Many students today especially working adults are enrolling in online degree programs because of the convenience and flexibility that distance learning provides. In typical online programs, classes are not scheduled at set times like traditional classes. Instead, you go through the coursework during your free time. You can schedule your studies around your work and family time. Also, you save time because you don’t have to commute to the campus.

To help you choose an online degree, we researched the top degrees with the best job prospects and salaries. We looked at the data of The Occupational Outlook Handbook by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is an important resource because it has information about job prospects for many occupations. Also, it has salary information and degree requirements for each job.

In our research, we discovered 22 online degrees with good or very good job opportunities. We ranked these degrees by job opportunities, salary, and school admissions.

Click the links below to learn more about the degrees and the jobs they can lead to.

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There’s a common belief that to succeed in the health care field you need more than an undergraduate degree. High profile positions like doctor, dentist, veterinarian, and physical therapist require doctorate degrees. It usually takes many years of college to qualify for these positions.

Fortunately, if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in school, there are health care jobs that pay a decent wage and do not require a graduate degree. Here are the top 10 paying jobs in health care that you can qualify for with a bachelor’s degree.

1. Radiation Therapist

Median Salary in 2010: $74,980 ($36.05/hour)

Radiation therapists deliver radiation therapy to cancer patients. They are specially trained to use a machine called a linear accelerator to direct radiation towards the area of the body that needs it, as prescribed by a radiation oncologist and radiation physicist. They operate the linear accelerator in a separate room to avoid radiation exposure. They can still interact with the patient during the procedure through an intercom system.

Radiation therapists also interact with patients, answering any questions or concerns they have, and are responsible for keeping accurate records of treatment sessions. They must have people skills and be able to handle stress since they interact with patients dealing with cancer. They must also have math and science skills and be detail-oriented to keep accurate treatment records. They should have the physical ability to help patients on and off the treatment table.

Some states require radiation therapists to be licensed or certified to be employed in the field, and they may be required to take continuing medical education courses or exams to maintain employment. Most radiation therapists work in radiation treatment centers or hospitals.

Job opportunities for radiation therapists are expected to grow by 27% between 2008 and 2018. As the population ages, there will be a greater demand for these workers so job prospects look favorable. The median annual salary for radiation therapists in 2010 was $74,980, or $36.05 an hour. In addition, many radiation therapists get reimbursements for continuing medical education.
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Generically, engineering is a profession that either involves applying certain very specific scientific principles to the design and construction of things like engines, machines and buildings, or changing the genetic structure of cells and various materials. When it is linked to particular areas of interest, engineering takes on completely different aspects in a variety of fields ranging from chemistry to aerodynamics and nuclear physics.

Broadly speaking there are five major academic fields of interest: civil engineering, chemical and electrical engineering, as well as industrial and mechanical engineering. Then there are a host of additional specialties ranging from biomedical engineering to computer engineering.

Career options are vast and varied and offer opportunities for every possible type of job in different environments including offices, laboratories and the great outdoors.

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If you are planning to follow a career in some sort of science, you’ll be interested in the degrees that lead to the highest paying jobs. Specific majors range from various engineering degrees, to physics and chemistry, several biology-related degrees, and even geology and physics. Starting median or average pay can be as high as $64,800 a year, rising to anything from $72,600 to $108,000 annually and even more with increasing experience. Of course your personal interests and strengths will both impact the bachelor degree you choose, although many people have strengths in more than one field.

This list of the 10 best paying undergraduate degrees in science has been designed to help you choose the most appropriate and ultimately financially rewarding degree for you to study.

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A bad economy can mean less jobs for everyone but it can provide you with a unique opportunity if you choose the right field to work in. There are industries that are don’t experience a downturn during a recession. In fact, some of them continue to grow.

To ensure that your next position is one with long term potential, you can earn a degree in recession proof field. Here are seven degrees that do well even in a bad economy.

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If you want to earn a good salary without committing many years to college, you may have more options than you realize. Some occupations that pay a decent salary don’t require a four year or graduate degree. In two years, you can earn an associate’s degree from an online school, technical institute, or community college and become qualified for these jobs.

Here are 10 occupations that pay well and only require an associate’s degree.

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When online programs started, many were skeptical. How in the world could anyone obtain the knowledge needed for a degree by sitting in front of a computer (in their pajamas, no less) and reading? Doesn’t someone seeking a degree need to attend face-to-face classes at a college campus to get an adequate learning experience?

The answer to that is a resounding “no”. Online education has come so far in recent years. Courses do not consist merely of reams of papers, articles, and textbook chapters for the learner to read. They are interactive, with course discussions, collaborative group work, video clips, interactive media pieces, and social networking. These all provide for a positive learning experience and meet the needs of online students everywhere.

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Until the latter part of the 20th century, the only way to get a college degree was to pack up your things, move to campus, and study your chosen field for four years or more. Advances in technology have changed that and now you can obtain a degree from home through a variety of online degree programs at many different colleges and universities. There are so many advantages to this path that more and more students are considering this alternative rather than the traditional route.

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When choosing a degree, you want to be thinking about the best degrees for the future rather than the best degrees for the present. It’s a subtle, but important, distinction. You shouldn’t put a lot of stock at how relevant a career path is in the present time, because it may take you half a decade or more to complete the degree and the job marketplace will change during that time. Instead, think long term. Take into account how relevant a career path is at least 10 years down the road, if not more.

Special Report: The 51 Most Useful Degrees For The Current & Future Economy

Every path is influenced by a fluctuating marketplace where the rules of supply and demand apply. Everything related to making a living and working a job boils down to the needs and wants of consumers for certain goods and services.

Questions to think about include:

• What services or products are going to be needed in the future? What industries provide these services and products?
• What jobs will open up to meet the needs for these services and products?
• Are those jobs going to be saturated by a willing and able workforce?
• And what training/degrees are required to obtain these jobs?

This article examines these questions and provides seven degrees that have a great job outlook in the future.

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They are amongst the most trusted and respected members of society. The relationship between doctor and patient is an ancient, almost sacred bond, and the knowledge that a medical professional possesses comes from years of study and experience on the job. Sadly, and perhaps inevitably, though, some phony individuals have seen fit to abuse this trust and pass themselves off as the genuine article through the use of fraudulent medical degrees.

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