Best Accelerated Online Bachelor’s Degrees

An August 2023 LendingTree report shows that Americans’ student loan debt grew over 1% in 2022, topping $1.77 trillion. Fortunately, many strategies to avoid debt exist — including accelerated bachelor’s degrees.

The fastest bachelor’s degrees can help you save money by awarding credit for professional experience or charging lower tuition and fees. You may also qualify for federal grants and loans to help you pay for your bachelor’s degree.

The ranked schools in this article offer online accelerated bachelor’s degrees. Interested in a different program? You can also check out accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s programs.

Note that these schools may not offer accelerated programs.

These fastest degrees align with many well-paying careers. Work with your school’s academic and career advisors to select the program that meets your unique needs.

Want to launch your accounting career quickly? Enroll in an accelerated bachelor’s degree in accounting. You’ll sharpen your analytical skills while learning how to create and evaluate financial documents.

After graduation, you can work as an accountant or auditor. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these roles pay a median annual salary of $79,880.

Did you know that a business degree can prepare you for over 50 business careers? And an accelerated program can fast-track your business education. Work in marketing, finance, human resources, or another field with a bachelor’s in business administration.

Business and finance careers also report above-average salaries, with a median pay of $79,050 per year (BLS, May 2023).

Tech is a growing field, with computer and IT occupations growing much faster than average over the next 10 years. An accelerated computer science degree can help get you on the job market faster. After strengthening your programming, web development, and analytical skills, you’ll qualify for in-demand tech careers like software development.

In addition to strong demand, software developers report a high median annual salary of $132,270 (BLS).

You can become a teacher with an accelerated bachelor’s degree in education. You can also work in early childhood education or pursue other education careers.

Elementary school teachers earn a median annual salary of $63,680 (BLS, May 2023). You can boost your earning potential by moving into administrative roles.

Curious about nonclinical careers in healthcare? An accelerated healthcare administration degree might be a good fit. You’ll study healthcare finances and learn how to manage healthcare data.

With a healthcare administration degree, you can work as a health information technician, medical office administrator, or nursing home manager. Medical and health services managers make a median annual salary of $110,680 (BLS, May 2023).

Sharpen your research and analytical skills with an accelerated bachelor’s degree in marketing. You’ll study competitor analysis, consumer research, and pricing strategy as you prepare for exciting marketing careers.

As a marketing major, you can qualify for jobs like public relations specialist and market research analyst. On top of having high job demand, market research analysts make a median annual salary of nearly $74,680 (BLS, May 2023).

Fast-track your nursing career with an online BSN program. If you’re already an RN, accelerated programs can take as little as one year.

After graduation, you’ll qualify for specialized nursing careers in acute care, pediatrics, and primary care. RNs report median wages of $86,070 per year, making a nursing degree a potentially worthwhile career investment (BLS, May 2023).

Dive into the human psyche as a psychology major. You’ll study human development, behaviors, and personality disorders during your accelerated psychology degree.

With this degree, you’ll qualify for careers for psych majors in social services, the nonprofit sector, and analytical fields. Alternatively, you can continue your education to become a psychologist.

What are the pros and cons of an accelerated bachelor’s degree? If you want a bachelor’s degree fast, make sure you’re OK with the potential drawbacks of enrolling in an accelerated program.

Accelerated bachelor’s degrees and bachelor’s-completion programs help you graduate faster than your peers in traditional bachelor’s programs. But that doesn’t mean they offer the same things.

Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by TheBestSchools. Page last reviewed December 11, 2023.