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Online instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an online instructor. Online instructors usually study business, education, or psychology. 46% of online instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 37% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,346 real online instructor resumes to see exactly what online instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for online instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online online instructor courses to help get the education required to be an online instructor.
There are certain online instructor certifications that you should consider. These online instructor certifications include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).
What education do you need to become an online instructor?
What degree do you need to be an online instructor?
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Master's, 37%
- Doctorate, 8%
- Associate, 6%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an online instructor?
- Business, 15%
- Education, 10%
- Psychology, 8%
- English, 8%
- Other Majors, 59%
Most common colleges for online instructors
| Online instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 24.64% |
| Walden University | 9.17% |
| Capella University | 6.02% |
| Arizona State University | 5.16% |
| Nova Southeastern University | 5.16% |
Best majors for online instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 14.8% |
| 2 | Education | 10.2% |
| 3 | Psychology | 8.3% |
| 4 | English | 8.2% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 7.8% |
Best colleges for online instructors
The best colleges for online instructors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
An online instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for online instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become online instructors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
6. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
20 best online courses for online instructors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for online instructors
The most affordable schools for online instructors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for online instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for online instructors.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for online instructors
The hardest universities for online instructors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for online instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for online instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for online instructors
The easiest schools for online instructors to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an online instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for online instructors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average online instructor salary by education level
| Online instructor education level | Online instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,347 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $42,445 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $46,300 |
| Doctorate Degree | $51,944 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $44,915 |
Online instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025