The 10 Cheapest Online Bachelor’s of Education Degree Programs

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• St. Peters­burg Col­lege is the #1 school for an afford­able online edu­ca­tion bach­e­lor’s degree.
• Online edu­ca­tion bach­e­lor’s pro­grams typ­i­cal­ly lead to teacher cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, with many offer­ing online com­po­nents to enhance flex­i­bil­i­ty and acces­si­bil­i­ty for students.
• Top pro­grams are accred­it­ed by rec­og­nized bod­ies like the Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion, ensur­ing qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion that meets pro­fes­sion­al standards.

Study­ing online is a mon­ey-sav­ing alter­na­tive that can pro­tect stu­dents from a debt-bur­dened future. That’s great news because col­lege tuition has risen near­ly 6 per­cent faster than infla­tion since the 1970s! Online bach­e­lor’s in edu­ca­tion degrees allow stu­dents to fin­ish their teach­ing cer­tifi­cate while shav­ing off tremen­dous edu­ca­tion relat­ed expens­es. Below we’ve high­light­ed the 10 Cheap­est Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams that pack great val­ue for low tuition.

Methodology

To form our list, we used the NCES Col­lege Nav­i­ga­tor tool to sort online col­leges across the Unit­ed States by cost. Only col­leges charg­ing aver­age in-state under­grad­u­ate tuition under $9,000 each year were con­sid­ered. Next, we looked for online bach­e­lor’s pro­grams specif­i­cal­ly lead­ing to teacher cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. Edu­ca­tion schools fea­tur­ing spe­cial­ized accred­i­ta­tion from the Nation­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Teach­ing Edu­ca­tion (NCATE) or Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion (CAEP) were giv­en pri­or­i­ty. Avail­abil­i­ty for hands-on practicum or stu­dent teach­ing was a must. Oth­er weighed fac­tors were finan­cial aid, nation­al rank­ings, stu­dent-fac­ul­ty ratio, cur­ricu­lum, job place­ment, and online technology.

Here are our selec­tions for the 10 Cheap­est Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams so you can devel­op your teach­ing skills affordably:

1. St. Petersburg College

Found­ed in 1927, St. Peters­burg Col­lege is an afford­able pub­lic, state-fund­ed high­er learn­ing asso­ci­a­tion based in Clear­wa­ter, Flori­da, that’s serv­ing over 65,000 stu­dents. Although St. Peters­burg Col­lege awards the 12th high­est num­ber of asso­ciate degrees in the Unit­ed States, four-year bach­e­lor’s pro­grams are avail­able. With the Flori­da Depart­ment of Edu­ca­tion’s approval, St. Peters­burg Col­lege offers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Edu­ca­tion­al Stud­ies, Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion, Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Excep­tion­al Stu­dent Edu­ca­tion, and Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Mid­dle Grades Edu­ca­tion (Math or Sci­ence). The online, Eng­lish For Speak­ers of Oth­er Lan­guage (ESOL) infused cur­ricu­lum pre­pares cer­ti­fied teach­ers for diverse Flori­da class­rooms. One 15-week stu­dent teach­ing intern­ship is required.

Tuition: $3,352

Learn more about St. Peters­burg Col­lege’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

2. Aspen University

For­mer­ly called the Inter­na­tion­al Acad­e­my, Aspen Uni­ver­si­ty is a pri­vate, for-prof­it dis­tance learn­ing insti­tu­tion hold­ing nation­al Dis­tance Edu­ca­tion Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion (DEAC) accred­i­ta­tion to serve around 3,600 from its Den­ver, Col­orado, head­quar­ters. Known for its debt-free tuition solu­tions, Aspen was crowned the #2 Most Afford­able Online Col­lege by The Busi­ness Jour­nals. The School of Edu­ca­tion gives an online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion. There’s a stan­dard 120-cred­it or accel­er­at­ed 60-cred­it degree com­ple­tion track. Aspen grad­u­ates qual­i­fy for the Child Devel­op­ment Asso­ciate (CDA) cre­den­tial to teach chil­dren from birth through age eight.

Tuition: $3,750

Learn more about Aspen Uni­ver­si­ty’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

3. Fort Hays State University

Gov­erned by the Kansas Board of Regents, Fort Hays State Uni­ver­si­ty is a pub­lic, four-year high­er edu­ca­tion insti­tu­tion serv­ing around 11,200 stu­dents in Hays and online. Named to Vic­to­ry Medi­a’s 2016 “Mil­i­tary Friend­ly” list, FHSU has the 24th best online bach­e­lor’s degrees nation­wide accord­ing to the U.S. News and World Report. The Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion (CAEP) accred­it­ed Col­lege of Edu­ca­tion offers an online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Edu­ca­tion with Ear­ly Child­hood Uni­fied, Ele­men­tary, Elementary/Special Edu­ca­tion, and Busi­ness Edu­ca­tion emphases. Requir­ing 127 cred­its each, these four-year degrees include immer­sive prac­ti­ca to sat­is­fy Kansas licen­sure qualifications.

Tuition: $4,654

Learn more about Fort Hays State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

4. Western Governors University

Enrolling over 70,000 stu­dents, West­ern Gov­er­nors Uni­ver­si­ty is a region­al­ly accred­it­ed pri­vate, non-prof­it online insti­tu­tion head­quar­tered in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a USLA 21st Cen­tu­ry Award win­ner, West­ern Gov­er­nors Uni­ver­si­ty was named the “Col­lege For-Prof­its Should Fear” in Wash­ing­ton Month­ly. Accord­ing to the Nation­al Coun­cil on Teacher Qual­i­ty, West­ern Gov­er­nors has Amer­i­ca’s #1 Best Val­ue Teacher Prepa­ra­tion. Hold­ing Nation­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Teacher Edu­ca­tion (NCATE) accred­i­ta­tion, the Teach­ers Col­lege awards an online Bach­e­lor of Arts in Spe­cial Edu­ca­tion (K‑12), Bach­e­lor of Arts in Math­e­mat­ics Edu­ca­tion (5–12), Bach­e­lor of Arts in Sci­ence Edu­ca­tion (5–12), or Bach­e­lor of Arts in Inter­dis­ci­pli­nary Stud­ies (K‑8). In-class­room expe­ri­ence accom­pa­nies online course­work to pro­duce licensed teachers.

Tuition: $6,070

Learn more about West­ern Gov­er­nors Uni­ver­si­ty’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

5. East Carolina University

Endowed for $187 mil­lion, East Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty is the state’s third largest pub­lic, sea-grant research insti­tu­tion edu­cat­ing around 28,200 stu­dents from Greenville and beyond. The U.S. News and World Report ranked East Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty as the 194th Best Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty with the 140th Best Edu­ca­tion School. Adult learn­ers can ben­e­fit from East Car­oli­na’s online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Edu­ca­tion degree com­ple­tion pro­gram. The 60-cred­it cur­ricu­lum includes spe­cial­iza­tions for Birth-Kinder­garten Edu­ca­tion, Fam­i­ly and Con­sumer Sci­ences Edu­ca­tion, Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion, Mid­dle Grades Edu­ca­tion, or Spe­cial Edu­ca­tion. With Ntion­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Teacher Edu­ca­tion (NCATE) accred­i­ta­tion, the cohort-based pro­gram is deliv­ered via the SECU Part­ner­ship East.

Tuition: $6,580

Learn more about East Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

6. Valley City State University

Under the Mor­rill Act, Val­ley City State Uni­ver­si­ty was found­ed in 1890 as a pub­lic, land-grant tech­ni­cal insti­tu­tion in North Dako­ta’s Barnes Coun­ty to edu­cate around 1,370 stu­dents. As a “lap­top” cam­pus, Val­ley City State Uni­ver­si­ty is ranked the #1 Mid­west­ern Pub­lic School with Amer­i­ca’s 143rd Top Online Bach­e­lor’s Pro­grams by the U.S. News and World Report. The Nation­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Teacher Edu­ca­tion (NCATE) accred­it­ed School of Edu­ca­tion offers its Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Busi­ness Edu­ca­tion, Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Career and Tech­ni­cal Edu­ca­tion, Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Eng­lish Edu­ca­tion, Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in His­to­ry Edu­ca­tion, and Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Tech­nol­o­gy Edu­ca­tion degrees online. The 120-cred­it pro­grams pre­pare sec­ondary teach­ers for ini­tial North Dako­ta licensing.

Tuition: $6,800

Learn more about Val­ley City State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

7. Granite State College

Locat­ed in New Hamp­shire’s cap­i­tal along the Mer­ri­mack, Gran­ite State Col­lege is a region­al­ly accred­it­ed pub­lic, four-year insti­tu­tion edu­cat­ing around 3,300 for-cred­it stu­dents. Offer­ing the 79th Best Online Bach­e­lor’s Degrees at $293 per cred­it, Gran­ite State Col­lege is New Eng­land’s #1 Lib­er­al Arts Col­lege for social mobil­i­ty accord­ing to Wash­ing­ton Month­ly. The Nation­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Teacher Edu­ca­tion (NCATE) accred­it­ed School of Edu­ca­tion con­fers a Bach­e­lor of Arts with Teacher Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion online. Avail­able spe­cial­ties include Ear­ly Child­hood (B‑3), Ele­men­tary (K‑8), ESOL (K‑12), Spe­cial Needs (K‑12), and Sec­ondary Math (7–12). For cap­stone, online stu­dents com­plete a teach­ing expe­ri­ence and take the Prax­is exam.

Tuition: $7,257

8. University of Southern Mississippi

Clas­si­fied as a pub­lic, doc­tor­al-grant­i­ng RU/H research insti­tu­tion, the Uni­ver­si­ty of South­ern Mis­sis­sip­pi edu­cates over 14,800 stu­dents online or on-site in Hat­ties­burg and Long Beach. With the coun­try’s 164th Best Online Bach­e­lor’s Pro­grams, the Uni­ver­si­ty of South­ern Mis­sis­sip­pi is ranked the 177th Best Pub­lic Col­lege by Forbes. The Col­lege of Edu­ca­tion & Psy­chol­o­gy main­tains Nation­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ti­a­tion of Teacher Edu­ca­tion (NCATE) accred­it­ed edu­ca­tion to grant online Spe­cial Edu­ca­tion Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence and Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence pro­grams. These 62-cred­it degree com­ple­tion pro­grams are designed for teacher aides seek­ing their own cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. Both include two stu­dent teach­ing place­ments in low­er and upper grades.

Tuition: $7,334

Learn more about the Uni­ver­si­ty of South­ern Mis­sis­sip­pi’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

9. Stephen F. Austin State University

Region­al­ly accred­it­ed by the South­ern Asso­ci­a­tion of Col­leges and Schools, Stephen F. Austin State Uni­ver­si­ty is Texas’ third most selec­tive pub­lic teach­ing insti­tu­tion with around 13,000 stu­dents in Nacog­doches and online. Accord­ing to the U.S. News and World Report, Stephen F. Austin State Uni­ver­si­ty is the West­’s 87th Best Region­al Col­lege and 35th Top Pub­lic School with the 176th Best Teach­ing Degrees. The James Perkins Col­lege of Edu­ca­tion fol­lows Nation­al Coun­cil for Accred­i­ta­tion of Teacher Edu­ca­tion (NATE) guide­lines for an online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Inter­dis­ci­pli­nary Stud­ies with Ele­men­tary (K‑6), Spe­cial Edu­ca­tion (K‑12), or Mid­dle Lev­el (4–8) cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. Para­pro­fes­sion­als with at least 45 col­le­giate cred­its may apply.

Tuition: $7,560

Learn more about Stephen F. Austin State Uni­ver­si­ty’s Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams here.

10. Bemidji State University

Opened as a teacher’s col­lege in 1919, Bemid­ji State Uni­ver­si­ty is a pub­lic, co-edu­ca­tion­al high­er learn­ing insti­tu­tion in Min­neso­ta that’s train­ing over 6,300 stu­dents. Not­ed for Amer­i­ca’s 187th Best Online Bach­e­lor’s Pro­grams, Bemid­ji State is named the 34th Best Pub­lic Mid­west Col­lege by the U.S. News and World Report. The Extend­ed Learn­ing Divi­sion man­ages a pri­mar­i­ly online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Ele­men­tary Edu­ca­tion (K‑8) pro­gram. Con­sist­ing of 63 cred­its, the pro­gram allows stu­dents to sat­is­fy Min­neso­ta Board of Teach­ing require­ments. Online stu­dents must attend three face-to-face ses­sions in Minneapolis.

Tuition: $8,366

Why Should I Get My Education Bachelor’s Degree Online?

Online learn­ers can avoid pay­ing for room and board, fight­ing traf­fic, hir­ing babysit­ters, and quit­ting their full-time jobs. Many online schools also offer bach­e­lor’s degree com­ple­tion pro­grams for cut­ting costs by attend­ing com­mu­ni­ty col­lege first. Edu­ca­tion majors can log onto inter­ac­tive, vir­tu­al class­rooms 24/7 to mas­ter learn­ing the­o­ries before prac­tic­ing in local school districts.

Teach­ers are giv­en exten­sive, time-con­sum­ing respon­si­bil­i­ties in lead­ing PreK-12 class­rooms, but many argue they’re not com­pen­sat­ed suf­fi­cient­ly. The Nation­al Edu­ca­tion Asso­ci­a­tion (NEA) reports that the aver­age start­ing salary in teach­ing is $30,377. That’s less than the year­ly tuition expens­es quot­ed at many U.S. uni­ver­si­ties. Mod­est income poten­tial does­n’t mean you should squash your teach­ing dreams though.

Aside from gen­er­al edu­ca­tion, oth­er fields that are great for online learn­ing include:

• polit­i­cal science
• infor­ma­tion systems
• health sci­ences
• busi­ness management
• infor­ma­tion technology
• health­care
• crim­i­nal justice
• social sci­ences
• com­put­er science
• busi­ness administration
• human­i­ties

All of these online bachelor’s degree pro­grams have some things in common:

• afford­abil­i­ty (low­er tuition rates or in-state tuition for out-of-state students)
• con­ve­nience (asyn­chro­nous class­es you can take on your own time)
• trans­fer cred­its (every cred­it hour trans­ferred can also low­er online tuition costs)
• no com­mut­ing (eas­i­er than in-per­son, on-cam­pus students)

Under­grad­u­ate stu­dents study­ing part-time or full-time in online class­es can save on under­grad­u­ate pro­grams and still get a high qual­i­ty online under­grad­u­ate degree.

Online edu­ca­tion means you can get an afford­able online bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or anoth­er col­lege degree or grad­u­ate degree on your own time. The best col­leges offer online pro­grams of equal val­ue. A pub­lic insti­tu­tion like the Uni­ver­si­ty of Geor­gia is afford­able and excellent.

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