Best Online Master’s Programs in Ohio 2023

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

Find the best online colleges in Ohio 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.

Ohio University 89%
John Carroll University 88%
Kent State University 87%
Mount Vernon Nazarene University 87%
University of Akron 85%
University of Cincinnati 85%
Xavier University 84%
Notre Dame College 82%
Ursuline College 82%
Youngstown State University 78%

Kent State University 21 to 1
Ohio State University 19 to 1
University of Cincinnati 19 to 1
Youngstown State University 18 to 1
Ohio University 16 to 1
University of Akron 16 to 1
Mount Vernon Nazarene University 14 to 1
John Carroll University 13 to 1
Notre Dame College 13 to 1
Lourdes University 13 to 1

John Carroll University $45,514
Xavier University $42,460
Ursuline College $35,720
Defiance College $34,804
Lake Erie College $34,046
Mount St. Joseph University $33,250
Mount Vernon Nazarene University $32,864
Notre Dame College $31,350
Lourdes University $27,072
Ohio Christian University $22,506

Ursuline College $22,320
John Carroll University $16,082
Union Institute & University $15,911
Lourdes University $14,670
University of Cincinnati $13,224
Mount St. Joseph University $13,120
Lake Erie College $12,384
Xavier University $12,060
Kent State University $11,766
Ohio State University $11,560

Ohio Christian University
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Lourdes University
Mount St. Joseph University
Defiance College
Ursuline College
Notre Dame College
Lake Erie College
Union Institute & University
Youngstown State University

Lake Erie College 55%
Ohio State University 57%
Defiance College 62%
Mount St. Joseph University 63%
Lourdes University 75%
Youngstown State University 78%
Ursuline College 82%
Notre Dame College 82%
Xavier University 84%
University of Cincinnati 85%

Union Institute & University 7 to 1
Ursuline College 8 to 1
Ohio Christian University 8 to 1
Mount St. Joseph University 11 to 1
Xavier University 11 to 1
Defiance College 12 to 1
Lake Erie College 12 to 1
John Carroll University 13 to 1
Notre Dame College 13 to 1
Lourdes University 13 to 1

Youngstown State University $9,196
University of Cincinnati $10,099
Kent State University $11,000
Ohio State University $11,018
University of Akron $11,880
Ohio University $12,840
Union Institute & University $17,141
Ohio Christian University $22,506
Lourdes University $27,072
Notre Dame College $31,350

Youngstown State University $6,453
Defiance College $8,100
Ohio University $9,444
Ohio Christian University $10,416
University of Akron $10,610
Mount Vernon Nazarene University $10,674
Ohio State University $11,560
Kent State University $11,766
Xavier University $12,060
Lake Erie College $12,384

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Ohio

Ohio offers over 120 colleges and universities for students to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. The largest school in the state, Ohio State University, a public institution, serves almost 55,000 students. This university has five regional campuses, which have graduated alumni like writer Harlan Ellison and Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger. The majority of Ohio’s schools, however, are private.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Tuition at these schools varies greatly, with costs as low as $7,000 at God’s Bible School and College, and as high as $56,000 at Kenyon University. The state is also home to nearly 40 higher education institutes with religious affiliations, offering plenty of options for students aiming to blend their faith with higher education. Although tuition costs in Ohio are higher than the national average, Ohio provides several loan forgiveness programs to those pursuing careers as public defenders and prosecutors, dentists, nurses, primary care physicians, and mental health providers. Many of these programs require individuals to work in shortage areas around the state for a certain time period in order to qualify.

If you’re someone with a wide variety of interests, Ohio might just be the place for you. In The Buckeye State, individuals can visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, take a trip through Amish Country, attend a professional sporting event, and hike waterfalls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It seems this state has something for everyone, including those pursuing a higher education degree.

Learn more about the numerous excellent degree paths and career prospects available in Ohio.

What are Ohio’s Colleges & Universities?

Ohio’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 Ohio'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 Ohio

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

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

108960Personal Financial Advisors

116790Aerospace Engineers

117720Computer and Information Research Scientists

134620Physicists

214990Chief Executives

Best Online Master’s Programs in Ohio 2023

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Ohio

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Ohio

What are Ohio’s Colleges & Universities?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Ohio

Best Online Master’s Program in Ohio 2022

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Ohio’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest