ASU has received honors that substantiate its dedication to innovation and leadership in the online education sphere. These include U.S. News & World Report rankings in the top 10 best online bachelor’s degree programs and the top 15 best online graduate programs for business administration, criminal justice, education and engineering.
What degrees can you get online?
ASU Online now has more than 300 degrees and certificates online. The newly launched degree and certificate programs run the gamut from aging and nursing education, to contract management and program evaluation, to sustainability and technological leadership.
Sports business degree
For the sports enthusiast, the online bachelor’s degree in sports business prepares students for evolving careers in the domain of sports. The program resides in the highly respected, top-ranked W. P. Carey School of Business and focuses on sports business with analytics, consumer behavior and design principles embedded into the curriculum.
“Our goal is that every student experiences personal and professional growth to critically analyze the diverse business applications within the sports industry,” said Christopher Lee, the faculty director of the program and a clinical assistant professor of marketing in W. P. Carey School of Business. “The engaged student will learn theoretical and practical skills that will add value to organizations and are transferable to almost any business context. The best outcome is each student living out their dream.”
Students will enjoy the flexibility of online education combined with the expertise of a global thought leader in higher education. The sports business program also provides unparalleled access to world-class teachers, researchers, practitioners and thought leaders in the sports industry.
Technological leadership degree
The online bachelor’s degree in technological leadership is an innovative pan-university program created with input from 15 different departments, schools and units across ASU. The first-of-its-kind program addresses the ever-changing and expanding needs of the modern workforce by imparting key transferable skills, such as problem-solving, question-asking, initiative, team collaboration and communication.
“This workforce-facing degree is custom-made for the Information Age,” said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the managing director and co-chair of ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative. “We’ll teach many of the skills that usually only come in graduate school, including how to conduct research to answer questions, how to know if you’re asking the right question and how to be your own arbiter of when you know the answer. Our students will enter the workforce ready to learn, produce and lead.”
Students can focus on computer-aided design or engineering problems. While developing and strengthening their adaptability and versatility, students will learn foundational skills needed for success in today's modern workforce, such as writing, speaking, coding, math, and planning and producing projects.
Biochemistry majors: a new bachelor’s degree and medicinal chemistry concentration
The online biochemistry degree programs are the first of their kind in the nation. These programs represent a unique opportunity for students all over the world to earn a natural science degree from an accredited institution through an online modality. Students take formal lecture-style courses online but also get critical hands-on skills through in-person laboratory courses. This is one of the reasons why these programs have been received favorably by professional health programs and the science industries.
“These programs are a wonderful opportunity especially for non-traditional students who have existing professional and personal commitments,” said Ara Austin, a clinical assistant professor and the managing director of online programs in the School of Molecular Sciences. “Biochemistry degrees are often considered to be very competitive for applications to professional health graduate programs, particularly for medical school. Historically, our students have had one of the highest success rates of getting into professional health graduate programs.”
Biochemistry degrees through the School of Molecular Sciences at ASU give students a thorough understanding of fundamental concepts in science, so they can explain the world from the molecular perspective. Overall, students will gain valuable skills in interpreting quantitative data and technical skills that are useful in laboratory settings.
More specifically, the Bachelor of Science in biochemistry with a focus on medicinal chemistry covers the fundamentals of organic chemistry in the context of drug discovery and development. In the past, graduates of this program have successfully pursued careers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries as well as in medicine and other health-related disciplines.
In addition, students in the Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry program will gain foreign language skills through the required second-language coursework. In the past, students in the Bachelor of Arts program have successfully pursued careers in science education and teaching.
Educational studies degree
The online bachelor’s degree in educational studies prepares students to work with children, youth and adults in several environments, such as nonprofits, community institutions, civic organizations and businesses. Students also complete a three-course internship series wherein they put their knowledge and skills to practice in the field. These hands-on learning experiences set students up for career success.
“Through a combination of coursework, internships, research and current issues in education, our graduates will be ready to innovate, lead and foster educational opportunities in unique ways,” said Amy Markos, a faculty coordinator for the program and a clinical assistant professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. “They’ll be ready to make changes in communities and organizations that stem from empathy and understanding. They’ll be collaborators who balance a strong sense of their own educator identity with the needs, wants, desires of others in their educational spaces.”
The educational studies degree is ideal for students who are interested in teaching and learning. For example, students may want to run a non-profit that supports family literacy, lead employee training and professional development or work in higher education. Our program also provides a solid undergraduate foundation for any student planning to pursue a master’s program in teacher certification.
Master’s in gerontology
Due to the nation’s rapidly growing aging population, there’s a need for more professionals who are experts in the field of aging. The Master of Science in aging and health teaches students about the multidimensional aging process and how to address the complex needs of older adults. Students learn to work with other professionals and obtain a certificate of completion in interprofessional collaboration.
“The numbers of people needed to provide basic services to older adults are increasing much more, and experts in the field are needed to provide leadership in the agencies that employ them,” said Johannah Uriri-Glover, the program coordinator and a clinical professor in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation. “We’re training students for leadership roles in areas that address aging issues, so the career options are many and specific to one’s profession.”
Examples of potential job opportunities for graduates include administrators in the areas of rehabilitation, social work, mental health, nursing, psychology, research and more or entrepreneurs, bankers, engineers and designers providing services to older adults in the public and private sector.
The courses for the master’s degree are approved by the National Association of Professional Gerontologist. So, graduates can receive credentials in gerontology without testing.
Browse the full list of recently launched online programs:
Art – museum studies (Bachelor of Arts)
Biochemistry (Bachelor of Arts)
Biochemistry – medicinal chemistry (Bachelor of Science)
Biological sciences – biomedical science (Bachelor of Science)
Business – sports business (Bachelor of Arts)
Computer science – big data systems (Master of Computer Science)
Education – educating multilingual learners (Master of Arts)
Education – literacy education (Master of Arts)
Educational studies (Bachelor of Arts in Education)
Food policy and sustainability leadership (graduate certificate)
Graphic information technology (Bachelor of Applied Science)
Health sciences (Bachelor of Science)
Legal studies – contract management (Master of Legal Studies)
Nursing (Master of Science in Nursing)
Nursing – nursing education (Master of Science in Nursing)
Political psychology (Master of Arts)
Program evaluation (graduate certificate)
Sustainability leadership (Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership)
Sustainability leadership (Master of Sustainability Leadership)