Best Online Master’s in Educational Administration

By Dr. James Barham and Dr. James Barham

Published: Jun 23, 2021
Updated: Feb 1, 2024

Find top-ranked online master’s in educational administration degree programs for students looking to transition their careers into administration or leadership roles.

Top 10 Online Master's in Educational Administration Programs

University of Alabama
Texas A&M University
University of Louisville
Stony Brook University
DePaul University
Duquesne University
Southern New Hampshire University
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Andrews University

Texas A&M University
Stony Brook University
University of Alabama
University of Louisville
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
DePaul University
Duquesne University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Andrews University
Sam Houston State University

University of Southern Mississippi 99%
Delta State University 99%
Southern New Hampshire University 96%
William Paterson University 92%
Andrews University 91%
Jackson State University 89%
Duquesne University 87%
University of Alabama at Birmingham 87%
University of Massachusetts Lowell 86%
Sam Houston State University 85%

Campbellsville University 23 to 1
Southern New Hampshire University 22 to 1
Lamar University 20 to 1
Sam Houston State University 20 to 1
Stony Brook University 19 to 1
University of Alabama 19 to 1
Texas A&M University 18 to 1
Youngstown State University 18 to 1
University of Alabama at Birmingham 18 to 1
DePaul University 17 to 1

Duquesne University $45,376
DePaul University $42,840
Abilene Christian University $40,500
Concordia University Irvine $40,180
Andrews University $32,734
Campbellsville University $26,100
Mississippi College $21,098
University of Massachusetts Lowell $15,462
Southern New Hampshire University $15,380
William Paterson University $14,192

Andrews University $26,580
Duquesne University $25,578
Abilene Christian University $24,174
DePaul University $21,719
Southern New Hampshire University $18,900
Kean University $16,225
National University $15,912
William Paterson University $15,411
University of Massachusetts Lowell $14,956
University of Louisville $13,944

Concordia University Irvine
Campbellsville University
Mississippi College
National University
Delta State University
Sam Houston State University
William Paterson University
Murray State University
Abilene Christian University
University of Southern Mississippi

Concordia University Irvine
Campbellsville University
Delta State University
William Paterson University
National University
Kean University
Mississippi College
Murray State University
Abilene Christian University
Lamar University

Mississippi College 40%
Stony Brook University 49%
Texas A&M University 63%
Abilene Christian University 66%
Concordia University Irvine 69%
DePaul University 70%
University of Nebraska–Lincoln 79%
University of Alabama 80%
Youngstown State University 81%
University of Louisville 82%

Andrews University 10 to 1
Delta State University 10 to 1
Duquesne University 12 to 1
Mississippi College 13 to 1
Abilene Christian University 13 to 1
University of Louisville 13 to 1
Concordia University Irvine 14 to 1
University of Southern Mississippi 15 to 1
Jackson State University 15 to 1
William Paterson University 15 to 1

Sam Houston State University $5,856
Lamar University $6,228
Stony Brook University $7,070
University of Nebraska–Lincoln $7,770
Murray State University $8,196
Jackson State University $8,270
Delta State University $8,605
Texas A&M University $8,815
University of Alabama at Birmingham $8,832
University of Southern Mississippi $9,340

Sam Houston State University $5,765
University of Nebraska–Lincoln $6,138
Lamar University $6,471
Youngstown State University $6,494
Texas A&M University $6,885
Jackson State University $8,270
University of Alabama at Birmingham $8,424
Delta State University $8,435
Concordia University Irvine $8,528
Campbellsville University $8,904

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Educational Administration Degrees

Educators seeking to transition their careers into administration or leadership roles can earn a master’s in educational administration. These programs focus on transitioning teachers from the classroom to the office through courses in administrative tasks, resource management, and curriculum design and evaluation.

Candidates in this master’s program can expect to spend roughly two years completing the 30-36 hours required for their degree.

Like many educational programs, there has been a shift toward online degrees that allow educators to teach full-time while earning this degree. Flexibility and access to online resources make an online option desirable for educators at all career stages.

Learn more about what you can do with a master’s degree in education.

How do we determine the best online educational administration master'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.

Best Online Master’s in Educational Administration Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Educational Administration Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Educational Leadership And Administration

Degree Level: Master's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $9,979
Avg. Expenses*: $16,598
Avg. Starting Salary*: $57,036
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $63,841
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 5 years
Job Growth: 1.60%
Number of Jobs: 651,000
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Training and Development Managers	6.54%	$111,455
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	1.10%	$96,328
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	3.53%	$94,550
Education Administrators, All Other	2.78%	$86,555
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare	-2.94%	$49,873

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%	Median	Top 10%
$57,617	$89,633	$143,355

Promising Job Markets

State	Cost of Living	Avg. Salary
#2 New York	5% higher than average	$118,999
#3 Georgia	13% higher than average	$95,747
#4 Virginia	5% higher than average	$99,731
#5 Tennessee	14% higher than average	$89,691
#6 Delaware	2% higher than average	$105,079
#7 Minnesota	4% higher than average	$97,522
#8 Michigan	15% higher than average	$86,598
#9 Wisconsin	7% higher than average	$94,498
#10 New Jersey	13% higher than average	$114,219
#11 Washington	7% higher than average	$107,328
#12 Kansas	9% higher than average	$91,351
#13 Ohio	14% higher than average	$83,321
#14 Missouri	16% higher than average	$80,432
#15 Alabama	13% higher than average	$82,700
#16 Idaho	7% higher than average	$88,158
#17 South Dakota	7% higher than average	$87,258
#18 Colorado	3% higher than average	$97,193
#19 Illinois	7% higher than average	$87,283
#20 Wyoming	2% higher than average	$91,625
#21 Oklahoma	13% higher than average	$80,773
#22 Mississippi	18% higher than average	$76,480
#23 Texas	10% higher than average	$83,393
#24 Nebraska	6% higher than average	$85,960
#25 Kentucky	14% higher than average	$78,663
#26 Pennsylvania	5% higher than average	$86,849
#27 North Dakota	average	$91,508
#28 South Carolina	8% higher than average	$83,834
#29 Connecticut	18% higher than average	$107,024
#30 North Carolina	11% higher than average	$80,179
#31 Iowa	9% higher than average	$81,436
#32 Louisiana	9% higher than average	$80,945
#33 Maryland	18% higher than average	$105,360
#34 Arkansas	16% higher than average	$74,589
#35 California	26% higher than average	$110,098
#36 New Mexico	7% higher than average	$81,021
#37 Indiana	11% higher than average	$77,331
#38 Alaska	23% higher than average	$106,243
#39 Rhode Island	20% higher than average	$102,863
#40 Arizona	5% higher than average	$80,556
#41 West Virginia	11% higher than average	$74,865
#42 Utah	4% higher than average	$80,473
#43 Oregon	11% higher than average	$92,189
#44 Massachusetts	24% higher than average	$99,998
#45 Florida	6% higher than average	$72,553
#46 District of Columbia	49% higher than average	$114,104
#47 Montana	3% higher than average	$73,638
#48 Nevada	5% higher than average	$79,542
#49 New Hampshire	13% higher than average	$83,246
#50 Vermont	13% higher than average	$83,058
#51 Maine	9% higher than average	$79,740
#52 Hawaii	40% higher than average	$82,854

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Training and Development Managers	$111,455
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	$96,328
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	$94,550
Education Administrators, All Other	$86,555
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare	$49,873

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Looking for online master’s degrees similar to educational administration? Check out our rankings of online degrees in educational leadership or organizational leadership!

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

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.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.

And 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 or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new 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 institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. 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 which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students 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.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, 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. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Best Online Master’s in Educational Administration

Top 10 Online Master's in Educational Administration Programs

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Educational Administration Degrees

Why get a master’s in educational administration?

How long does it take to get a master’s in educational administration?

Is getting a master’s in educational administration doable while working?

Best Online Master’s in Educational Administration Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at University of Alabama

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Texas A&M University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at University of Louisville

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Stony Brook University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at DePaul University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Duquesne University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Southern New Hampshire University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Andrews University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at University of Massachusetts Lowell

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Jackson State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Kean University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Youngstown State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Lamar University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at University of Southern Mississippi

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Abilene Christian University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Murray State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at William Paterson University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Sam Houston State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Delta State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at National University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Mississippi College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Campbellsville University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Educational Administration degree at Concordia University Irvine

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Educational Administration Degree

Educational Leadership And Administration

Degree Level: Master's

Career Salaries

Average Career Salaries

Promising Job Markets

Top Industries

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

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