Best Online Master’s Programs in Delaware 2024

Badge for BEST ONLINE MASTER'S IN DELAWARE

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Academic Influence Staff

Updated: Nov 22, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Delaware 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.

University of Delaware
Delaware State University
Wilmington University

University of Delaware 74%
Delaware State University 55%

Delaware State University 16 to 1
University of Delaware 15 to 1
Wilmington University 12 to 1

University of Delaware $13,370
Wilmington University $12,030
Delaware State University $7,038

University of Delaware $17,622
Wilmington University $9,216
Delaware State University $5,160

Wilmington University
Delaware State University
University of Delaware

Wilmington University
Delaware State University
University of Delaware

Delaware State University 55%
University of Delaware 74%

Wilmington University 12 to 1
University of Delaware 15 to 1
Delaware State University 16 to 1

Delaware State University $7,038
Wilmington University $12,030
University of Delaware $13,370

Delaware State University $5,160
Wilmington University $9,216
University of Delaware $17,622

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Delaware

Delaware is home to six higher learning institutions offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees for both traditional and online students. Despite its small size, there are plenty of excellent options among the brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Delaware.

With two public schools and four private schools, Delaware excels in awarding degrees in fields such as mathematics, political science, criminal justice, and publishing. Prospective students can also choose from between affordable traditional courses and online degree programs at either the Delaware State University or the University of Delaware.

In-state students will pay roughly $8,000 for a year at Delaware State University and about $14,000 for tuition at the University of Delaware. Out of state students will pay more.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

The student body size of these schools is, however, vastly different. Just a little over 4,000 students attend Delaware State University. By contrast, more than 22,000 on-campus and online students are currently taking courses at the University of Delaware.

Among private colleges in Delaware, Wilmington University has the highest student population among private colleges at just under 10,000 students. Wilmington University is also the most affordable private college in Delaware at $11,000.

Students who attend Delaware College of Art and Design can specialize their associate degree in animation, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, or photography. Residents who earn degrees in the medical or mental health fields have the opportunity to get state-sponsored financial aid through Delaware’s State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). Applicants must agree to work in underserved areas of Delaware for two or three years and can receive up to $105,000.

Though it is the second smallest state in the nation, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, earning it the nickname, The First State. With the Delaware River running through it, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and forests throughout, Delaware college students will find beauty everywhere.

Just above the nation’s average annual college tuition cost at $12,274, Delaware provides prospective students with an array of highly respected traditional and online degree programs. Discover more about Delaware’s colleges and universities.

What are Delaware’s Colleges & Universities?

Delaware’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 Delaware'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 Delaware 2023

#1
University of Delaware
Newark , DE
#1 Best Grad Schools in Delaware 2024 #1 Best Colleges in Delaware 2025 #1 Best Research Universities in Delaware 2025 #1 Best Public Colleges in Delaware 2024
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
80%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/28
Career Outlook for degree at University of Delaware
Cost of Degree: $19,546
Expenses: $17,638
Starting Salary: $64,000
Cost Recoup Time: 7 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
Online Degrees
MS in Accounting

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 1-2 years
Format: Online
MBA in Business Administration

Concentrations

Business Analytics
Finance
Strategic Leadership
International Business
Healthcare Management

Required Credits: 44-53
Completion time: 16 months
Format: Online
MS in Cybersecurity

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

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MA in Strategic Communication

Concentrations

Public Relations
Digital and Social Media

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Compare school
#2
Delaware State University
Dover , DE
#12 Best HBCU Online Master's Programs #1 Best Small Colleges in Delaware 2025 #2 Best Grad Schools in Delaware 2024 #2 Best Colleges in Delaware 2025
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
55%
Graduation
45%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
945/22
Career Outlook for degree at Delaware State University
Cost of Degree: $8,160
Expenses: $19,922
Starting Salary: $38,400
Cost Recoup Time: 8 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
Online Degrees
MBA in Business Administration

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 1 year
Format: Online
MSA in Sport Administration

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 1 year
Format: Online
MPA in Public Administration

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MSW in Social Work

Required Credits: 60
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MSN in Nursing

Required Credits: 54
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
Compare school
#3
Wilmington University
New Castle , DE
#1 Best Private Colleges in Delaware 2024 #3 Best Grad Schools in Delaware 2024 #3 Best Colleges in Delaware 2025 #3 Best Research Universities in Delaware 2025
Tuition + fees
$12K
Graduation
20%
Student body
19K
Career Outlook for degree at Wilmington University
Cost of Degree: $9,492
Starting Salary: $46,600
Online Degrees
MS in Accounting

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MBA in Business Administration

Concentrations

Accounting
Business Analytics
Business Communication
Business Technology Management
Finance
Healthcare Administration
Homeland Security
Human Resource Management
Management Information Systems
Marketing Management
Nonprofit Management
Organizational Leadership
Sustainability

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MSM in Management

Concentrations

Business Communication
Human Resource Management
Marketing
Military Leadership
Nonprofit Management
Organizational Leadership
Public Administration
Sports Management
Homeland Security
Healthcare Administration
Management Information Systems

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Information Systems Technology

Concentrations

Information Assurance
Web Design
Management and Information Systems
Technology Project Management

Required Credits: 35
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Homeland Security

Concentrations

Safety and Security
Military Leadership

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Administration of Justice

Concentrations

Criminal Behavior
Homeland Security
Leadership and Administration

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Cybersecurity

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

Concentrations

K-12 Teacher of Students With Disabilities
Autism
Early Childhood Exceptional Children

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in School Leadership

Concentrations

Non Licensure

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Applied Technology in Education

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Higher Education

Concentrations

Teacher
Student Affairs
Administration

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Instruction

Concentrations

Teacher of Reading
Teaching and Learning

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MEd in Skilled and Technical Sciences

Concentrations

Non Licensure

Required Credits: 36
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Human Services

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MSN in Nursing Leadership

Concentrations

Executive
Educator
Legal Nurse Consultant
Public Health

Required Credits: 30
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
MS in Applied Family Science

Required Credits: 33
Completion time: 2-3 years
Format: Online
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Delaware’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest

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Best Online Master’s Programs in Delaware 2024

Top Online Master's Programs in Delaware

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Delaware

What are Delaware’s Colleges & Universities?

Delaware’s Best Overall

Best Online Master’s Program in Delaware 2023

University of Delaware

Career Outlook for degree at University of Delaware

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Delaware State University

Career Outlook for degree at Delaware State University

Online Degrees

Wilmington University

Career Outlook for degree at Wilmington University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Concentrations

Delaware’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest