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Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor's Degree Schools

144 Schools Ranked

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for teaching students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Teaching Degree Search has created its Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 144 schools in the United States to see which ones had the most popular online doctor's degree programs for teaching students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Learn more about these popular schools with online programs:

#1

Capella University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
423 Total Awards

Our 2023 rankings named Capella University the most popular school in the United States for teaching students working on their doctor’s degree. This large private for-profit school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 423 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 82% of those degree recipients were women.

Capella University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Full Capella University Report

#2

Northcentral University

San Diego, California
392 Total Awards
$18,207 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northcentral University is a great place for teaching students working on their doctor’s degree. Northcentral University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in San Diego, California that handed out 392 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.

If you are interested in distance education, Northcentral University is an excellent choice, since graduate classes are offered online.

Read full report on Northcentral University

#3

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
387 Total Awards
$8,360 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Liberty University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular teaching schools in the United States. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 387 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.

Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.

In 2019-2020 about 97% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full Liberty University Report

#5

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, Florida
294 Total Awards
$22,790 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 144 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Nova Southeastern University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 294 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 77% were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 52% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Nova Southeastern University Report

#6

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona
272 Total Awards
$11,538 Average Tuition & Fees

Grand Canyon University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 272 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 69% of those degree recipients were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Grand Canyon University Report

#7

American College of Education

Indianapolis, Indiana
181 Total Awards
$6,600 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, American College of Education did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for teaching students working on their doctor’s degree. American College of Education is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 181 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 64% were women.

Since the graduate programs at American College of Education are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.

Read More…

#8

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, Tennessee
157 Total Awards
$11,585 Average Tuition & Fees

Trevecca Nazarene University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree teaching programs. Trevecca Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 157 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 78% were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 66% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full Trevecca Nazarene University Report

123 Total Awards
$23,510 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctor’s degrees to 123 students in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.

Around 66% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

119 Total Awards

University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 82% were women.

To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#11

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, Kentucky
94 Total Awards
$4,582 Average Tuition & Fees

University of the Cumberlands ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 94 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 67% were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#12

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
83 Total Awards
$9,378 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #12, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for teaching students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in River Forest, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 83 diplomas to qualifed doctor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 64% were women.

Around 98% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Concordia University, Chicago

#13

University of New England

Biddeford, Maine
76 Total Awards
$29,352 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #13, University of New England did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for teaching students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in Biddeford, Maine, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 76 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.

Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 50% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full University of New England Report

87 Total Awards
$10,428 Average Tuition & Fees

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree teaching programs. Located in Tampa, Florida, the large public school handed out 87 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 75% were women.

Around 69% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on University of South Florida - Main Campus

#15

William Woods University

Fulton, Missouri
68 Total Awards

William Woods University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Fulton, Missouri, and it awarded 68 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 71% of those degree recipients were women.

In 2019-2020 about 42% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on William Woods University

#15

Creighton University

Omaha, Nebraska
68 Total Awards
$19,096 Average Tuition & Fees

Creighton University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree teaching programs. Creighton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 68 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 50% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#17

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia
61 Total Awards
$13,224 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #17, Old Dominion University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for teaching students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, the large public school handed out 61 doctor’s degree awards in 2020-2021.

Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.

In 2019-2020 about 82% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#18

Brandman University

Irvine, California
54 Total Awards
$12,720 Average Tuition & Fees

Brandman University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 54 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.

Since the graduate programs at Brandman are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.

Read full report on Brandman University

51 Total Awards
$42,128 Average Tuition & Fees

A T Still University of Health Sciences ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools list. A T Still University of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit institution located in Kirksville, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 51 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 73% of those degree recipients were women.

Since the graduate programs at A T Still University of Health Sciences are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.

Read full report on A T Still University of Health Sciences

#19

St. Thomas University

Miami Gardens, Florida
51 Total Awards

St. Thomas University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Miami Gardens, Florida, and it awarded 51 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 61% were women.

Around 45% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#21

University of Missouri - Columbia

Columbia, Missouri
74 Total Awards
$11,255 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree teaching programs. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.

Around 64% of those degree recipients were women.

Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 67% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on University of Missouri - Columbia

#21

Lipscomb University

Nashville, Tennessee
48 Total Awards

Lipscomb University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Lipscomb is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 48 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 31% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Full Lipscomb University Report

#23

Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania
45 Total Awards
$14,947 Average Tuition & Fees

Gwynedd Mercy University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree teaching programs. Gwynedd - Mercy is located in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 doctor’s degrees to qualified students.

Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Gwynedd - Mercy. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Read full report on Gwynedd Mercy University

#24

William Carey University

Hattiesburg, Mississippi
44 Total Awards
$12,235 Average Tuition & Fees

William Carey University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree teaching programs. William Carey University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It awarded 44 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.

To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 58% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#25

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, Tennessee
41 Total Awards
$9,632 Average Tuition & Fees

Carson - Newman University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Online Teaching Doctor’s Degree Schools list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and it awarded 41 doctor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of those students who received their degree, 59% were women.

During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Carson - Newman University

Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our most popular online teaching schools ranking:

Rank School Location
26 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
26 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
28 Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health Omaha, NE
28 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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