If you live in the Los Angeles/Long Beach/Santa Ana area, consider how an online degree can help boost your career. Drastic budget cuts and tuition increases have made California's public universities more expensive and harder to get into. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, published tuition in California is up more than 60 percent during the 2008-16 time period. Although there is a current tuition freeze in place at public universities in California, that freeze is likely to be lifted starting in the 2017-18 school year, reports The Sacramento Bee. Online schools are an alternative, offering flexible, affordable and high-quality degree programs.
In-Depth Information about Los Angeles Online Degrees
An education from an accredited online school in Los Angeles gives you the opportunity to earn a degree that showcases your skills and talents. Each of the following majors, identified by the National Center for Education Statistics as the most popular among undergraduates, are offered by Los Angeles online schools:
- Business
- Social sciences
- Health sciences
- Education
There are also many excellent brick-and-mortar colleges in the Los Angeles area that have mixed online and on-campus components. These classes are an option if you are studying a subject, such as film production, that requires you to work with specialized equipment that a school provides on-site.
Online Degree Programs in Los Angeles: Which Degree Levels Do They Offer?
Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Santa Ana online schools offer degrees at every level. Your earning potential is likely to increase with each degree you attain. These 2015 national median weekly wages for each degree level paint a clear picture.
- Doctoral: $1,623
- Professional: $1,730
- Master's: $1,341
- Bachelor's: $1,137
- Associate: $798
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Los Angeles Degree Programs: What Are the Benefits?
According to the Los Angeles Times, commuters in the Los Angeles area spend an average of 80 hours each year stuck in traffic. Making the Internet your classroom saves you gas and spares you the time-suck of the freeway. The flexibility of Los Angeles online schools enables students to access the virtual classroom anywhere there is an Internet connection.
Which Jobs in Los Angeles Can You Get After Earning Your Degree?
Many positions you can earn in Los Angeles after earning your degree are in the health care and computer/tech industries. The BLS reports impressive nationally projected employment growth and median annual income figures for many occupations requiring post-secondary training, including:
- Physician Assistant: 30 percent growth, $98,180
- Computer Software Developers: 17 percent growth, $100,690
- Surgical Technologists: 15 percent growth, $44,330
Income figures are 2015 median pay, while growth is based expected job openings from 2014-2024.
Finally, keep in mind that earning a degree not only leads to higher pay, but to a greater likelihood of landing a job. The BLS reveals that the 2015 unemployment rate for people with high school diplomas was 2.6 points higher than for people with a bachelor's degree.
Sources:
- Funding Down, Tuition Up, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, http://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/funding-down-tuition-up
- Is L.A.'s traffic the worst in the U.S.? Depends on how you measure it, Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-is-los-angeles-traffic-the-worst-20150826-story.html
- California public universities consider tuition hikes you can count on, The Sacramento Bee, February 14, 2016, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article60386766.html
- College Navigator, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
- Earnings and unemployment rates by educational attainment, 2015, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_001.htm
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, http://www.bls.gov/ooh