An economics degree is a quantitative one, so start with the math you are willing to take. Then compare whether classes meet at set times, which college awards the degree, and what each credit costs.
Maryland meets live one evening a week and New Mexico State is mostly synchronous, while UNC Charlotte is fully asynchronous. A schedule that clashes with your shifts costs more than a few dollars per credit. Check it first.
Compare 12 Online Economics Bachelor’s Programs
Each card names what sets the program apart and links to the school’s own degree page.
Bachelor of Science in Economics, Business
This is the business-school version of the economics major, so accounting, finance, marketing and supply chain courses sit next to micro and macro theory. Classes run 7.5 weeks, and the plan totals 41 classes and 120 credit hours. Students who want an Accelerated Master’s can start graduate work early, and a separate Economics (BS) in Liberal Arts is listed for readers who want fewer business requirements.
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Eastern Oregon lets you steer the degree: foreign language credits finish the BA, science credits finish the BS, and faculty supervise the econometrics capstones at the end. Up to 135 credits can transfer, and the posted rate is $338 per credit hour,, which suits a reader returning with a long transcript from earlier college work.
Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Florida International teaches its fully online BA inside a school of international and public affairs, and the program is aimed at business, government and international-agency careers, with law school named as a popular next step. Florida residents pay $235.57 per credit hour plus fees across 120 credits, and new students can begin in fall, spring or summer.
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Economics
George Mason offers both versions online, so the real choice is how much math you want. The BS leans quantitative and points toward analyst jobs in government, consulting or trade associations; the BA builds critical thinking, language and writing for readers heading to law school or a public administration master’s. Both run 120 credits.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
North Carolina A&T describes its online BS as a dedicated economics degree, not a concentration tucked inside a business degree, and says it is the only one at an HBCU. Up to nine free electives from any department give you room to build a second focus or absorb transfer hours. Only the general curriculum runs online, so plan around that single track.
Economics, B.A. or B.S.
Oregon State counts in quarter credits, so the 180 required is closer to 120 semester credits than it looks. The economics major comes with the College of Liberal Arts core, which means broad coursework beyond economics. Readers with a narrower interest can compare the online Finance degree or Environmental Economics and Policy BS, and an honors degree is available online.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
Penn State’s BS is the heavy-quantitative route, with emphasis on mathematics, statistics and programming plus supporting math and computer science. The BA shares the same required core if you want less of that. The World Campus calls the pace your own, with many students taking one or two courses a semester, and the page lists $644 or $692 per credit over 120 credits.
Bachelor of Arts in Economics Online Degree Completion
San Diego State’s BA is a degree-completion program, so it only suits someone who already has 60 transferable units, the CSU requirements done and a 2.4 GPA. For those readers the minimum is two years at $574 per unit. The degree is the same Liberal Arts and Sciences BA with an economics major that on-campus students earn.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
Most of Mizzou’s economics students pair the major with something else, and the online BS is built for that: add political science, business or another field and keep the advanced math. The Mizzou Online BA covers the same subject with less quantitative focus. Courses are semester-based with no campus visits, and current Mizzou students can stack an MA or an MPA on top.
Economics, B.S. Online
UNC Charlotte teaches this BS entirely online and asynchronously, which matters if your work hours change week to week. The Business Administration concentration points toward consulting, finance and analytics, while the Liberal Arts concentration frees 15 credit hours outside business for policy, law or research interests. A later Early Entry pathway reaches its master’s in economics.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
The University of Utah sits inside its College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, so the electives lean toward international trade, development, inequality and sustainability. The page lists 48 required credits at $556.36 each, and you may start in the fall, spring or summer, with the fall deadline on April 1 and the spring deadline on November 1.
Economics, BS
Utah State’s online degree is a Huntsman School of Business major, a Bachelor of Science or Arts in Economics with 60 credits in the major and a cost of $419 per credit. Sample courses include Intermediate Macroeconomics and Introduction to Econometrics next to a business foundations course, which suits readers who want an economics degree with a business school’s framing.
Compare 9 Online Economics Master’s Programs
These master’s programs range from theory-heavy economics degrees to applied economics and data-focused tracks.
Master of Arts in Economics
George Mason is the place for readers drawn to public choice, Austrian and experimental economics, taught with a focus on how economic, political and legal institutions interact. The online MA is 30 credits over 18 months at $1,065 per credit, ending in a capstone research project after the core theory and methods courses.
Economics, M.A.
Georgia State lets you decide course by course how much to take online, since everything can be online or mixed with in-person classes. The 33 to 36 credit MA splits into an Analytics Track for deeper technical training and a General Economics Track for broader applied work, and the department cites a record of placing students in doctoral programs.
Master of Science in Applied Economics
Johns Hopkins builds its applied economics master’s from 10 courses over 12 to 24 months, with electives in environmental, financial, health, international and spatial economics and public policy. The program lists online and on-campus study, and full-time or part-time attendance, so you can switch format as your workload changes.
Master of Arts in Economics
NMSU’s Global Campus runs this MA mostly synchronously, so expect scheduled class times in 16-week fall and spring terms and 8-week summer terms. The 30 credits can be taken with or without the Public Utility Policy and Regulation concentration, and entry requires intermediate micro and macro theory plus a statistics course that includes simple regression.
Master of Arts in Economics
Old Dominion packs courses into accelerated 8-week sessions, with six start dates a year, so you can begin nearly any season. The 30 credits include 21 hours of core theory and econometrics, six elective credits and a capstone, and the curriculum is built to prepare for the Certified Business Economist credential. Tuition is $672 per credit for Virginia residents.
Online Master of Science in Economics
Purdue’s Krannert program lets you start small: each of its three specializations (financial economics, business and economics data analytics, public economics and policy) is also a graduate certificate whose courses count toward the full 30-credit master’s. Students take two to three years and start in August or January, working with tools such as Stata, Matlab and Python.
Master of Arts in Economics, Econometric and Data Analysis Concentration
Florida’s 100% online economics master’s is a one-year sprint with a concentration in econometric and data analysis, built around advanced microeconomics, econometrics and tools like R and Python. No GRE is required, and there are spring and fall starts. It rewards readers who can commit to an intense year and want data skills for consulting, finance or government jobs.
Master of Science in Applied Economics (Online)
Maryland’s online applied economics master’s meets live one evening a week on Washington, D.C. time, usually as two 60-minute Zoom sessions plus a few short recorded videos. The department says no course is fully asynchronous or self-paced, so this one is for readers who can reliably set aside the same evening every week.
Master of Science in Economics
West Virginia’s online MS asks you to pick an emphasis, either empirical economics or political economy, and then builds econometric models in R. The John Chambers College of Business and Economics lists public economics and health economics electives, so the degree suits readers who want policy evaluation skills in public finance or health care.
Match the Program to Your Goal
Quantitative and Graduate Preparation
Penn State’s BS stresses mathematics, statistics and programming, George Mason describes its BS as the more quantitative degree, and Mizzou adds advanced math to its BS. At the master’s level, Purdue, Florida and West Virginia build econometrics into the core.
Policy, Law and Broad Study
George Mason’s BA and Florida International’s international and public affairs home suit readers headed to law, government or public administration. UNC Charlotte’s Liberal Arts concentration frees 15 credit hours outside business for policy interests.
The economist career guide explains the typical entry credential and the roles a bachelor’s can open. To rank schools by outcomes instead of format, open the bachelor’s rankings or the master’s rankings.
Questions About Online Economics Degrees
Can You Earn an Economics Degree Fully Online?
Yes, at both levels. Twelve bachelor’s and nine master’s programs at universities across the country state on their own pages that the degree can be completed online. Some have conditions: North Carolina A&T offers only its general curriculum online, Georgia State and Johns Hopkins also teach on campus, and Maryland and New Mexico State schedule live class meetings.
Should You Choose a BA or a BS in Economics Online?
George Mason calls its BS the more quantitative degree, suited to analyst jobs and graduate study in economics or business. Its BA is a broader liberal arts path suited to law school or public administration. Penn State pairs a math, statistics and programming emphasis in the BS with a BA that shares the same required core.
Which Online Applied Economics Master’s Programs Are Worth Comparing?
Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland both award a Master of Science in Applied Economics with an online option. Purdue, Florida and West Virginia pair economics with data work through specializations in analytics, an econometric and data analysis concentration, and an empirical economics emphasis. Maryland’s online courses meet live one evening a week, while Purdue lets you start with a stackable certificate.
Do Online Economics Programs Have Live Class Times?
It varies. UNC Charlotte teaches its bachelor’s fully asynchronously. New Mexico State’s master’s is mostly synchronous, and Maryland’s applied economics master’s meets one evening a week on Washington, D.C. time. Old Dominion runs accelerated 8-week courses, which compresses the work into a shorter, more intense term.
Do You Need a Master’s Degree to Work as an Economist?
A master’s degree is the typical entry credential for economists. Some government positions accept a bachelor’s degree with substantial economics and quantitative coursework, and research and senior roles may require a Ph.D. A bachelor’s in economics also leads to analyst, finance, policy and law school routes.
Sources and Method
Degree, format and cost details come from the school pages below. Read how federal records and school pages are used in our program comparison method.
- BLS Economists for typical entry education.
- Arizona State University Bachelor of Science in Economics, Business page.
- Eastern Oregon University Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Economics page.
- Florida International University Bachelor of Arts in Economics page.
- George Mason University Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Economics page.
- North Carolina A&T State University Bachelor of Science in Economics page.
- Oregon State University Economics, B.A. or B.S. page.
- Pennsylvania State University World Campus Bachelor of Science in Economics page.
- San Diego State University Bachelor of Arts in Economics Online Degree Completion page.
- University of Missouri Bachelor of Science in Economics page.
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte Economics, B.S. Online page.
- University of Utah Bachelor of Science in Economics page.
- Utah State University Economics, BS page.
- George Mason University Master of Arts in Economics page.
- Georgia State University Economics, M.A. page.
- Johns Hopkins University Master of Science in Applied Economics page.
- New Mexico State University Master of Arts in Economics page.
- Old Dominion University Master of Arts in Economics page.
- Purdue University Online Master of Science in Economics page.
- University of Florida Master of Arts in Economics, Econometric and Data Analysis Concentration page.
- University of Maryland, College Park Master of Science in Applied Economics (Online) page.
- West Virginia University Master of Science in Economics page.
