Online Teaching Degree: Bachelors in Education

Education is a large online bachelors major in the federal data, but the degree comes in two very different kinds. Programs that lead to a teaching license include supervised student teaching arranged in a school near you and must be approved by your state. Programs that do not lead to licensure are general education studies degrees. The distinction is the first thing to establish.

This page covers what the degree usually contains, what to verify before enrolling, and which primarily online institutions actually award it, from federal completions data. Every school shown reports the program as offered via distance education and awarded bachelors degrees in education in 2022-23. The bachelors by major hub covers the other majors, and the choosing an online college guide covers the decision in general.

Online colleges awarding education bachelors degrees

54 primarily online four-year institutions in the federal dataset (at least half of undergraduates enrolled exclusively online) report a education and teaching bachelors program offered via distance education and awarded bachelors degrees in the field in 2022-23. The 8 with the most completions are shown, in order of completions.

Editorial comparison, not a sponsored listing; sponsored listings on this site appear in labeled widgets (see our advertising disclosure). CollegeNPC.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by any institution shown. Completions are first-major bachelors awards reported to IPEDS for 2022-23; a program's current availability, format, and admission requirements should be confirmed with the school. Price figures are federal reporting and vary by student, program, and year.

What an online education bachelors degree usually covers

Bachelors programs in education usually cover child or adolescent development, learning theory, curriculum and instruction, classroom management, assessment, and content-area methods, plus, in licensure programs, field experiences and a full semester of student teaching. Concentrations include elementary education, special education, and secondary education in a subject.

Curriculum varies by institution, and course titles vary more than content does. Compare the published degree plans of two or three programs side by side rather than relying on the concentration names.

Accreditation and what to verify

Institutional accreditation is required. For a teaching license, the program must be approved by the state where you intend to teach, and state approval is separate from accreditation. CAEP and AAQEP accredit educator preparation programs; some states require it. Confirm with the state’s department of education that a specific online program leads to licensure there, because approval does not transfer automatically across states.

Institutional accreditation is verified in the U.S. Department of Education’s DAPIP database, not on the school’s site; the accreditation guide walks through it in two minutes.

Delivery format

Coursework is delivered online; field experiences and student teaching are in person in a school near the student, arranged with the program. Ask how placements are secured in your state and district, and whether the program is approved for licensure where you live.

The share of undergraduates enrolled exclusively online, shown on each card above from federal reporting, tells you whether the institution is built around distance students or runs online programs alongside a campus. Both can work; the working adults guide covers the format questions that predict whether adults finish.

Comparing programs on the numbers

Completions tell you which institutions award the degree at scale. They do not tell you what it will cost you or whether students finish. Each school’s page on this site shows average net price, net price by income bracket, completion rate, and median debt from federal reporting, and the comparison tool puts two schools side by side. Transfer credit is the largest lever on the length of any bachelors degree; the transfer credit guide covers how to get a written evaluation before enrolling.

Next steps

1. Confirm the program is delivered fully online, including any practicum, and note any in-person components.
2. Verify institutional accreditation in the DAPIP database and any programmatic accreditation or state approval your goal requires.
3. Get a written transfer credit evaluation from two or three candidates.
4. Compare finalists on net price and completion rate using their school pages here.

Data on this page: U.S. Department of Education IPEDS published charges (2023-24) and average net price (2022-23), and College Scorecard outcomes, retrieved 2026-08-13. Every figure renders from the site data pipeline; definitions, survey years, and refresh cadence are on the methodology page.