2027 Best Online Majors With Scholarship Options
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Choosing an online major is only half the decision; you also need to know whether you can fund the degree and whether it fits your career goal. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that software developers earned a median wage of $133,080 in 2024, but that figure describes an occupation - not what a computer science graduate is promised. This guide compares fields with potential scholarship opportunities, including ten master's program families, and shows you how to check costs, online requirements, and career qualifications before committing.
Key Things You Should Know
- Nursing, teaching, and clinical social work may require state approval, supervised training, or licensure beyond online coursework.
- The maximum federal Pell Grant was $7,395 for 2025-26, but Pell eligibility generally applies to eligible undergraduates, not master's students.
- An online major and a scholarship opportunity are not proof that a particular school offers both to you; check program delivery, award eligibility, and renewal rules.
Top 10 Best Online Majors With Scholarship Options
Business Programs
Online master's options include the MBA and specialized degrees in accounting, finance, and analytics. An MBA may suit experienced professionals seeking broader management skills; a specialized degree may better serve someone targeting a specific function. Compare employer tuition assistance, school scholarships, and awards from professional associations.
Ask whether an award covers part-time enrollment and whether the program charges premium tuition for certain courses. An MBA alone does not confer a management position, and accounting coursework does not automatically meet every state's CPA requirements.
Healthcare Programs
Online master's degrees in healthcare administration, public health, and health informatics can support different goals. Administration emphasizes operations; public health addresses population-level problems; informatics combines healthcare processes with data systems.
Funding may come from university awards, employers, or field-specific organizations. Check whether the program requires an internship or on-site experience and whether its curriculum matches your target role. These degrees do not substitute for a clinical license.
Information Technology Programs
Online master's programs in information technology, cybersecurity, and information systems often emphasize infrastructure, security operations, or technology leadership. Scholarships from schools and technology organizations may have concentration, service, or citizenship restrictions.
Compare hands-on labs, technical prerequisites, and employer reimbursement before choosing. An IT master's can deepen existing skills, but many security and leadership jobs also expect substantial experience; a certification or focused technical training may be a better first step for some career changers.
Computer Science Programs
Online computer science master's degrees may focus on algorithms, software systems, artificial intelligence, or research. Some admit applicants from other majors but require programming and mathematics preparation or foundation courses.
Seek department scholarships and employer support, then account for any extra prerequisite coursework when comparing net cost. Choose a thesis track if research or doctoral study matters; a project-based track may better fit applied goals. A degree alone does not establish a particular software salary.
Nursing Programs
Online MSN programs can prepare licensed nurses for leadership, education, informatics, or advanced practice, depending on the track. Many require an active RN license and in-person clinical or practicum hours.
Nursing-school scholarships and employer benefits may help, but check whether funding covers the specific specialty. For an advanced-practice goal, confirm the program's accreditation, clinical-placement arrangements, and eligibility for certification and licensure in your state before applying.
Psychology Programs
Online psychology master's degrees can support research, organizational, or further-study goals, but degree titles do not establish eligibility to practice therapy. If counseling or psychology licensure is your goal, check your state board's required credential and supervised training first; a differently titled counseling degree may be necessary.
University and professional-association scholarships can help with costs, though awards may favor research or particular populations. Ask whether practicums or campus visits are required.
Education Programs
Online master's programs in curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, and special education serve different career stages. Some are designed for licensed teachers; others may lead toward an initial credential, subject to state rules and student teaching.
Teacher scholarships, district assistance, and university awards may carry service or employment conditions. Confirm whether the degree meets your state's certification requirements and whether required school placements fit your schedule.
Criminal Justice Programs
An online criminal justice master's may emphasize policy, administration, criminology, or research. It can be useful for professionals seeking specialized knowledge, but hiring and promotion standards vary across agencies; the degree does not replace required academy training or experience.
Look for university, employer, and public-service scholarships, then check any employment obligations. Compare capstone and thesis options if you may later pursue research or doctoral study.
Engineering Programs
Online engineering master's programs commonly serve graduates who already have substantial mathematics and engineering preparation. Fields such as electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering differ in laboratory needs and career applications.
Employer tuition assistance and departmental awards may be especially relevant, but confirm whether an award applies to online or part-time study. Review lab access, project requirements, and whether a program's accreditation or coursework matters for your intended professional-engineer licensing path.
Social Work Programs
An online MSW may offer a traditional route for students from other fields or an advanced-standing route for eligible BSW graduates. Both require supervised field education that must be arranged locally or through approved partners.
School scholarships, community organizations, and employer support may help fund study. If clinical practice is your goal, verify Council on Social Work Education accreditation, state licensing eligibility, placement support, and the supervised experience required after graduation.
What Are the Best Online Majors With Scholarships?
The best online major with scholarship options is the one that meets your career requirements at a manageable net cost. No field guarantees an award: scholarship availability depends on the school, degree level, eligibility rules, and application deadlines.
At the master's level, business, computing, healthcare, education, and social work offer distinct funding leads and trade-offs. This comparison shows where to begin a scholarship search and what could make each field a poor fit.
| Major or field | Potential funding leads | Deciding question |
| Business | Employer benefits; school and professional-association awards | Will the credential advance a specific career goal? |
| Computing | Departmental, technology-industry, and employer awards | Do you meet the technical prerequisites? |
| Healthcare and nursing | Employer, school, and specialty awards | Can you complete any required placements? |
| Education | District support and teacher-focused awards | Does the program fit your state's credential rules? |
| Social work | School, community-service, and employer awards | Will you qualify for the intended licensing path? |
For a career changer considering a master's, the easiest masters degree to enter or complete is not necessarily the best-funded or most useful. Compare prerequisites, remaining coursework, and career requirements instead of choosing by perceived difficulty.
Computing can offer strong pay potential, while nursing and other licensed fields may provide clearer occupational pathways. Neither feature makes a major universally best: entry requirements, local opportunities, and total education cost matter. The BLS 2024 median wage for registered nurses was $93,600.
That is an occupational midpoint across workers, not an expected salary for someone who earns an online nursing degree. Use BLS occupational profiles to compare current wages and projected employment growth for the specific job you want, not just the major's name.
Then check the usual entry-level education, licenses, and experience. For example, an IT degree may support applications for security roles, but employers can also expect practical experience; a psychology degree does not, by itself, qualify its holder to practice as a psychologist.
Find scholarships by searching at the program level first. A university may advertise general graduate awards that exclude online learners, while a department may offer a smaller award that explicitly includes them.
Undergraduate students should also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for federal aid and, where applicable, aid that schools or states administer using FAFSA information.
Use this sequence to avoid spending time on awards you cannot receive:
- Ask each program for scholarships open to your degree level, online format, enrollment intensity, and intended concentration.
- Check department, professional-association, employer, union, and local community awards for eligibility and service conditions.
- Record deadlines, required essays or references, renewal GPA, and whether outside awards affect school-provided aid.
- Compare the award's value over the full program, not just its first term, and never pay a fee to apply for a scholarship.
Institutional accreditation and federal-aid eligibility are separate checks. Confirm a school's current accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education's accreditation database or the accreditor itself, then verify that the institution and your program participate in the federal aid programs relevant to you. Accreditation does not mean every student or credential qualifies for every type of aid.
For regulated careers, check programmatic accreditation and your state licensing board as well. Nursing, social work, counseling, engineering, and teacher-preparation requirements can depend on the particular program and state.
A common mistake is assuming that an accredited university's online degree automatically meets local licensure rules; request written confirmation about the specific track and your intended state before paying a deposit.
Business students commonly study finance, operations, and strategy; computing students may take algorithms, databases, and systems courses. Healthcare and social work programs may add policy, assessment, and supervised fieldwork.
At the master's level, concentrations narrow the curriculum, while a thesis, capstone, applied project, or practicum may determine how - and where - you finish.
Review the catalog's actual course sequence, not just its course titles. A required thesis can suit a future researcher but may not be ideal for someone seeking a practice-focused credential.
Doctoral requirements are a separate decision: a reader exploring an online PhD criminal justice no dissertation option should verify the specific program's culminating project rather than assuming a master's capstone predicts doctoral requirements.
Most online bachelor's programs require evidence of secondary-school completion, while master's programs require a bachelor's degree and may specify prerequisite courses, a minimum GPA, work experience, a license, or recommendations.
A university's general admission policy may differ from selective admission to its nursing, engineering, counseling, or other professional programs. Test policies also vary by school and degree level.
If your grades are a concern, look for published conditional-admission or holistic-review policies and ask how they apply to your intended program. Lists of colleges that don't care about GPA can help you identify places to investigate, but they cannot establish that a particular master's track waives its GPA standard. Confirm requirements with that program's admissions office.
A bachelor's degree commonly requires about 120 semester credits; many master's programs require substantially fewer, but prerequisites, clinical placements, and part-time enrollment can extend the timeline.
Schools determine how prior coursework applies. Accepted transfer credit can reduce remaining bachelor's requirements, while an advanced-standing MSW requires a qualifying prior degree; neither shortcut applies automatically to every student.
For cost, compare the amount you would actually pay through completion: remaining credits multiplied by applicable tuition, plus mandatory fees, books, equipment, and any travel or placement expenses, minus grants and scholarships you can reasonably expect to retain.
A cheapest accredited online college comparison can be a starting point for undergraduates, but a low published price may lose its advantage if fewer of your credits apply or fees are higher. Graduate students should compare their specific program's rates and funding separately.
Licensure is a legal requirement for some roles, while professional certification may be voluntary or required by an employer. The distinction matters because completing an online major is not the same as becoming eligible to practice. Requirements also vary by state and specialty.
These common pathways show why the intended occupation should shape your program choice:
- Nursing: RN licensure and, for advanced-practice roles, applicable graduate preparation, national certification, and state authorization.
- Teaching: State-approved preparation, required assessments, and supervised classroom experience where applicable.
- Clinical social work and counseling: An eligible degree, supervised post-degree experience, examinations, and state licensure.
- Engineering: Professional-engineer licensure for work requiring that credential; the rules are distinct from simply holding an engineering degree.
Ask the relevant state board whether the exact program and track satisfy its educational requirements, particularly if the school is in another state.
How Should You Compare Online Programs Before Enrolling?
Build a short list around your intended job and the funding you could actually use. An online program may still schedule live classes or require travel, labs, clinical work, or student teaching. Likewise, a scholarship may apply only to full-time students or expire before a part-time student finishes.
Before enrolling, get answers to these decision-critical questions in writing:
- Which requirements remain after an official review of my transcripts, prerequisites, and any eligible prior learning?
- What is my estimated total cost, including fees and required in-person work, after renewable aid?
- Which scholarships can I apply for as an online student, and what must I do to keep them?
- Are courses live or asynchronous, and who arranges required local placements?
- Does this exact program meet the accreditation and state requirements for my intended occupation?
Choose the option that best balances career fit, verified funding, manageable scheduling, and remaining cost - not the one with the most prominent scholarship advertisement.
Other Things You Should Know About
Yes. Schools, employers, professional groups, and community organizations may offer eligible online students awards. Check each scholarship's degree-level, enrollment, and renewal rules.
There is no reliable universal winner. Awards vary by institution, student eligibility, field, and application cycle; compare the funding available for your specific programs.
Generally, no. Federal Pell Grants are primarily for eligible undergraduates. Master's students should investigate graduate scholarships, assistantships where available, employer benefits, and applicable federal loans.
Online coursework may be possible, but clinical placements, practicums, student teaching, or other in-person requirements often remain. Check both the program's delivery details and the rules in the state where you plan to work.
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