What do you get when you mix looks with technology? See for yourself with an online Bachelor’s Degree in Web Development!
Have you ever seen a website that’s a mess? You know the kind. The graphics are stuck in the ‘90s. The menu is a nightmare. There’s “404 Not Found” errors. It doesn’t look good, and you can’t find what you need.
You’ve likely seen a few of these. The internet is full of them! These websites probably didn’t have a good web developer. If you have an eye for how things look and a brain for coding, then an online Bachelor’s in Web Development might be right for you.
What is an Online Web Development Degree?
These days, most of our lives revolve around the internet. A website with a good user experience is make-or-break for small businesses. Blogs and brands depend on a good user experience, too.
But web developers aren’t just needed by mom and pop shops. Instead, businesses, multi-national corporations, and government agencies need good web designers and developers.
Web designers and developers are the brains and beauty of websites. They make sure everything looks great and is easy to navigate. It’s hard work, though. A great-looking website appears seamless and is a breeze to use. This doesn’t happen overnight. Developers put in a lot of effort in online web development schools to learn their craft.
Even experienced web designers and web developers spend many hours getting the design and functionality just right. All that hard work pays off in the end.
Of course, before you begin working in web development, you need to get a degree.
Most online programs in web programming are Bachelor of Science degrees. Web development students need to take both computer science classes and design classes.
For instance, in a web development degree, you might take courses related to:
- Front-end development and back-end web programming
- Mobile programming
- Database design and database development
- Digital media
- Website design
- Web application development
- Web design & development
- Software development
The classes in web development schools online teach you about basic programming languages. This includes Javascript, Python, and CSS/HTML. You’ll learn many other things that web developers need to know. But you’ll also become familiar with graphic design software like Adobe Creative Suite.
Some of these programs let web development students focus on areas like:
- Programming Languages
- Application Development
- Mobile Applications
- Database & Analytics
Some people can teach themselves programming skills. They might have a knack for user interfaces. But earning a Bachelor’s in Web Development is a useful first step to breaking into the field. Earning this degree through online courses makes it more flexible and affordable!
Better yet, modern online degrees aren’t looked down upon like they were 15-20 years ago. Back then, a school might have noted on your diploma that it was earned online. This is not the case today, though.
In fact, most online web development degrees are the same as those earned by students on campus. Today, online students usually take the same courses. These courses often have the same course requirements. They’re taught by the same professors as on-campus classes. This being the case, there is no reason for separation between online and on-campus degrees.
See Also: Best Study Apps for College Students
How Much Can You Earn with an Online Web Development Bachelor’s degree?
Like most careers in the technical world, web developers enjoy a very good take-home salary. A common job with an online Bachelor’s in Web Development is to become a web developer! These folks make around $69,400 per year.
Your salary depends on your level of education. It also depends on your area of focus.
For example, online web design professionals with an associate degree make an average of $47,000 a year. Professionals with a bachelor’s degree made $53,000. Of course, if you have a master’s degree or a doctorate, you can expect higher starting wages than if you have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
Additionally, your level of experience impacts how much you can earn in web development.
For example, if you’ve been working in web development for 10 years, you can assume that you’ll make a higher salary than someone just out of college and has less than a year of experience.
The skills you’ll learn through this degree can also apply to other careers.
For example, some people go on to become a computer programmer. This job earns you around $84,200 each year. Or, if server-side work is more interesting to you than web page design, consider an information systems focus. Either way, web developers of all kinds can make great money.
So, in addition to having good earning potential, another advantage that a career in web development offers is the ability to pursue many lines of work, depending on your area of focus. The ability to customize your job based on your skills gives you much greater control over the type of work you do.
In short, you’ll be highly marketable and well paid for your work with this degree. In fact, web design and development professionals can look forward to a 15 percent jump in demand between now and 2026.
What is Required for Admission to a Web Development School?
If you’re new to web design and web development, have no fear!
Online learning is the perfect path into the field. For most of these web development programs, you don’t need any experience to get into web developer online school. You don’t have to know coding, user interface, or e-commerce to apply. Instead, you can learn on the fly. Your studies in a web development program help you get the knowledge and skills to become a web development pro.
However, if you want a knowledge base before focusing on an area, consider the Best Online Computer Science Degrees instead of a bachelor’s in web development.
Usually, web development majors need a high school education (or GED). You should have a minimum GPA of 2.0 (or 2.5, depending on the program). You’ll need access to the internet to begin an online web development program. Some web development degree programs might have other requirements, too.
For example, some programs require you to submit a personal statement. This document outlines your educational and career goals. As another example, some web development degrees might have certain course prerequisites you have to finish before declaring a major.
Most programs on this list require a minimum of 120 credits to graduate with a web design or web development degree. If you already have a few higher education credits under your belt, check out the transfer policy for these programs. You might be able to transfer quite a few credits.
In fact, many online degree programs accept up to 90 transfer credits. Obviously, being able to transfer three-fourths of the needed credits to graduate can help you finish your degree quickly.
How Long Does It Take to Complete an Online Bachelor’s in Web Development?
Since the online web development degree programs on our list are online, you’ll have more freedom to decide how much work you do each term. This impacts how long it takes to get a web development degree.
Typically, full-time undergraduate studies include 12 credits or more per semester. If you have many other life obligations like family or work, it can be tough to be a full-time student on campus. However, online programs give you the flexibility to learn when it’s convenient for you. This means being able to study full-time online with much less impact on work or family life.
You might also have enough flexibility to take courses during the summer session. Your school might even courses over winter break, spring break, or the break between the spring and summer semesters. Taking courses during these periods can help you complete your degree faster.
Usually, it takes four years of full-time study to complete a bachelor’s in web development program. But, if you take extra courses each year, you can take a semester or two off of the typical four-year timeline. This means you’ll complete online programs in web development and join the ranks of web developers sooner.
Do I Eventually Need to Get a Master’s Degree?
Everyone’s educational and employment journey is different. Whether you get a master’s degree will ultimately be up to you.
On the one hand, you can build a very good career in web design or web development with just a bachelor’s degree in web development (and for some folks, they’ve done it without a college education at all!). This is a field that rewards experience and results. If you can develop high-quality websites or succeed in software development without a graduate degree, you might not need to get one.
However, in addition to having work experience, some web development jobs look at your education and training.
For example, let’s say you’re applying for an upper-level job as a web developer with a large web design agency. Applicants might have to have an advanced web development degree, like a master’s degree. In this case, you would have greater knowledge of topics like programming languages or database management systems. You’d obviously want to have a master’s degree to apply for jobs like this.
Having a master’s degree could open many jobs. Web developers with a master’s degree usually find more jobs that fit their skills. They often find jobs with many different employers as well.
Having an advanced web development degree also expands your skills. You’ll be a better web developer. Having more skills increases your job prospects, too. This could mean that you get more job offers than you would if you have a bachelor’s degree.
One of the biggest reasons people get a master’s degree is money. Master’s-level workers usually earn more than workers with a bachelor’s degree.
The amount of money web developers earn with a master’s degree varies on the specific job title and place of employment. But it’s safe to assume that your graduate school experience will lead to jobs that pay several thousand dollars per year more than bachelor’s-level careers in web development.
What Are the Best Online Web Development Degrees?
OSR uses six data points to rank the best online web development degree. There are three school-wide and three program-specific criteria.
For school-wide, OSR uses Student Satisfaction, Admission Rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program-specific, OSR checks the Median Debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department.
Each school ranking displays these six statistics. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other schools. “Not reported” means a school didn’t release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page.
If you’re interested in a more behind-the-scenes programming role, consider an online degree in Information Technology. Otherwise, consult our list of the best web development schools below to begin your school search.
