Web developers are responsible for building, maintaining and enhancing a website’s functionality. It’s important to note that web developers are different from web designers: web designers design the graphics and layout of a website, whereas web developers develop the code that creates and runs the website in the first place.

Prospective students looking to begin or expand upon their education in web development at an online college have a couple of options: they can enroll in an associate program, where they can learn about tools, technologies and practices at an introductory level, or a bachelor’s degree program, where they can receive more comprehensive instruction on multiple topics related to the industry. Both options have distinct advantages and may aid individuals in achieving their professional goals.

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Best Online Colleges for Web Development in 2018-19

To help online and nontraditional students interested in web development find the school that can best suit their needs, OnlineColleges.com has put together this ranking of the 10 best online colleges for web development. We used data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), analyzing data points such as acceptance rate and in-state tuition costs with our proprietary methodology.

1

Stark State College

Tuition & Fees
$4,070
Distance Education Participation
46%
Location
North Canton, OH
School Type
2-year
School Website

The web development degree program at this Ohio school focuses more on practical instruction than theory. Here are some of the subjects studied on the path to the associate degree in web design and development at Stark State College:

  • Search engine optimization
  • Content Management System (CMS) design and development
  • PHP and MySQL
  • Web graphics
  • Advanced Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

The degree plan requires 64 credit hours of coursework to complete, which typically takes four semesters of full-time study. Once enrolled, students can receive special discount rates on essential tools like Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver software. A one-year certificate option that focuses on the design side of Web development is also available at Stark State.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Location:

6100 Frank Ave NW
North Canton, OH 44720
2

National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension

Tuition & Fees
$6,075
Distance Education Participation
73%
Location
Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD
School Type
4-year
School Website

The online bachelor's degree in web development at our No. 2 school is offered as an emphasis within an information technology (IT) degree plan. Key courses in the emphasis include the following:

  • Client-side scripting
  • Designing user interfaces
  • Server-side applications
  • Web design and programming
  • Responsive web development

Students who are interested in a hybrid program may be able to take some of their classes on a traditional campus in Colorado, South Dakota or Texas. Check the National American University website for a complete list of hybrid-compatible cities. NAU was also the only one of the best online schools for web development degrees to maintain a location on military property — Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Location:

5301 Mt. Rushmore Rd.
Rapid City, SD 57701
3

Cerro Coso Community College

Tuition & Fees
$1,290
Distance Education Participation
50%
Location
Ridgecrest, CA
School Type
2-year
School Website

Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, California, offers an Associate of Science (AS) degree that focuses on usability, accessibility, coding, scripting and problem solving. Students learn interactive design fundamentals along with networking, databases and other IT necessities.

CCCC ranked No. 4 among the schools on our list for its percentage of web development graduates in 2015. It also ranked among the five best online colleges for web development degrees in graduation rate.

Students who plan to go on to a four-year degree after earning their AS have an extra option at CCCC. The school offers a transfer track that includes a series of courses designed to satisfy California public university general education requirements.

Accreditation:

  • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

Location:

3000 College Heights Blvd.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-9571
4

Lewis-Clark State College

Tuition & Fees
$6,618
Distance Education Participation
45%
Location
Lewiston, ID
School Type
4-year
School Website

Contemporary front- and back-end web technologies make up the core of the curriculum at this Idaho school. The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree plan at LCSC contains courses in the following subjects:

  • Multimedia web applications
  • Internet business programming
  • JavaScript
  • Image editing and illustration
  • Electronic commerce

Lewis-Clark also placed near the top on two of our key metrics. LCSC ranked No. 2 for its percentage of degrees awarded in the field and had the third-highest graduation rate among the best online colleges for web development degrees. Idaho students who live in the area and desire a hybrid program may be able to take some of their courses in a brick-and-mortar classroom.

Accreditation:

  • Northeast Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

Location:

500 8th Ave.
Lewiston, ID 83501-2698
5

Baker College

Tuition & Fees
$9,800
Distance Education Participation
57%
Location
Flint, MI
School Type
4-year
School Website

Baker College offers an online bachelor's degree program in web development for students seeking deep training in the tools and theory of the discipline. The course list for this four-year degree plan includes more in-depth training in programming languages than some other programs do. Back-end IT administration concepts are covered as well.

Here is a short list of courses taken in the Baker College program that may not be a part of two-year associate degree plans:

  • Visual BASIC
  • Advanced Java programming
  • Web server administration
  • Systems development
  • ActionScript programming

The program is designed to work well with the AAS program in web design also offered at Baker. Students with other types of prior study to transfer in should speak to a program advisor about their compatibility.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Location:

1050 W Bristol Rd.
Flint, MI 48507-5508
6

Riverland Community College

Tuition & Fees
$5,570
Distance Education Participation
47%
Location
Austin, MN
School Type
2-year
School Website

The 60-credit AAS program at Riverland Community College trains web developers with an eye toward high-value multimedia content. The schedule of online courses at this Austin, Minnesota, school includes five total credit hours of instruction in web animation and digital video.

The top graduation rate of any school on our list was found at Riverland, according to NCES data. What's more, Riverland is the only one of the 10 best online colleges for web development degrees to earn the Web Professional Academy certification from the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW).

For students seeking a shorter web skills study plan, Riverland offers certificate programs in web page design and web developer game design.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Location:

1900 8th Ave NW
Austin, MN 55912-1473
7

St. Petersburg College

Tuition & Fees
$2,682
Distance Education Participation
58%
Location
Clearwater, FL
School Type
4-year
School Website

A strong foundation in web skills and technologies can be found in the AS program at this Florida-based school. Along with training in Structured Query Language (SQL) and other essentials for web work, students can expect to take courses like these:

  • Local area network (LAN) concepts
  • Social media and web technologies
  • Systems analysis and design
  • Interactive web media tools

Near the end of their program at SPC, students take a web development internship to help them understand the real-world contexts for the skills they've learned in class. SPC web development students also graduated at the second-highest rate among the best online colleges for web development degrees.

The program also features extensive training in JavaScript, an essential programming language for web professionals.

Accreditation:

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

Location:

6021 142nd Ave.
Clearwater, FL 33760-2822
8

Harrisburg Area Community College - Harrisburg

Tuition & Fees
$7,935
Distance Education Participation
38%
Location
Harrisburg, PA
School Type
2-year
School Website

The associate degree in web development and design at Harrisburg Area Community College includes training in effective communication along with its tech-focused courses. Here's a list of potential job titles for graduates, according to the program website:

  • Web developer
  • Web designer
  • Interactive media specialist
  • Web producer
  • Web application developer
  • Web content writer

The degree plan at this Pennsylvania school features three distinct study tracks. The Web Application Development track focuses on building data-driven sites and web-based software. Interactive Web Media students learn how to use rich media to create appealing content. The General Web Studies track allows students to create a study plan that delivers a mix of design and development skills.

Accreditation:

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

Location:

1 HACC Dr.
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2999
9

Macomb Community College

Tuition & Fees
$5,952
Distance Education Participation
31%
Location
Warren, MI
School Type
2-year
School Website

Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, packages their web development study plan as an information technology degree with a website programming emphasis. This degree's coursework focuses heavily on coding, scripting and other back-end work.

Macomb students can set up their degree plan in such a way that the credits transfer easily to an IT bachelor's program. Those who do wish to continue their web development education at the bachelor's level should talk to an advisor shortly after enrolling. The school mentions no formal transfer agreements, but admins at Macomb are aware of the policies and tendencies of Michigan universities and can help you chart a path.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Location:

14500 E Twelve Mile Rd.
Warren, MI 48088-3896
10

Central Georgia Technical College

Tuition & Fees
$2,778
Distance Education Participation
49%
Location
Warner Robins, GA
School Type
2-year
School Website

Online web development degrees at Central Georgia Technical College place large emphasis on subject matter that directly relates to the major. This program's 64-credit study plan features just 15 credit hours of general education coursework, reserving more than two-thirds of overall class time to teach web skills.

Web development and web design are both represented in the CGTC curriculum. Information security, IT analysis and project management are among the subjects covered. In their final semester, students may choose either a web systems project or an internship period to help tie together all the concepts they've learned.

For those not seeking a degree, CGTC offers a diploma program in website design and development. It requires just eight credits of general coursework and can be completed in 54 credit hours.

Accreditation:

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

Location:

80 Cohen Walker Dr.
Warner Robins, GA 31088
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2018-19, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Degree Overview: Web Development

To do their jobs properly, a web developer must have working knowledge of both the aesthetic and technical aspects of a website, as well as a strong grasp of programming and graphic design. Formal education through online programs for web development can help them get there, but how? This section will detail some of the oft-seen courses found in online web development programs, as well as the skills those courses may help to nurture in their students.

Online Web Development Courses

Though there are some certificates available in web development that can provide a starting point for a career, most aspiring professionals must have an associate degree in order to begin entry-level work in web development. An associate degree program can take up to two years, though accelerated programs might allow a hard-working student to finish their studies in 18 months. Students who embark on an associate degree program for web development may see some of the following courses:

  • Introduction to Operating Systems
  • Introduction to Javascripting
  • Software Logic and Design
  • Management of Information Systems
  • Web Client Scripting

Students who want to move into the workforce immediately can opt for an applied associate degree, which focuses on the courses students will need to start hands-on work. On the other hand, those aiming for a bachelor's degree may instead want to find an associate degree in web development that allows them to transfer their credits to a bachelor's program.

Online bachelor's degree programs in web development usually take up to four years to complete. These programs are expected to go in-depth with various aspects of web development, including a strong overview of programming languages and demanding graphic design courses. Courses encountered at this level might include:

  • Problem Solving with Computing
  • Introduction to Web Page Construction
  • Javascript for Programmers
  • Information Design and Usability
  • Multimedia Authoring, Scripting and Production

Students should graduate from their online program with a substantial portfolio of work, serving as a representation of the work they can do as a web developer. Employers can base their hiring decisions on a variety of factors, but the portfolio is usually a prominent one, so students can expect several courses that focus on building that portfolio to be a competitive presentation of work.

Finally, master's and PhD pathways are available for those in web development, though these are not as common as the undergraduate options. Those who choose these graduate degrees should prepare for courses that advance the basic information they already know; for instance, a student who learned Javascript during their bachelor's pursuit might choose the master's degree in order to learn other programming languages, giving them versatility that might be quite appealing to a potential employer.

Career-Related Skills to Develop

Those who pursue online education in web development can look forward to honing a number of skills that will hold them in good stead during their career. Developing the ability to concentrate for long periods of time while upholding intense attention to detail is definitely required of web developers, as it can take many hours of careful work to write detailed code. That attention to detail is vitally important, as one tiny mistake in the midst of all those long lines of code can be enough to prevent an entire website from working properly.

Creativity is also vitally important, especially in a world where so many websites are competing to get attention online. Though web development is not graphic design and a corporation will often have creative designers to take point on this aspect, creativity can lead to a better portfolio and thus better hiring opportunities — and of course, a web developer working for a small company or as a freelancer will need to handle the creative and marketing aspects themselves. A freelance web developer will also need to develop customer service skills, as they will find themselves working directly with clients to varying degrees in order to make their vision for a website come to life.

Web Development Career Outlook

As people figure out more ways for technology to be of use to companies and employers, more and more people are needed to use and handle that technology. Web development careers will likely continue to be solid pursuits for quite some time considering the rate at which they are growing, making a web development degree a valuable goal.

Web Developers
Average Salary
$82,370
Projected Job Openings
15,100
Projected Job Growth
13
Entry-level Education
Associate's degree

If you love technology but also enjoy being creative, web development might be the perfect field to pursue. Web developers deal with the technical and creative aspects of building a website. Not only do they create the look and feel of websites used by individuals and businesses, but they deal with technical details like performance, capacity and website speed, giving the web developer creative control over both aspects.

Earning an associate degree in web development is the most common way to begin this lucrative and exciting career. However, it is not the only path to this career: some entry-level positions may be achievable with a high school diploma and plenty of on-the-job experience, while conversely, some particularly technical employers may require a bachelor's degree.

Computer and Information Systems Managers
Average Salary
$156,390
Projected Job Openings
38,800
Projected Job Growth
11.3
Entry-level Education
Bachelor's degree

When you have several departments made up of several people who are all performing several tasks on different computers within different networks, you need somebody who can organize all of that technology. These experts plan, coordinate and direct computer-related activities for their employer or organization in multiple ways:

  • Chief information officers (CIOs) are the big-picture thinkers who plot an overarching technology strategy for their organization, then take steps to make sure that strategy is put into effect.
  • Chief technology officers (CTOs) are always on the look for new technology that can help their organization be more effective and efficient. The CTO usually reports directly to the CIO.
  • IT directors are the leaders of their organization's IT departments. They are the people who put the CIO's plans into action: they coordinate the rest of the IT department and handle their department's budget.
  • IT security managers protect their organization's network and data security. They plan and implement security measures, enforce them throughout the company and supervise investigations into security breaches.
Computer Network Support Specialists
Average Salary
$68,860
Projected Job Openings
17,400
Projected Job Growth
6.4
Entry-level Education
Associate's degree

Computer network support specialists provide back-end support to a variety of workers in various office settings. This role is vital to many organizations; it's no exaggeration to call these professionals the backbone of their organizations. They troubleshoot problems that occur with websites and computer networks; provide technical support to their colleagues; and perform regular network maintenance to ensure computer networks are running smoothly and efficiently.

Because this career can involve supporting such a wide variety of programs and machines, many educational paths can lead here. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some computer network support specialist careers begin with a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field, while others start with an associate's degree or some postsecondary education.

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