Study without leaving home: find your undergraduate and postgraduate online course from one of these three renowned universities in the United States.
Shall we continue with our proposal of obtaining your international diploma without leaving home? Now let’s focus on the United States! During the Covid-19 pandemic, until it is safe to travel to study abroad again, we are suggesting a number of renowned international institutions offering different online courses. Earn a worldwide diploma from the comfort of your home – but with the same quality and weight as an in-person course.
We know that the advantages of online learning are completely different from an exchange. But we are dealing with uncertainties and immeasurable variables. For now, distance education is a more affordable alternative to not give up on your dream or delay your academic goals so much.
Before you start researching your online course, understand some important aspects:
- In the online course, you adapt classes and studies to your routine and not the other way around. Flexibility helps you develop your time management skills.
- For the entire duration of your studies, you will have access to a range of virtual tools and resources available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even anywhere in the world, you will never be alone and you can also interact online with people from other countries.
- The online course is not easier than the in-person course. You will follow rules and deadlines, there will be assignments, assessments and tests; among other types of tasks in order to monitor their development and evaluate their performance.
- Quality standards are a priority for universities, regardless of the course format. That’s the guarantee you need a rigorous curriculum and a renowned international degree.
- The success of your studies will depend on the discipline and interest you dedicate to it.
Online courses from American universities
Discover five options from numerous renowned universities in the United States that offer online undergraduate and postgraduate options.
1. Iowa State University
Iowa State University, founded in 1858, welcomes more than 33,000 students to its campus and has a global network of more than 248,000 alumni worldwide. The eight academic schools that make up Iowa State offer more than 300 course options, including distance learning.
On the official university website, there is a search field for courses available in each academic semester – for example, spring 2020 or autumn 2020, with different class start dates. In the search engine, click Toggle Advanced Search and scroll down to Course Type. Select Online and click Search. The results will show all available online courses.
Iowa State’s distance learning catalog is very extensive, with bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, diplomas and certificates in Engineering, Human Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Business, Design, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Sciences and Liberal Arts.
For the semester beginning in fall 2020, for example, there are 380 courses with open enrollment, in areas of study such as Engineering, Accounting, Advertising, Hospitality, African-American Studies, Agronomy, Animal Science, Anthropology, Art History, Astronomy , Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Business Administration, Community Development, Computer Science, Nutrition and several others.
As they are academic modules, they last three to four months, worth three to six credits. Prices vary between US$ 150.00 and US$ 570.00 per module.
You must go through the online selection process normally, therefore, you will need to prove all the academic requirements for admission.
2. Florida International University
Florida International University is a public research school that welcomes more than 3,500 students from more than 140 different countries. With more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate options – many of them online –, it stands out for being the only public institution with Law and Medicine faculties in its region in the state of Florida.
FIU has a department dedicated to its online courses and programs, FIU Online. There are more than 100 100% online undergraduate, postgraduate and certificate options.
- Bachelor of Arts in areas such as Communication, Biology, History, Economics, Computer Science, Sustainability, English, Spanish, Asian Studies, African-American Studies, Global Studies, International Relations, Psychology, etc.
- Bachelor of Science in areas such as Computer Engineering, Crime Science, Criminal Justice, Hospitality Management, Information Technology, Early Childhood Education, etc.
- Bachelor of Business Administration with specialization in Finance and Human Resources Management
- Bachelor of Politics and Public Services
- Minors: Asian Studies, Business Communication, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, Entrepreneurship, General Marketing, Translation Studies, Geography, History, Tourism and Hospitality, Religious Studies, Science Politics, Social Media, Logistics, etc.
- Master of Arts in areas such as Disaster Management, Global Relations, History and Latin American Studies
- Masters of Science in areas such as Special Education, Music Education, Marketing, Engineering, International Real Estate, Human Resource Management, Hospitality, Higher Education Administration, Global Strategic Communications, etc.
- Masters in International Business
- Master of Public Health
- Master of Public Administration
- Professional Master of Science in Forensic Science
- MBA
- Doctorate of Nursing Practice
In addition, there are also options for degree certificates and combined bachelor’s + master’s programs. The Department of Distance Education (ODE) of the Faculty of Engineering and Computing even provides learning through video streaming.
3. Shoreline Community College
As a community college, a very popular type of higher education institution in the United States, Shoreline does not offer full bachelor’s degrees, but has a wide range of certificate, technical, pre-major and transfer programs that conclude with the award of a associate degree, certificate of completion and direct transfer agreements to US universities.
Some of the available study areas:
- Accounting
- Business
- Criminal Justice
- Economy
- Education
- Music
- Health Information
- Language and Literature
- Political science
- Project management
- Psychology
- Marketing
- Logistics
- Leadership of Sustainable Companies
Shoreline Community College is located in Seattle, in the state of Washington, and welcomes approximately 10,000 students, including 1,000 foreigners. For online courses, it maintains eLearning resources with tutorials, virtual support, training materials, etc.
4. George Washington University
Right in the capital of the United States since 1821, George Washington University (GW) is one of the 200 best universities in the world according to Times Higher Education. With a focus on experiential learning, it serves more than 28,000 students from more than 130 countries.
Its vision of educating the next generation of leaders extends to learners around the world through online learning. With certificates, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctorates, GW has options:
- Art
- Business
- Communication
- Education and Human Development
- Engineering
- Legal Studies
- Medicine and Health Sciences
- Nursing
- Physical Sciences
- Public policy
- Public health
- Security
Registration is done online through the unified Common Application service and applicants must meet GW requirements specific to the course of interest.
5. University of Arizona
Ranked 46th among the best public universities in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report 2019 and recognized by Forbes as one of the best values in the country, the University of Arizona offers approximately 100 undergraduate and graduate academic courses.
They are Bachelors of Science, Arts, Applied Sciences, General Studies, postgraduate certificates, MBAs, Masters of Science and Arts, Doctorates, etc.
Among the available areas are:
- Applied Sciences
- Arts and Media
- Biological and Agricultural Sciences
- Business
- Cybersecurity
- Data Science
- Education
- Engineering
- Health
- Interdisciplinary Programs
- Language, History and Culture
- Law and Public Policy
- Nursing
- Physical Sciences
- Public Service and Community Solutions
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Sustainability and Natural Resources
- Technology and Information Sciences
Registration is done online through the official website of the University of Arizona. You must select Extended Campus Application in the Other Campus Locations field to access the registration on the Arizona Online platform. You will need to upload your previous academic records and meet the requirements of your course of interest.
Degrees cost US$500 to US$610 per academic credit. Postgraduate degrees cost between US$650 and US$1,332/credit. The advantage of paying per credit (consequently, per subject) is that you can progress through the course at your own pace, both in terms of time and budget.