Guide to Online Colleges in Kentucky

Scenic and storied, Eastern Kentucky University has existed since 1906, when it was founded as a teaching school on the campus of the old Central University. Through EKU Online, online degree programs are available at all degree levels, from associate to doctoral, and cover subjects such as education (of course), police studies and social intelligence. The majority of EKU's online courses have multiple start dates year-round, and are offered in accelerated eight-week terms.

EKU Online offers students access to online tutoring and dedicated online academic advisors, and the Eastern Kentucky University Libraries can deliver needed materials right to your doorstep via UPS courier. Each EKU online student can also receive a full version of Microsoft Office at no additional cost.

Founded in 1847 to serve orphaned girls and disadvantaged women, Midway University elected to become coeducational in 2016. Since this decision, not only can Kentucky students of all genders and backgrounds benefit from a Midway education, but students from all over the United States can join them through Midway's online degree programs.

Online courses at Midway are offered in an accelerated eight-week format, with five start times each year. Coursework is primarily delivered asynchronously, through the Moodle learning management system. By using the university's Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program, students can transfer in credit from previous college coursework, military experience or portfolios of work that demonstrate proficiency in certain subjects.

On the first day of class for the church-sponsored Morehead Normal School, one single student arrived to learn from the school's single teaching program. What began as a rented cottage being used as a classroom has since evolved into a sprawling public university that boasts an impressive radio telescope system, as well as distance-based classes.

Online bachelor's and online master's degree programs are at the core of MSU's distance learning opportunities, some with the option for additional specializations or endorsements. MSU also has several initiatives designed to assist nontraditional students: the Caudill Fellowship can help students age 65 and older to attend MSU at no cost, and the Project Graduate initiative offers many benefits to returning students who have previously earned more than 80 credit hours.

Western Kentucky University's Online Learning program hosts online associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs for distance learners, as well as graduate certificate and endorsement programs. The university's online associate degree programs cover subjects including education, interdisciplinary studies and nursing. Meanwhile, their bachelor's degree programs include "2+2" degree plans, designed for students who have completed requirements for associate degrees prior to enrollment.

Distance learners at WKU also have access to such helpful services as the university library, IT help desk, writing and math lab services, tutoring, and presentation and success coaching, all geared toward assisting students' academic and personal success.

In 1888, a group of Baptist ministers founded the Williamsburg Institute, a college that would go on to acquire Highland College and thereby become the University of the Cumberlands. For many years, students of the university typically came from the Appalachian mountain area, but with the advent of online education, students can attend this institution from all over the world.

U of Cumberlands students have several choices when it comes to online learning. In addition to a variety of online bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, criminal justice, religious studies and more, students may be interested in the multiple online doctoral programs available in fields like education, leadership and psychology (although some of these are hybrid programs that require some degree of on-site study).

The idea for Northern Kentucky University first began when a group of students were so eager for higher education that they began taking classes from high school teachers at the Trailways Bus Station in Covington, Kentucky. This rallied a group of community members to lobby for a new school to satisfy this educational need, and resulted in the creation of what would become Northern Kentucky University.

Through the Canvas learning management system, online NKU students can attend accelerated online courses year-round, in seven-week-long sessions. NKU's online degree programs can be pursued in fields like business, criminal justice and health care, while the university's special online MBA program (divided into five-week sessions instead of seven-week) allows students to specialize in not one, but two areas.

Murray State University, a four-year state-supported school, was founded in 1922 and boasts school colors of navy blue and gold. On-campus and online students alike are able to learn more about happenings at the university and its instructors, speakers and students through the school's Blue & Gold Digital Magazine.

Online students at Murray State can take advantage of many online graduate and undergraduate degree programs, such as an online associate program in general studies, a bachelor's in manufacturing engineering technology and a master's in telecommunications systems management. Certificates and education endorsements are also available, as are non-credit training programs, such as a seven-week-long GRE test prep program.

A private four-year school that is evangelical but multi-denominational, Asbury University offers different forms of education for the different needs of its students. Through Asbury, students can find high school dual enrollment options, as well as undergraduate, graduate and degree completion programs. Several of these options are online, available in disciplines as varied as leadership and management, social work and instructional design. If they're having difficulties, online students can access the Online Center for help, as well as the resources of Asbury's academic advisors, help desk and library services.

The University of Louisville operated as a municipally-supported school for many decades between its founding in 1813 and its joining Kentucky's university system in 1970. The university boasts a replica of Auguste Rodin's "Thinker" to inspire students who are on campus, and several online courses and programs to support students who are off-campus.

Online education at UofL includes online bachelor's and master's degree programs in subjects such as communications, higher education administration, and social work. Several of these programs feature concentrations that students can use to refine their education. There are also options for competency-based degree programs, as well as certificate and endorsement programs.

The school colors at the University of Kentucky are white and royal blue, with the blue chosen to match the color of a varsity football player's tie way back in the 1800s. Distance learning students can discover what it means to "see blue" by enrolling in a UKY online degree program, made available through the university's UKOnline portal and the Canvas learning management system. Whether an online master's in arts administration or a hybrid Bachelor of Health Science in clinical leadership management is sought, students have many choices for distance learning at UKY.