Best Online Network Administration Degrees in 2027

What an Online Network Administration Degree Covers

An online network administration degree is built around the work of running an organization’s network. BLS describes the job in one line, saying administrators install, configure, and maintain organizations’ computer networks and systems. The degree is the structured way to learn that work.

A Typical Course Sequence

Published curricula show how much the emphasis varies. At American National University the bachelor’s includes Windows Server Administration and Network Server Installation and Configuration, which leans toward servers. At Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology the courses include Implementing and Administering Network Solutions, Cloud Deployment and Operations and Managing Cloud Security, finishing with an Information Technology Capstone.

Ball State University lists Wired/Wireless Network Infrastructures, Datacenter Virtualization, Linux and Technology Automation among its topics. At the graduate level, North Carolina A&T State University offers Networking Security Applications and Wireless Communication Systems inside a 30 credits master’s. Read two or three of these before you apply, because a program called network administration can lean toward servers, cloud or security depending on the school.

Asynchronous and Live Delivery

Of the 17 degrees on this page, 5 state their delivery format plainly. 2 are fully asynchronous, which means you set your own hours inside weekly deadlines, and 2 meet live. MTI College, for instance, schedules live sessions with instructors and peers two times a week, a fixed rhythm. One program mixes live video with asynchronous work. If you work rotating shifts, async is the safer fit. If you stall without a schedule, live sessions help.

Labs and Exams

Network skills are learned by configuring equipment and software, so the lab setup is worth asking about. Dakota State University is a Cisco Networking Academy and says its Networking I, Networking II and Routing & Switching sequence prepares you for the CCNA. Purdue University Global describes virtual IT labs. Ask each school how exams are given before you enroll.

How Network Administration Differs From Other IT Degrees

A network administration degree is narrower than a general IT degree, which spreads across support, databases, web and security. The IT versus computer science guide explains that split, and the online cybersecurity degrees ranking covers programs that put defense ahead of infrastructure. Network administration programs center on infrastructure.

How Online Network Administration Degrees Are Ranked

This ranking compares network administration degrees at three levels in one list, so it helps to know what the order does and does not say. A community college associate degree and a university master’s are different products, and a position on the list reflects the four measures below, not the school’s prestige.

The Four Measures

Each program gets a score built from four measures: graduation rate counts for 40%, pay a year out for graduates in the field counts for 25%, the total tuition bill counts for 25% with cheaper programs scoring higher, and the last 10% goes to ABET accreditation or a school-level CAE-CD designation. A program missing a measure is scored as typical on it. Delivery format, transfer policy and certification prep are not in the score, so the sections below cover them for you to weigh. The full method is on the methodology page.

What Sits at the Top

The program at the top of the ranking is the M.S. in Information Technology at North Carolina A & T State University, a bachelor’s. Second is the Bachelor of Science in Computer Networking at Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology, an associate degree. Third is the IT Network Administration and Security, AAS at MyComputerCareer at Indianapolis, a master’s. The first three places span three levels, so compare programs at the level you plan to study. The cards below show each program’s details, so this page does not repeat them.

Why the Credit Counts Vary So Much

Credit totals on this page run from 30 to 124, with a median of 64.5, across 8 programs that publish a total. That range is the levels at work. The master’s sits at the bottom, associate degrees in the middle, and bachelor’s degrees at the top. Some schools also count in quarter credits, and Purdue University Global’s bachelor’s is 180 quarter credits, which is roughly the same work as a 120-credit semester degree. Never compare a quarter total to a semester total without converting.

Names You Will See

The same subject appears under other titles. Computer networking, network and systems administration, cloud and network engineering, and information technology with a networking track all lead toward the same jobs. Programs are included when the program name or its CIP classification points to networking, cloud or systems administration. For the broader field, general IT programs are covered in the best online IT bachelor’s degrees list.

Online Network Administration Degree Cost and Format

Cost is the measure that separates programs most, and the list mixes levels, so compare inside a level. The table shows per-credit rates for the programs that publish them. All of them are priced per semester credit.

Public Schools and Residency

Of the programs on this page, 10 are at public institutions, and the public programs are where the lowest rates sit. 5 public programs charge in-state students one rate and everyone else another, while 4 charge online students a single rate. North Carolina A&T State University shows the spread: its master’s is $303 a credit for in-state students and $1,035 for out-of-state students. Check your own state before you compare sticker prices.

Fees Beyond Tuition

Published fees add up. Ball State University lists an online course fee charged per credit plus a technology fee that changes with your course load, and Liberty University lists a technology fee each semester that is waived for actively serving military. Of the programs here, 10 publish some fee beyond tuition. Add them to the per-credit rate before you decide that a program is cheap.

Flat-Rate Pricing

2 programs charge a flat price per term instead of per credit. MTI College charges $2,440 per quarter (7+ credits) for seven or more credits, and Western Governors University charges $3,925 per 6-month term. WGU says that moving faster through a program lowers what you pay, because tuition is charged per six-month term.

Paying for It

Federal aid is available at accredited schools, and the application goes through the Federal Student Aid site. For GI Bill holders, the maximum benefit covers the full cost of public, in-state tuition and fees, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ask each school what the benefit covers at its tuition level. Some employers also offer tuition assistance, so ask your HR department what it pays for.

If you are deciding between levels, the online IT associate degrees and online IT master’s degrees rankings cover those levels in full.

How Long an Online Network Administration Degree Takes

A 120-credit bachelor’s takes about four years full-time at fifteen credits a semester, and longer part-time. A 60-credit associate degree takes two years full-time. Those are the defaults, and three things move them: how long each course runs, the credit you transfer in, and credit for certifications you already hold.

Accelerated Terms

Shorter terms let you take courses back to back instead of waiting for the next semester. Of the 4 programs that state a term length, 3 run courses of eight weeks or shorter. Liberty University runs 8-week courses, Ivy Tech Community College runs 8-week terms, and King University lists 5-week courses among its lengths in its cybersecurity and cloud computing bachelor’s. MTI College uses quarters of 11 weeks. Check how many courses a term allows before you plan the pace.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is the largest time saver. Liberty University says you can transfer in up to three quarters of the degree total. The graduate end is tighter. North Carolina A&T State University accepts graduate work from another university worth up to 12 semester hours, out of 30 credits. The cleanest bachelor’s path is an associate degree that your target school has agreed to accept, so get the transfer evaluation in writing before putting down a deposit.

The online IT associate degrees ranking lists community college programs built to feed into bachelor’s degrees. Minnesota State Community and Technical College, for example, pitches its associate degree as either a way to launch a career or a step toward a university and a more advanced degree.

Certification Credit

Industry certifications can count toward the degree at some schools. 1 program on this page publishes certification credit in plain terms: King University. King considers American Council on Education credit recommendations for industry-standard IT certifications and says up to thirty credit hours of certification credit may be transferred into the bachelor’s. If you already hold an industry certification, ask whether it carries an ACE recommendation.

Start Dates

Of the programs that publish start dates, 2 out of 5 start students monthly. Others start in fall, spring and summer, as Dakota State University does. A monthly start means you lose no time waiting for a term.

Certifications to Pair with an Online Network Administration Degree

In networking, certifications and degrees are usually planned together. Network+ and the CCNA are vendor exams, so the same test applies whichever school you attended, while the degree covers the broader coursework around it.

The Usual Path

The common path is CompTIA A+ for hardware and basic troubleshooting, then CompTIA Network+ for networking concepts, then the Cisco CCNA for routing, switching and network automation fundamentals. Security+ is a common addition for security-facing roles. Across the programs here, 9 programs name specific certifications that the coursework prepares you for. CompTIA recommends 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience as a junior network administrator or network support technician for Network+. Choose vendor certifications to match the equipment your target employer runs.

Programs That Build Exams In

Some programs name certifications on their program pages. Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology lists CompTIA A+, Network+, Cloud+ and Project+ on its program page. According to MyComputerCareer, its associate degree prepares students for CompTIA A+, Security+ and Network+ along with CEH, Cisco CCENT and Microsoft MCP. MTI College lists both CompTIA A+ exams, Network+, and two AWS certifications, and says exam fees are covered by vouchers the campus provides. Western Governors University offers General, AWS, Azure and Cisco tracks in its cloud and network engineering bachelor’s.

Cloud and Vendor Credentials

Network work is moving toward cloud platforms, and the vendor certifications follow. Ball State University lists AWS and VMware among its aligned certifications. Purdue University Global lists the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate credential alongside Microsoft certifications. Bismarck State College and Ivy Tech Community College also list the CompTIA trio of A+, Network+ and Security+ on their program pages. American National University says its courses are modeled on professional certification standards, and its published curriculum includes CISCO I, CISCO II and Security +. If your target employer runs Azure or AWS, consider a cloud credential beside the CCNA.

Security Overlap

7 of the 17 degrees come from schools designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, which adds a security angle that is useful in network work. The certifications ranking lists the degrees that map most directly to these exams, and the certifications guides cover exam details.

Accreditation for Online Network Administration Degrees

Accreditation is the check that protects your money. For network administration there are three layers, and they answer different questions.

Institutional Accreditation

Institutional accreditation means a recognized agency has reviewed the whole college. All 17 programs on this page are at institutionally accredited schools. 9 are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 3 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and 1 by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools. This is the layer that matters for federal aid, for transferring credits between schools, and for graduate admissions. You can verify any school’s status in the CHEA directory.

ABET Program Accreditation

ABET accredits individual programs, and its computing commission covers information technology and related degrees. It is a program-level badge, so a school can be accredited while one of its IT degrees is not. 0 of the degrees here carry ABET accreditation, so on this page ABET is not a way to separate programs. To see which online IT programs do hold that badge, open the ABET-accredited online IT degrees ranking, then verify a given program in the ABET accredited program search. Search for the exact degree title, because ABET accredits a program, not the whole school, and a school’s other degrees may not be covered.

CAE-CD Designation

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation is sponsored by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. It applies to institutions that meet defined cybersecurity education standards. 7 of the programs here are at designated schools, among them Liberty University, Dakota State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Western Governors University. Check the CAE community map for the current list. The CAE-CD schools ranking sorts those programs by cost and format.

Why It Matters

A bachelor's degree is what BLS lists at entry for network and systems administrators, and institutional accreditation is what federal aid and credit transfer rest on. Treat ABET and CAE as tie-breakers when two programs are otherwise equal. Ask each school to name its accreditor, then check the school against the CHEA directory rather than trusting the badge on a program page, because a program page is the school describing itself.

Network Administrator Pay and Job Outlook

BLS groups network administrators and systems administrators under a single occupation, so one set of figures covers both. The table uses May 2025 OEWS pay for the three roles a network administration degree most often leads to. BLS has no network engineer category, and network architects are the closest match, so that row stands in for network engineers.

Administrators

The job count is large, with 314,340 people employed as network and computer systems administrators. The 2025-35 projection is a change of -4.1%, so BLS expects the occupation to shrink. Even so, BLS projects roughly 13,400 job openings annually, as workers leave the labor force or move into other occupations. See the network administrator career page and the network administrator salary page.

Support Specialists

Computer network support specialists do a related job in a different BLS category. The median is $76,220 and the usual entry education is an associate's degree, with about 9,000 openings a year. That is why an associate is a reasonable first stop. The network support specialist career page covers that path.

Network Architects

Network architects design the networks that administrators run. The median is $134,050, the entry education is a bachelor's degree, and BLS projects growth of 7.7% for 2025-35, the strongest trend of the three. BLS lists work experience in a related occupation as typical for architects, unlike administrators. The network engineer career page explains the climb.

The distance between the bottom tenth and the top tenth for administrators is wide, and the median sits between them. Administrators are the largest group of the three, with 314,340 employed, against 179,740 architects and 146,190 support specialists. BLS projects about 9,600 architect openings a year. The hourly column converts each median to an hourly wage, which helps when the job you are weighing pays by the hour. Data is from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program and the Employment Projections program.

Where Online Network Administration Degrees Are Offered

The 17 programs on this page are based in 12 states. Your home state matters even if you never visit, because it can decide your tuition rate, and some programs ask for a campus visit or a proctored exam. Start with the states that host the most programs, then browse online IT programs by state for the rest.

Indiana

Indiana has 4 programs, the most of any state, and 3 are public. The lowest in-state online rate among those public options is $178 a credit, at Ivy Tech Community College. Credentials there range from associate degrees up to bachelor’s degrees: Ivy Tech Community College’s cloud technologies associate degree, MyComputerCareer’s network administration and security associate degree, and bachelor’s programs at Ball State University and Purdue University Global. See the Indiana page for every program in the state.

Iowa

Iowa has 2 programs, and both are public community college degrees. The lowest in-state online rate is $230 a credit. Eastern Iowa Community College District says its cybersecurity associate degree can be taken fully online, in person or as a mix of the two. Northwest Iowa Community College’s program totals $15,678 at 67 credits. The Iowa page lists both.

Virginia, California and Florida

Virginia has 2 programs, both at private schools, Liberty University and American National University. Liberty’s information technology bachelor’s lists fully online, eight-week courses, and American National University’s network administration bachelor’s uses synchronous video along with asynchronous online learning. California and Florida each have 1, also private. There is no public in-state rate to compare in those states, so check each school’s own cost page. Pages for each state: Virginia, California and Florida.

Reading the Pattern

If your state is one of the top five, you have at least one local program, and a public school there may charge residents less than everyone else. If your state is not on the list, your choices are the schools that serve out-of-state online students, at the rate each one publishes for them.

Residency and Visits

5 programs here use a split residency model. If you live in a state with a low-cost public option, that is where the savings are. If you do not, compare the flat-rate options against the out-of-state public rates.

Choosing an Online Network Administration Degree

Start with the job you want in two years, not the degree you want in four. BLS lists an associate's degree as typical entry education for network support specialists and a bachelor's degree for administrators, so the level follows from the job. Then check each program against this list.

The Checklist

• Fully online status. Confirm that every course is available online. East Central College, for one, calls its computer information systems degree a two-year online program, with a networking emphasis available, while Bismarck State College says all classes in its cybersecurity and computer networks program can be taken online or on campus.
• Delivery format. Decide between async and live before you read the course list. Liberty University is async. MTI College meets live.
• Total cost. Use the program total, not the per-credit rate. Northwest Iowa Community College totals $15,678 for 67 credits, and Dakota State University’s bachelor’s totals $58,980 for 120 credits.
• Transfer policy. Ask for the maximum transfer credit in writing. Liberty University and North Carolina A&T State University publish theirs.
• Embedded certifications. Look for programs that name the exams they prepare you for, as Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology and MyComputerCareer do.
• Accreditation. Institutional accreditation is the requirement. ABET and CAE are tie-breakers.
• Start dates. If you want to begin soon, count the programs that start monthly.

Curriculum Depth

Make sure the curriculum has several networking courses beyond the introductory one. Dakota State University names a Networking I, Networking II and Routing & Switching sequence, which shows what a networking sequence looks like on a program page. Minnesota State Community and Technical College lists Beginning Networking and an Information Technology Service Desk course in its associate degree, which suggests a broad IT start. Ask what networking courses come after them.

A program that does well on most of these is worth an application, whatever its rank. And if you are still deciding whether IT is the right field, the guide on whether an IT degree is worth it lays out the tradeoffs.