When choosing a college or university, one of the concerns most students have is their job prospects after graduation. If you choose to go to school online, will your salary be comparable to students who studied the same subjects are typical brick and mortar colleges?

The salary you’re offered depends on the type of career you choose after graduation. Some of the most popular degree programs include those in health administration, business, nursing, psychology, education, and criminal justice. Keeping that in mind, here are some of the average salaries you can expect in related fields, whether you go to school online or at a “real world” school, according to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics:

• Educational Administrators: $46,370 to $92,920 (depending on type of school)
• Registered Nurses: $65,130
• Physician Assistants: $81,610
• Accountants and Auditors: $65,840
• Financial Analysts: $84,780
• Tax Preparers: $35,520
• Marriage and Family Therapists: $46,930
• Lawyers: $124,750
• Paralegals and Legal Assistants: $48,790
• Criminal Investigators: $63,840

These are, of course, not the only careers you can pursue with your online degree. Most majors that you can find at offline schools have corresponding programs online for students interested in a distance learning program. So, the sky is the limit.

In many cases, employers will not question you education, as long as you go to an accredited online school, so you should make a salary comparable to any other qualified candidate for the job. Accreditation ensures that the school you attend is not a “diploma mill”. Diploma mills, which were once very common and are still found online, don’t actually provide a quality education. Instead, they essentially give students diplomas in exchange for their “tuition” payment, without much concern over academics. It goes without saying that these candidates for a job aren’t as strong as someone who’s completed an intense academic program, so employers will typically want to hire someone they’re sure received proper education for the job.

Keep in mind that your salary is not just dependent on the piece of paper you receive when you graduate. You’ll be qualified for higher-paying jobs if your resume is filled with learning experiences, such as part-time jobs, internships, club participation, and conference attendance. Some of these experiences are easier to gain when you choose online education, since you’ll have a more flexible schedule. Don’t be afraid to contact your school’s student services departments, as they can help you find the opportunities you need to fill out your resume. At typical brick and mortar colleges, these opportunities may be more highly publicized around campus, but that doensn’t mean that they don’t exist with online education.

Salary is also dependent on the area in which you live. Nationally, the highest average incomes in the United States in 2008 were in the following states:

• Maryland: $70,545
• New Jersey: $70,378
• Connecticut: $68,595
• Alaska: $68,460
• Hawaii: $67,214

In general, metropolitan areas have a incomes that are higher than the state average, while more rural areas have lower incomes. Remember, however, that cost of living comes into play – housing costs, utilities, food, and more is higher in cities than in rural areas, so that’s something to take into consideration when choosing where to live and work.

The Internet has revolutionized the world of education so that now you can earn a degree entirely online from the comfort of your home or office. This is perfect for busy working professionals or anyone who wants to get ahead in a career without having to go to class on a physical campus everyday. Below we have listed the best schools offering accredited online degrees.

Top 10 Online Universities Ranking

	University of Phoenix — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. The University of Phoenix is world-renowned for being the largest online university, which is one reason why we list it at the #1 spot here in our ranking. Unlike other onine universities which may only offer a handful of specialized degree programs to its students, Phoenix boasts dozens of different degrees at all levels that students can choose from.
	Kaplan University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Founded in 1937 as Quest College, Kaplan University is based in Davenport, Iowa, but its online classes are open to everyone nationwide. Kaplan is organized into ten different academic schools, including Arts & Sciences, Business, Criminal Justice, Education, Health Sciences, IS & Technology, Legal Studies, Nursing, Continuing Education, and Concord Law School. As you can see, Kaplan offers degrees in numerous subjects.
	Ashford University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Ashford is a private liberal arts university based in Clinton, Iowa. But thanks to the World Wide Web, students from all over the world can access their online coursework. Originally founded in 1918 as Mount St. Clare College, Ashford has Catholic roots and today its NAIA-level athletic teams are known as The Saints, which compete in the Midwest Collegiate Conference in over a dozen sports.
	Capella University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Capella University was founded in 1991 by Stephen Shank, the former CEO of Tonka, who felt that working adults were underserved by traditional brick-and-mortar universities. While their offices are located in downtown Minneapolis, being an online university, the majority of learning takes place outside of campus and instead via the Internet. Their motto: "Knowledge is solving problems no one else can."
	Grand Canyon University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's and Master's. Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 as Grand Canyon College, an Arizona Southern Baptist school. (It reached university status in 1989.) Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, GCU is typically featured among the Top 10 online colleges as ranked by The Online Education Database (OEDb).
	Liberty University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Liberty University has the reputation of being the largest online evangelical Christian university in the nation. Founded in 1971 by the late Reverend Jerry Falwell, Liberty's original name was Lynchburg Baptist College. Liberty obtained university status in 1984. In athletics, Liberty is a member of the Big South Conference for 18 sports, including football, hockey, and basketball. Academically, Liberty offers majors in over 70 subjects, including aeronautics, business, nursing, and more.
	Walden University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. For students looking for flexible and affordable online education, Walden University offers both. Courses of study available include business, criminal justice, health science, and much more.
	Westwood College Online — Degree Levels: Associate's and Bachelor's. Westwood College has over a dozen campus locations throughout the US. The Denver North campus is responsible for their online division, in which all coursework is completed entirely via the Internet. Currently, over two dozen online degree programs are available in subjects including criminal justice, business administration, fashion merchandising, and more.
	DeVry University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. DeVry has dozens of campuses nationwide and delivers its coursework via the Web to thousands of online students studying for their degrees. At DeVry University, all degree programs are career-focused to ensure that proper training is given to students pursuing a specific job or career path.
	Boston University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Founded in 1839, Boston University is one of the oldest universities that offers online education. At Boston Online, students can study liberal arts, business, science, criminal justice, health, music, nursing, and more.
	Everest University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Formerly Florida Metropolitan University, Everest University was founded in 1969. Today, the university has campuses scattered throughout the state of Florida and offers classes online to any US citizen. Everest offers a special online learning programs for US servicemembers overseas. Military students of the university are able to complete courses in their off-duty hours at military installations in the US, overseas, and even on naval ships.
	Strayer University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. In 1892, S. Irving Strayer founded Strayer's Business College. Today, this is known as Strayer University and has over 70 non-residential campuses with more than 50,000 students nationwide. Strayer is highly regarded as producing as many students with computer science degrees as any other school in the country.
	American InterContinental University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. American InterContinental University, also known as AIU, is a private school accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Founded in 1970 as the American College of Applied Arts, AIU today has seven campuses in the US and UK and runs its online program out of its Chicago offices. AIU offers degree programs in several subjects, including healthcare, business, education, criminal justice, and more.