According to www.elearners.com which tracks down trends in the online degree program, there is a clear trend towards business courses, primarily at the level of a bachelor’s degree. The sub specialties of business courses are also receiving wide attention. Those who are inclined to pursue a master’s degree in Business Administration are going the opposite direction, looking towards a more generalized and broad business education.

This view is also supported by www.geteducated.com where the most common online degree sought is an MBA. The popularity of the MBA program as an online alternative may be due to the fact that those who have the intention of pursuing an MBA are already burdened by the demands of a job with vertical improvement prospects, or with children and family, resulting in the physical difficulty of attending a regular post-graduate program in a traditional business school. Thus, the attractiveness of an online program definitely caters to this specific but empowered market niche.

Also from the same website, there is an upsurge in a new online degree called Leadership, which seeks to fill in the top management positions. The upsurge has dislodged some of the recently popular choices such as Internet and E-Commerce.

Teachers on the other hand are also looking towards online education in their quest for higher learning. According to http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com teachers are eyeing graduate degrees in Education Management, Administration & Supervision, and Curriculum and Instruction as their top choices. Teacher’s aids are pursuing online bachelor’s degrees in education. Among the common choices are Early Childhood Education & Special Education. Being in the educational sector, they know the value and added convenience offered by the online degree programs available now.

Online nursing degrees are also gaining in popularity with those involved in the health profession. As most are pursuing education side by side with employment at a health facility, the process is a combination of online learning, for the non-clinical portion of the program while the clinical component is done at a health or medical facility nearby. This is necessary due to the precision of the clinical component, which cannot be done through an online program as the monitoring and evaluation will often require up close examination. Other common science options include Psychology & Health Care Administration. This is perhaps due to the knowledge that healthcare and allied services will be a growth area as the level of science constantly improves our life expectancy.

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