Best Online Master’s Programs in Georgia 2023

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Georgia 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 10 Online Master's Programs in Georgia

University of Georgia
Georgia Tech
Clark Atlanta University
Mercer University
Georgia Southern University
Kennesaw State University
University of West Georgia
Morehouse School of Medicine
Valdosta State University
Savannah College of Art and Design

Middle Georgia State University 99%
Life University 96%
Georgia Southern University 91%
Brenau University 89%
Georgia College & State University 88%
Georgia Southwestern State University 86%
Kennesaw State University 82%
Savannah College of Art and Design 81%
University of North Georgia 81%
Shorter University 81%

Fort Valley State University 24 to 1
Kennesaw State University 22 to 1
Georgia Southern University 22 to 1
Valdosta State University 20 to 1
Clark Atlanta University 19 to 1
University of North Georgia 19 to 1
Georgia Tech 19 to 1
Clayton State University 19 to 1
University of West Georgia 19 to 1
Albany State University 19 to 1

Savannah College of Art and Design $38,840
Mercer University $38,746
LaGrange College $32,840
Brenau University $32,530
Young Harris College $29,962
Piedmont University $28,340
Clark Atlanta University $24,012
Truett McConnell University $22,852
Shorter University $22,810
Point University $21,850

Savannah College of Art and Design $39,240
Morehouse School of Medicine $23,314
LaGrange College $21,430
Clark Atlanta University $16,614
Point University $16,200
Mercer University $15,244
Georgia Tech $14,570
Brenau University $13,590
Thomas University $13,050
Shorter University $12,600

Thomas University
Truett McConnell University
Piedmont University
Point University
Toccoa Falls College
Life University
Shorter University
LaGrange College
Middle Georgia State University
Clayton State University

Georgia Tech 16%
Thomas University 29%
University of Georgia 40%
Point University 47%
Clark Atlanta University 58%
Toccoa Falls College 62%
Clayton State University 63%
Piedmont University 67%
Truett McConnell University 69%
University of West Georgia 70%

LaGrange College 10 to 1
Piedmont University 10 to 1
Young Harris College 11 to 1
Brenau University 11 to 1
Thomas University 12 to 1
Point University 13 to 1
Mercer University 14 to 1
Life University 14 to 1
Shorter University 15 to 1
Toccoa Falls College 16 to 1

Middle Georgia State University $2,728
Georgia Southwestern State University $4,064
Clayton State University $4,064
Fort Valley State University $4,064
Albany State University $4,064
University of North Georgia $4,120
Valdosta State University $4,371
Columbus State University $4,371
University of West Georgia $4,371
Georgia Southern University $4,371

Albany State University $3,438
Georgia Southwestern State University $3,492
Middle Georgia State University $3,582
University of North Georgia $4,140
University of West Georgia $4,338
Fort Valley State University $4,344
Valdosta State University $4,572
Georgia Southern University $4,986
Kennesaw State University $5,238
Georgia College & State University $5,292

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Georgia

The state of Georgia is home to 70 colleges and universities. 38 of these schools are public institutions, each offering a wide variety of traditional and online courses as well as a full range of graduate programs for both on-campus and online students.

The University of Georgia, located in the city of Athens, is the largest college in Georgia, with over 35,000 students. Those attending Georgia State University and Georgia Southern University will enter into a friendly athletics rivalry. Tuition at Georgia State costs $9,000, and at Georgia Southern, $6,000.

Both the University of Georgia and Georgia State University are among the 36 colleges in Georgia offering online degree programs.

In addition, there are numerous fully online colleges in Georgia with accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Of the 20 religiously affiliated colleges and schools in Georgia, Emory University has both the highest tuition at just over $50,000 per year, and the largest private school student population, with over 13,000 in attendance.

Georgia is also home to the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design, which offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture, advertising, art history, and more.

Prospective students looking to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree can choose from an extremely broad range of in-class and online programs.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Both traditional and online students in Georgia can earn degrees in religious studies, business, social work, law, and computer science. Those looking to attend technical colleges can also choose from a handful of brick-and-mortar and online colleges that offer two-year degrees in medicine, nursing, and education.

Part of the University System of Georgia, Atlanta Metropolitan State college is the state’s most affordable college at $3,000. Students at Atlanta Metropolitan can major in fields like mathematics, criminal justice, and philosophy. Most degree programs are available through in-person or online programs.

Georgia is home to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and the Okefenokee Swamp, which is the largest such water-mass in North America. This diverse landscape in The Peach State provides Georgia’s college and graduate students with a beautiful backdrop for an education. It’s also worth noting that Georgia residents who enroll in fully online programs at public universities or community colleges in Georgia will still receive in-state tuition discounts.

Georgia also offers a loan repayment-based financial aid program for qualifying graduates in the medical field through the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce. Check out the best traditional and online degree programs and top career paths this southern state has to offer.

What are Georgia’s Colleges & Universities?

Georgia’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 Georgia'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.

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Georgia

The following graph depicts the average salaries of top occupations in different industries in Georgia.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

112570Electrical Engineers

113600Personal Financial Advisors

121010Physicists

157290Computer and Information Systems Managers

235310Actuaries

Best Online Master’s Programs in Georgia 2023

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Georgia

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Georgia

What are Georgia’s Colleges & Universities?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Georgia

Best Online Master’s Program in Georgia 2022

Online Master’s Degrees

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Georgia’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest

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