information security.

Median Salaries of Similar Careers in the U.S.

The following graph depicts the average salaries of similar occupations to Computer Systems Analysts in the U.S.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

57650Computer User Support Specialists

71350Computer Network Support Specialists

102210Computer Systems Analysts

113270Information Security Analysts

142650Computer and Information Research Scientists

Best Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Degree Programs

Online Network Administration Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

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 resumé 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.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

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 be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, 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 at your own pace and 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.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Best Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Degree Programs for 2023

Top 10 Online Network Administration Bachelor's Degrees

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

Exploring an Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration

Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Careers

Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Concentrations

Core Courses in Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration

Frequently Asked Questions About Network Administration Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in network administration?

What kinds of courses are needed while getting a bachelor’s in network administration?

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in network administration?

What can you do with a bachelor’s in network administration?

Ranking and Selection Process: Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration

Median Salaries of Similar Careers in the U.S.

Best Online Bachelor’s in Network Administration Degree Programs

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Online Network Administration Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+

Will employers respect my online degree?+

What are the disadvantages of online classes?+

What are the advantages of online classes?+

Resources for Online College-Bound Students