Highest-Paying Online Degrees 2026: 15 Jobs by BLS Pay
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Start the aid checkFinancial managers are the highest-paying job on this list, with a median of $166,570 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Software developers earn a median of $135,980, and nurse practitioners $132,300.
BLS reports pay by job, not by degree. So this list ranks the 15 best-paid jobs in our BLS dataset that usually start with an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree, and names the degree that most often leads there. Most of these degrees are offered online, at least in part, by accredited schools. Health programs add in-person clinical training.
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Financial managers lead the 2025 ranking at a $166,570 median
The table ranks jobs by median pay. The 10th percentile is closer to starting pay, and the 90th shows how far the job can go. Growth is BLS’s projection for 2025 to 2035.
| # | Job (SOC code) | Degree that usually leads there | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial managers (11-3031) | Finance, accounting or MBA | $166,570 | $94,310 | $323,270 | 9.7% |
| 2 | Sales managers (11-2022) | Business, marketing or MBA | $148,270 | $73,170 | $290,540 | 4.5% |
| 3 | Software developers (15-1252) | Computer science, software engineering | $135,980 | $82,460 | $214,670 | 10.2% |
| 4 | Physician assistants (29-1071) | Physician assistant studies (master's) | $135,880 | $99,380 | $190,280 | 21.1% |
| 5 | Nurse practitioners (29-1171) | Nursing (MSN or DNP) | $132,300 | $101,340 | $174,420 | 41% |
| 6 | Information security analysts (15-1212) | Cybersecurity, IT | $129,180 | $75,090 | $199,850 | 21% |
| 7 | Medical and health services managers (11-9111) | Health administration (BHA, MHA) | $123,860 | $73,390 | $224,340 | 24.2% |
| 8 | Data scientists (15-2051) | Data science, statistics, CS | $120,230 | $67,240 | $199,130 | 34.6% |
| 9 | Computer systems analysts (15-1211) | Information systems, IT | $105,850 | $67,340 | $167,710 | 7.9% |
| 10 | Project management specialists (13-1082) | Business, project management | $102,320 | $61,580 | $167,970 | 6.7% |
| 11 | Network and computer systems administrators (15-1244) | IT, networking | $99,130 | $62,640 | $155,050 | -4.1% |
| 12 | Registered nurses (29-1141) | Nursing (ADN, BSN) | $97,550 | $68,940 | $137,470 | 5.6% |
| 13 | Accountants and auditors (13-2011) | Accounting | $83,680 | $56,020 | $144,090 | 5% |
| 14 | Market research analysts and marketing specialists (13-1161) | Marketing, business | $78,760 | $43,390 | $155,480 | 7% |
| 15 | Computer network support specialists (15-1231) | IT (associate) | $76,220 | $47,120 | $127,780 | 1.2% |
Our dataset holds 29 degree-linked jobs, the same list the ROI calculator uses. Some well-paid management jobs, such as marketing managers and computer and information systems managers, are not in it yet, so they don’t appear here.
Management and computing jobs fill most of the top 10
Two groups dominate. Management jobs (financial, sales, and medical and health services managers) usually need a bachelor’s degree plus years of experience. Computing jobs (software, security, data science, systems analysis) usually start with a bachelor’s.
Both groups are well served online. Business, computer science and IT degrees are offered fully online by many accredited schools, from bachelor’s to master’s level.
The management medians reflect experienced managers: BLS lists five or more years of related work experience as typical for financial managers. Source · BLS OOH: Financial managers
The spread inside each job is wide. Financial managers’ pay runs from $94,310 at the 10th percentile to $323,270 at the 90th. Software developers run from $82,460 to $214,670.
Health jobs pay well but need in-person clinical training
Physician assistants ($135,880) and nurse practitioners ($132,300) rank in the top five. Both need a master’s degree and a state license.
BLS says physician assistant programs include supervised clinical training in specialties such as family medicine and emergency medicine. Source · BLS OOH: Physician assistants
Nurse practitioner programs typically include clinical experience, and students must already be licensed registered nurses. Source · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Registered nurses earn less, $97,550 at the median, but have the most openings of any job here: about 180,800 a year projected for 2025-35. Many schools offer RN-to-BSN programs online for nurses who already hold a license.
Graduates of online programs in these fields earn near the BLS medians
BLS pay is for everyone in a job. The College Scorecard adds a second check: what graduates of specific programs earned four years after finishing. These programs are offered fully or partly online.
| School | Program | Scorecard field | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt | Graduates, 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | MS Computer Science | Computer and Information Sciences, General (master's) | $195,622 | $20,500 | 2,731 |
| ASU Online | MBA | Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | $141,437 | $47,828 | 199 |
| Penn State World Campus | MBA | Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | $127,665 | $41,000 | 366 |
| University of Florida | BS Computer Science (online) | Computer and Information Sciences, General (bachelor's) | $126,268 | $15,000 | 424 |
| Oregon State University | BS Computer Science | Computer Science (bachelor's) | $121,405 | $22,721 | 877 |
| Frontier Nursing University | MSN | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (master's) | $117,537 | $66,638 | 665 |
| Western Governors University | MSN | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (master's) | $111,688 | $13,665 | 1,949 |
| Western Governors University | BS Nursing | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (bachelor's) | $97,114 | $9,470 | 7,786 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data updated June 10, 2026. Earnings and debt cover every graduate of that field and credential at the school, online and on campus together, so they describe the school's graduates, not what any one student will earn. Earnings are the median for graduates working and not enrolled four years after finishing (2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates, in 2024 dollars); debt is the median federal loan debt of graduates (2018-19 and 2019-20); "Not published" means Scorecard suppresses the figure for a small cohort. Scorecard pages: Georgia Tech, ASU Online, Penn State World Campus, University of Florida, Oregon State University, Frontier Nursing University, Western Governors University.
Earnings for some programs sit above the BLS median for the matching job. Those graduates often enrolled with work experience, so compare programs with each other rather than with BLS.
Three questions to ask before you pick by salary
How long until you qualify? An RN-to-BSN builds on a license you already hold. A nurse practitioner path needs a BSN, an RN license and a master’s. Time to the credential is also time before the higher pay starts.
What will it cost after aid? Pell generally pays only toward a first bachelor’s degree. Graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 a year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Grad PLUS loans are no longer available to new borrowers. Check your aid before you compare prices.
Do you already have the prerequisites? Computing and nursing master’s programs expect certain coursework. The job closest to your current skills often pays back faster than the highest median on the list.
Next step: test the payback on your top pick
Pick the job you are aiming for and open the ROI calculator. It shows that job’s BLS May 2025 median and your break-even year for the program you are considering. Then run the aid check to shrink the cost side before you apply.
Check the payback on your shortlist
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Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates
- BLS: Employment Projections, occupational projections and characteristics 2025-35
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Financial managers
- StudentAid.gov: One Big Beautiful Bill Act definitions and loan limits (updated Aug. 24, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physician assistants
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners
- U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 10, 2026 release)
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Best Online Tech and CS Degrees 2026: Outcomes and Pay
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Best Online Nursing Programs 2026: RN-to-BSN and MSN
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