In a tough business climate it’s more important than ever to maximize your personal skills and assets in order to stand out to executives and recruiters or successfully launch out on your own. A business degree from a recognized, accredited, top-ranked college or university can help you do that.

Advantages of Online Business Degrees

Because of the greater flexibility and generally lower costs, many people are going online to earn their business degrees, allowing them to continue working and spend time with their families while earning their degree. In fact, business administration degrees continually rank among the most popular online degrees.

How We Rank Online Business Degrees

As with businesses, colleges, universities and online degree programs vary widely in terms of quality, name recognition, and value. To assist those looking for an online bachelor’s degree in business or business administration, we’ve put together this ranking of the best accredited online bachelor degree programs in business and business administration for 2011-2012. Our rankings are based on publicly available data evaluated according to several different criteria, including reputation, accreditation, student satisfaction, and cost. You can read more about our rankings philosophy and find a list of our other rankings on our rankings page.

If you already have a bachelor’s degree and are interested in an online MBA, be sure to check out our ranking of the 25 best online MBA programs.

Top 10 Online Bachelor of Business Degree Programs Ranked

Note that many of the programs in our ranking are degree completion programs that require some prior college credits. Also, tuition rates are those listed as of June 2011 and may not include all applicable fees.

#1. Washington State University

Executive Summary – A competitively priced AACSB accredited program from a respected state university.

Program: WSU’s Online Bachelor of Business degree program is a four-year program offered by the school’s College of Business. The program began admitting freshman in 2010 so that students can now enroll in the program with no prior college credit. Majors are offered in Accounting, Management and Operations, and Management Information Systems.

 

#2. Florida International University

Executive Summary – An extremely affordable AACSB accredited degree from a top-ranked business school with an international focus.

Program: Florida International’s Online Bachelor of Business Administration is a 120 credit program that requires no prior coursework for enrollment. Students may major in Finance, Human Resource Management, International Business, or Management.

 

#3. UMassOnline

Executive Summary – A reasonably priced AACSB accredited degree from a highly regarded business school.

Program Details: The Online Bachelor of Business Administration degree program is a 120 credit hour part-time degree completion program administered by UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Business. Incoming students are required to have an associate’s degree or have completed at least 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university.

 

#4. Penn State World Campus

Executive Summary – A practically-oriented degree program from a high profile public university with an excellent reputation for online education.

Program: Penn State’s Online Bachelor of Science in Business is a 120 credit degree completion program. Students must have an associates degree or at least 60 prior credit hours from an accredited college or university to enroll. The program offers a Management and Marketing option for students interested in specializing in those areas.

 

#5. University of Illinois at Springfield

Executive Summary – An inexpensive AACSB accredited program from one of America’s best public colleges and an award winning leader in online education.

Program: Illinois Springfield’s Online Bachelor of Business Administration is an online degree completion program administered by the UIS College of Business and Management and identical to the school’s on-campus B.B.A. in every way except the admissions process. Students must have at least 54 credit hours of prior coursework from an accredited college or university in order to enroll.

 

#6. University of Minnesota at Crookston

Executive Summary – A very low-cost business management program with an excellent job placement record from an esteemed public university.

Program: Minnesota Crookston’s Online Bachelor of Science in Business Management is a 120 credit hour program designed to prepare graduates for management-level positions in the business, nonprofit and government sectors. The program curriculum is the same as the on-campus degree and no previous coursework is required prior to enrollment.

 

#7. California State University-East Bay

Executive Summary – The only AACSB accredited online business administration degree offered by a California university is also an excellent value.

Program: Cal State East Bay’s Online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is a two-year, 105-115 unit degree completion program administered by the school’s College of Business and Economics. At least two years of previous coursework towards an accredited bachelor’s degree is require for enrollment. Student may choose optional emphases in Finance, Supply Chain Management, or Corporate Management.

 

#8. Drexel University Online

Executive Summary – This career-oriented, AACSB accredited program from a highly regarded business school is high quality, but a little pricey.

Program: Drexel’s Online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is a 180 quarter credit hour degree completion program administered by Drexel’s Lebow College of Business. Students must have at least 24 credit of previous college coursework with at least a 2.5 GPA in order to enroll. The program can be completed on either a part-time or a full-time basis.

 

#9. Huntington University

Executive Summary – A unique and affordable program from a top-ranked private liberal arts college.

Program: Huntington’s Online Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration is a 128 credit hour degree completion program. Students must complete at least 60 credits from and accredited college or university prior to enrollment. Courses are taken one at a time and students are assigned to a cohort that they remain with through the entire program. Students are also required to complete an Applied Business Research Project related to their work or community interests.

 

#10. Spring Arbor University

Executive Summary – A moderately priced faith-oriented program from a top-tier Christian liberal arts university.

Program: Spring Arbor’s Online Bachelor of Science in Business is a degree completion program requiring 58 semester hours of prior coursework for enrollment. Courses are taught from an explicitly Christian ethical perspective. Students are required to complete a practical field-based research project to graduate.