The power of technology has diversified considerably within the education industry in recent years, and it’s not uncommon to earn your degree online these days. There are a plethora of universities and colleges that offer online degrees, some with campuses and some without. I will go over some of the largest and most reputable online schools that you can choose from.

Before I get into schools, I’d like to go over a few options you have thanks to web 2.0 for keeping track of your school life online. Since you’re not under the pressure of being in a classroom surrounded by students and professors, it can be easy to drift off course during your studies at home. Some of the things you will miss are lectures, class notes, and interaction with real students.

In the last 4 years there have been some great websites that are all web based applications and usually free or paid for students. You can find everything from class notes to practice tests to help you with your studies at home. Most colleges and universities also offer their lectures for free in both video and audio formats. Finding them is just a Google search, or you can check out Feed My App for education-related web apps.

5 Great Online Colleges and Universities:

1) The University of Phoenix – Starting with one of the best known online educators with both online and offline campuses in North America. With over 350,000 people enrolled in Phoenix, you won’t be short of online classmates to chat and interact with at every level. The University of Phoenix has a fully interactive online student area with access to class material, teachers, students, and of course, course notes.

2) University of the California Coast – A university accredited by the Council on Distance Education and Training of America. It is a smaller online school that makes up for it by allowing students to go at their own pace. There are no semesters, so students can start at any time and finish in tune with their busy lives. This is a great place to research if you are a busy single parent or in the Military.

3) Florida Tech University Online: Florida Tech Online has been ranked as one of the top national universities in the country and continues to push the boundaries of online education. Majoring in technology, you can bet you’ll find a top-notch online student learning area filled with everything from notes, live chat, forums, practice tests, and 1-on-1 interaction with teachers.

4) Baker University – Another university that offers both online and offline studies and relatively low tuition costs as well. Baker has taken a big step when it comes to online education and has developed something they call “Blackboard”. This system does its best to replicate a classroom setting and allows you to interact with students and teachers in real time, which feels like the real thing.

5) Kaplan University – One of the most web 2.0 online schools I have come across, which is largely reflected in the tech-enhanced crowd. From their website, you can check out their very up-to-date blog, take a free online class to see what it’s all about, and check out a wealth of online media. They also offer other course-specific certificates for business and technology that can be taken online.