A Guide to Online Colleges in New York

Online Programs: 14
Type: Private

Syracuse University is the largest private research university located in Upstate New York. Consistently touted as one of the top 100 universities in the world for the Social Sciences, Syracuse is known for its embrace of inclusivity and diversity. Its School of Public Communications is particularly celebrated for having produced a number of alumni in various fields of broadcasting, and many of its undergraduate programs in business, specifically Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain Management, and Accounting, are renowned for placing consistently among the nation’s top 15 business programs. As a private university, Syracuse University comes with the moderate sticker price of $783 per credit hour, and that price is somewhat mitigated by the depth and breadth of its 14 online offerings, which range from a Bachelor’s in Professional Studies to Master’s in Business Administration, to a Master’s in Electrical or Computer Engineering. Many of its online degree programs are graduate programs, making Syracuse an excellent choice for the busy working professional in search of some extra bona fides. Upon graduation, alumni from Syracuse will be in good company, as some of the nation’s best-known public figures have called Syracuse their professional and intellectual stomping grounds, including the writer, Stephen Crane, the co-founder of Intel, Vishal Sikka, the first female commander of a space shuttle, Eileen Collins, and two-time Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Online Programs: 14
Type: Private

Adelphi University is the oldest institution of higher learning and private research university located on Long Island. It maintains satellite locations in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County, and is known for placing consistently as one of the top 10 “Best Buy” universities in the nation according to the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Adelphi University’s Levermore Global Scholars program is recognized the world over for its interdisciplinary approach to international education, which has earned it a place of prominence as an academic program of distinction. Adelphi’s 14 online offerings range from Associate’s and Bachelor’s of Science in Emergency Services Administration to Master’s of Science in Emergency Management, Nutrition, Healthcare Informatics, and Sports Management. It also offers over 100 fully online courses at the cost of $1,040 per credit hour part-time, or $17,000 per semester full-time. Many of Adelphi’s fully online programs are graduate programs in the sciences, making it an excellent choice for practicing EMTs, Nutritionists, or Health Care Administrators in search of extra qualifications. Graduates from Adelphi University’s healthcare-intensive online programs are provided with an excellent global network that springs from connections running deep throughout the state of New York, whose largest industry in its largest metropolitan areas is Health Care.

Online Programs: 16
Type: Private

Pace University is a private university located across the New York metro area. It hosts satellite campuses in New York City and Westchester County and is known for its Law School, Business School, and Actor’s Studio. The Actor’s Studio in particular has been recognized for its widely popular show, Inside the Actor’s Studio, which is filmed on-site and has featured such famous actors as Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams, and Angelina Jolie. Pace also plays host to the Tribeca Film Festival and a number of other local performing arts festivals. All of Pace University’s schools offer online courses, and its 16 online degrees range from Bachelor’s of Science in Professional Technology Studies or Communication Studies, to Master’s of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. Although these three programs are offered fully online, most of its online offerings come in the form of hybrid or blended programs via iPace’s Bachelor’s completion program, which make it the perfect fit for busy working New Yorkers looking to add another line to their educational résumés. And at $555 per credit hour, Pace is especially suited to those who already have some college education and would like to round out their degrees.

Online Programs: 14
Type: Private

St. John’s University is a private Catholic university located in Queens with branch campuses in Staten Island, Manhattan, Rome, and Paris. As one of the largest and widest-reaching religiously affiliated schools in the world, St. John’s University has repeatedly been recognized as one of the Northeast’s best institutions of higher learning, with its law school placing inside the 100 best in the United States. St. John’s School of Law is particularly well-known for having produced a number of longstanding U.S. Congressmen, including Hugh Carey and Charles B. Rangel, who has served New York’s 13th district since 1971. St. John’s University’s 14 online offerings range from Bachelor of Science in Administrative Studies or Criminal Justice, to a Master of Arts in Global Development and Social Justice, as well as a Master of Science in Education for Teaching Children with Disabilities. Its extensive alumni network of greater than 170,000 alumni, of which 82% reside in the Greater New York Metro area, will undoubtedly avail graduates from all its programs of everything its network has to offer.

Online Programs: 16
Type: Private

Rochester Institute of Technology is a private doctoral university located just outside the city of Rochester in Upstate New York. Its nine academic colleges are known to produce some of the best fine arts, computing, engineering and imaging science students in the Northeast. Its famous National Technical Institute for the Deaf is well-noted for being the first and largest technical college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. RIT’s numerous partnerships with technology firms in the region help its students remain focused on the practical applications of their work, and its video game design program is particularly renowned for placing among the best such programs in the nation since its inception in 2011. RIT’s 16 online offerings range from advanced certificates in Communication and Digital Media, to Bachelor’s programs in Arts and Science or Applied Technical Leadership, to Master’s programs in Business Administration for Online Executives, Applied Statistics, and Environmental Health and Safety Management. At around $1,000 per credit hour on average, these degree and certification programs come at a cost, but the benefit they will bring to a hard worker’s career in our increasingly online economy is immeasurable.

Online Programs: 8
Type: Private

The New School is a private research university located in New York City’s historically progressive Greenwich Village. Known as one of the most avant-garde universities in the nation, The New School is particularly noted for its highly competitive art school: the Parson’s School of Design. Its curriculum is also noted for being uniquely student-driven, in that students design all of their own majors and course schedules with faculty merely as mediators. This approach in addition to a supremely low student-to-faculty ratio allows students the freedom to individualize their educational experiences as much as possible. The New School’s 8 online offerings range from an Associate's in Fashion Marketing at Parson’s School of Design, to a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts for Adults and Transfer Students, to a Master’s in Strategic Design and Management at Parson’s School of Design. The New School also offers individual online classes and open online certificate programs at $1,440 per credit. While this cost may be high, the benefit of an education from one of the most innovative schools in the world is sure to balance out, as a degree from The New School will kickstart any career in the arts in New York, or online.

Online Programs: 50
Type: Private

Concordia College is a private liberal arts college located in the Upstate city of Bronxville, New York. Concordia College is known for its Nursing program and Global Lecture Series. The Nursing program offers three tracks: the traditional undergraduate, the post-baccalaureate program, and the RN to BSN. Students who graduate from this latter program had an 87% pass rate in 2014. The Global Lecture Series was begun in 2004 and designed to complement the university’s initiative to integrate global perspectives into its curriculum. Concordia College’s 50 online offerings range from the RN to BSN, to a large number of Master’s degrees in Education, Business, and Technology. Concordia also maintains online offerings for its Doctorate of Education program. On-site tuition rates apply to all programs. Notable alumni include Shephard Hill, the president of Boeing International, as well as Dieter Weinand, the President and CEO of Bayer Pharma AG. Graduates from Concordia university will find themselves well connected to both business and healthcare industries, as its Village of Bronxville home is the common grounds for some of New York’s finest U.N. Diplomats, corporate executives, and a wide range of other professionals.

Online Programs: 6
Type: Private

New York University is a private research university based in New York City. Known as one of the largest institutions of higher education in the United States, New York University is consistently ranked among the top 40 universities in the world. NYU is also known for its many global satellite locations, such as NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, as well as several other academic centers in various global cities like Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, Tel Aviv, and Washington, D.C. All of NYU’s students are permitted to take advantage of these locations. NYU’s 6 online offerings include two bachelor’s degrees, i.e., a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and Management Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, as well as four masters degrees, all Masters of Science in either Human Resource Management and Development, Management and Systems (STEM), Professional Writing, or Translation. NYU also offers eight online graduate certificates in various areas of professional interest. Graduates from NYU’s program will join the likes of over 30 Nobel laureates, 20 Pulitzer Prize winners, and numerous former and current members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in being alumni of New York’s best-recognized institution of higher learning.

Online Programs: 6
Type: Private

Hofstra University is a private research university located just outside New York City proper in Nassau County’s Hempstead, New York. Hofstra is particularly known for being the site of U.S. Presidential debates in the election years of 2008, 2012, and 2016, as well as being home to a prominent series of Presidential conferences. The latter of these began after the 2008 election, when Hofstra’s Center for the Study of the American Presidency was appointed with two senior fellows, a Democrat and Republican, who would lead campus discussions on issues pertaining to the Executive Branch of American government and its various officeholders throughout recent history. Hofstra’s 6 online degrees are accentuated by 3 advanced certificate programs. The 6 fully online graduate degrees include a Master of Arts in Health Law and Policy, a Master of Laws in Health Law and Policy, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Science in Education, a Master of Science in Special Education, and a Master of Science in Computer Science. The 3 advanced certificates include one in Gifted Education, another in Educational Technology, and the final in Work-Based Learning. Graduates from Hofstra University will find themselves in good company among alumni like Francis Ford Coppola and Christopher Walken.

Online Programs: 7
Type: Private

Marist College is a private liberal arts college in Upstate New York located within the Hudson River Valley town of Poughkeepsie. Marist also has a branch location in Florence, Italy and maintains study sites in 26 countries, which its students are encouraged to take advantage of. In addition to this internationality, it is known locally for its longstanding partnership with IBM, which began in 1988. Since that time, Marist’s campus has been on the cutting-edge of technological innovation at universities, playing host to a mainframe computer usually reserved for large research universities and Fortune 500 companies in 2002, as well as announcing in 2011 and 2012 that Marist would be the first college or university in the world to house a SmartCloud mainframe. Marist’s 6 fully online offerings include a Bachelor of the Arts or Sciences in Liberal Studies, as well as two Master of Arts in Communication, one Master of Business Administration, one Master of Public Administration, and one Master of Science in Information Systems. Marist also offer a hybrid or blended-course format Master of Arts in Educational Psychology. Graduates from Marist enjoy numerous professional connections made available through the university’s partnerships not only with IBM, but with the Roosevelt Institute of New York and the Hudson River Valley Institute, which may be of interest to New Yorkers who are interested in participating in local think tanks or preserving local ecosystems, respectively.

Online Programs: 10
Type: Private

Canisius College is a private Jesuit college based in Buffalo, New York. Canisius is known for being one of the only 28 Jesuit colleges in the United States, and as one of the largest and best such institutions. It offers 180 degree programs to around 4,500 students, was named a college of distinction in 2015, and is able to boast very strong CPA and pre-Medical programs, with a 75 percent pass rate for the former and an 80 percent pass rate for the latter among students who take the appropriate qualifying exam. Canisius is also recognized as one of the most military-friendly universities in the United States. The college’s 10 online programs include a Master of Education in five focus areas, a Master of Sport and Health in five focus areas, as well as a Master of the Arts and Sciences in Anthrozoology. In addition, Canisius offers 5 online certificates in various areas of Education. In other words, graduates from Canisius will be well-prepared to enter the workforce in either healthcare or education, two of the largest industries in New York’s largest metro areas, and especially that of surrounding Buffalo.

Online Programs: 5
Type: Public

SUNY Albany is a public research university founded in the state’s Capital Region, of which Albany is the heart. SUNY Albany is known for its research output in the areas of social science, public policy, life sciences, and the atmospheric sciences. It is also ranked consistently among the top 150 schools in the nation according to U.S. News, Washington Monthly, and ARWU ranking indexes, and its doctoral programs in Education place especially well among the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Top 10 doctorates in the nation. Education classes that can be taken to complete such doctorates are Among its 6 fully online offerings, which include a Bachelor of Science in Informatics, as well as a Master of Science in either Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology, Childhood Education, Early Childhood, or Reading. A Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice is also offered fully online. Credits toward the online bachelor’s degree are offered at $270 per credit hour for in-state residents, while credits toward the online master’s degree are offered at $453 per credit hour for in-state residents. To complement these degrees, SUNY Albany also offers six fully online certificates. Graduates from SUNY Albany can expect to be well-connected among educational and healthcare industries, which are among some of the largest industries in the Upstate region.

Online Programs: 40
Type: Private

Mercy College is a private liberal arts college located just north of New York City in town of Dobbs Ferry. Mercy College also maintains branch locations in New York City proper within the boroughs of both Manhattan and The Bronx, as well as north of its Dobbs Ferry location in Yorktown Heights. It is known for its online degree programs, of which more than two dozen can be completed fully online. Mercy College is also noted for the number of centers and institutes that it maintains relationships with, including but not limited to the Center for Global Engagement, the Cybersecurity Education Center, the Speech and Hearing Center, the Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Women’s Leadership Institute and Lifepath Coaching Institute. Among its 40 online offerings are 17 bachelor’s degrees in fields ranging from Behavioral Science and Business, to Computer Science and Psychology, as well as 16 master’s degrees in 14 fields. Many of these are “pure online courses,” (i.e., fully online), while some are blended, and all can be taken at a part-time rate for less than $750 per credit hour. Graduates from these programs can expect to enter job markets for new careers of their choosing with the additional bona fides Mercy College can provide.

Online Programs: 25
Type: Public

SUNY Empire State is a public liberal arts college based in Saratoga Springs, New York with 35 branch locations across the state. SUNY Empire State is known for its internationality, which its Center for International Programs promotes with special programs for students in Lebanon, the Czech Republic, and Greece. It is also well-known for its distance learning degrees, which are offered through the Center for Distance Learning, and for its partnership with UAW-Ford University, the United Steelworkers of America, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which allow students the opportunity for hands-on learning experience in manufacturing across the globe. SUNY Empire State’s 25 online offerings include three MBAs in Healthcare Leadership, Global Leadership, and Management, respectively, as well as four master’s degrees in various fields of Education, one Master of the Arts in Liberal Studies and three in Policy Studies, and finally a Master of Science in Nursing. With degrees from these subjects in-hand and at the cost of between $450 and $600 per credit hour for in-state residents depending on program of study, graduates from SUNY Empire State are prepared to enter any number of the largest industries in the state of New York, whether that be Professional and Technical Services, Health Care, Educational Services, or Manufacturing.

Online Programs: 8
Type: Public

SUNY Canton is a public university located in the central upstate village of Canton, New York. Being a mere skip over the river from major Canadian cities like Montreal and Ottawa, SUNY Canton is one of New York’s northernmost public universities. It is also known for programs in Criminal Justice, Technology and Renewable Energy, as well as its special program in Forestry and Environmental Science that is offered in collaboration with neighboring St. Lawrence University, Clarkson University, and SUNY Potsdam. SUNY Canton’s 10 online bachelor’s degrees offer greater than 400 online courses in the subject areas of Criminal Justice, Dental Hygiene, Emergency Management, Finance, Health Care Management, Homeland Security, Legal Studies, Management, Nursing, and Veterinary Service Administration. Graduates from SUNY Canton can expect to enter the workforce prepared to take on all the challenges that any new career in New York can throw at them.