Colleges in Kentucky

What is MU like?

Until 2016, MU was the only women's college in Kentucky. It is a private Christian liberal arts university that offers online degree programs in accelerated eight-week formats. (Certain courses are offered in even more compressed four-week or six-week formats as well.) Since there are five start dates each year, it's easy for students to enroll in an online degree program whenever is most convenient for their schedule.

MU took the top spot this year after being ranked No. 2 on last year's list of the best online colleges in Kentucky.

What online programs are at MU?

Working nurses with an associate degree and a current RN license may pursue an online RN to BSN program at MU and earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in as little as 12 months. The online criminal justice program here is taught by professors with experience in law enforcement and government and includes courses such as forensic psychology, police ethics and kinesic interviewing. Minors may also be available; students can discuss the possibility with their advisors.

Courses use the Moodle Rooms learning management system.

What online resources does MU offer?

MU offers online tutoring via its online portal, MyMidway, as well as a number of online workshops that cover topics related to academic success and career development. In addition, the school's Little Memorial Library has compiled research guides on subjects such as biology, business and marketing communications to give students a starting point on research-intensive projects, papers and assignments.

What is UC like?

Originally founded as Williamsburg Institute by a group of Baptist ministers, UC is a private religious college with an emphasis on the liberal arts. The university offers online and hybrid programs that are specifically designed to accommodate the needs of adult learners. UC's online programs have diversified its student population over the last several years -- most of its students had previously come from the surrounding Appalachian Mountain region.

UC has climbed three spots from last year's list of the best online colleges in Kentucky.

What online programs are at UC?

Since UC was founded by Baptist ministers, it's no surprise that the school offers online associate and bachelor's degree programs in missions and ministries. These programs are designed for students who are interested in becoming a children's minister, worship minister, youth minister, professional missionary or a similar career.

However, UC has many other program options if ministry is not your calling. The university's online programs are focused on the undergraduate level, and they cover subjects such as business, public health, criminal justice and human services, to name just a few.

What online resources does UC offer?

This career-focused university hosts an online system called Biginterview, a database of thousands of interview questions with tips on how to answer them. The system also gives students the chance to enroll in video training that can guide them through the process of earning a job. UC also offers access to GoinGlobal, an online resource that can connect students to a variety of job and internship opportunities.

What is AU like?

Formerly known as Asbury College, this four-year, multi-denominational institution improved by five spots from its ranking on last year's list of the top online universities in Kentucky. Online education at Asbury is part of the Adult Professional Studies program, and the degree programs it offers are accelerated, career-focused programs designed for adult learners who want to finish their college degrees after spending some time away from school.

What online programs are available at AU?

The online programs at AU are primarily available at the bachelor's level and are designed to be transfer-friendly, allowing up to 75 credits to be transferred into them. The university also offers an online Associate of Science program, which can help students who have completed less than 30 college credits to get their college education started up again.

Online courses at AU are eight weeks long and delivered via the Discovery learning management system. The online social work program requires students to complete two practicums at social service agencies, while its online organizational management program focuses on management with Christian virtues and ethics in mind.

What online resources does AU offer?

Chapel services for students at AU are livestreamed a few days a week by WACW, the university's radio station, helping even students living far away from the university campus to feel in touch with their school and their faith. Considering the university's focus on career education, it's not surprising that AU also offers a range of career services. This includes job postings submitted by alumni and supporters, the "What Can I Do with This Major?" career exploration website, and "Resume 101," a PDF document on how to write a resume.

What is MSU like?

This public university knows that the way to offer quality education to its students is by attaining quality in its faculty: MSU has been recognized as a "great place to work" by the Chronicle of Higher Education for seven of the last nine years. The efforts of its faculty are certainly one of the reasons MSU has moved up three spots from its position on last year's ranking of the best online colleges in Kentucky.

What online programs are available at MSU?

The catalog of online degree and certificate programs offered here includes fields of study such as business and nursing. Online courses at MSU are delivered in an asynchronous format through the Canvas platform.

Some of MSU's online programs are offered in a "2+2 program" format in collaboration with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. These programs are taught online at KCTCS schools for the first two years; then the final two years are completed online at MSU. 2+2 programs are available for telecommunications system management, computer information systems and more.

What online resources does MSU offer?

MSU keeps both its on-campus and online students informed of school-related events and opportunities through its monthly Blue & Gold Digital Magazine. For academic assistance, students can access MSU's University Libraries online and download e-books, research guides and journals. They can also schedule an online consultation at the Racer Writing Center, which strives to help students become better writers and assists with various writing projects such as college essays, narratives, literature reviews and personal statements.

What is EKU like?

EKU was founded as a teaching school on the campus of the old Central University in 1906. The school offers online degree programs in accelerated eight-week terms, with six start dates throughout the year. This flexible scheduling, coupled with flat tuition rates, makes EKU a convenient option for working teachers or nurses who are looking to go back to school in order to enhance their career prospects.

What online programs are available at EKU?

True to their roots, EKU has a strong focus on teaching-oriented degree and certificate programs, and this is true of its online programs as well as those on-campus. In particular, the school features a large number of certification and endorsement programs to help teachers specialize in different areas of teaching, such as librarianship, special education, literacy or ESL.

EKU is also a prominent college for healthcare practitioners. In fact, the school has at least one online healthcare-focused program at every degree level, from the associate paramedic program all the way up to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

What online resources does EKU offer?

EKU offers a Microsoft Office subscription for online students at no additional cost, as well as one-on-one online tutoring through the online tutoring platform Smarthinking. The Center for Career and Co-op hosts many of its services online, such as the Handshake database of job and internship positions and multiple online workshops and webinars. Online students can also join the Omega Nu Lambda National Honor Society, an online-exclusive honor society that offers opportunities for recognition, financial aid and networking.

What is NKU like?

The idea for NKU began in 1946 at the Trailways Bus Station in Covington, Kentucky, when a handful of students and professors engaged in classes via the University of Kentucky's educational extension services. In 1976, NKU became a full-fledged university, and in the years since, it has come to offer online degree programs in Kentucky through the Canvas learning system.

What online programs are available at NKU?

Online students at NKU may take traditional 16-week courses or seven-week accelerated online courses. There are also courses that can be completed in five weeks in the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. In addition to online undergraduate and graduate degree programs, NKU hosts certificate programs and minors in fields such as business informatics, emergency management and cybersecurity.

What online resources does NKU offer?

NKU helps online students succeed by offering multiple forms of online tutoring, including PLUS Online, the Writing Center Online, and the third-party NKU NetTutor program. The university is also accepting of transfer students, holding dual admission partnerships with multiple other colleges and a reverse transfer program that can help students to complete an unfinished associate degree program.

Students of Gateway Community and Technical College may be interested in the Gateway2NKU program. This program helps students who earn an AA or AS at Gateway to transfer to NKU, offering academic advising and access to NKU resources. Participants can even take up to four NKU classes at the Gateway tuition rate while they complete their program.

What is MSU like?

MSU was founded in 1887 as Morehead Normal School, a private institution sponsored by the local church. Though the university began as a teaching school, it has evolved a specialty in science and technology -- MSU may be most well-known for its radio telescope/ space tracking system, which was built in partnership with NASA.

What online programs are available at MSU?

Approximately half of the online bachelor's degree programs at MSU can be taken fully online through the Blackboard system, while the other half must be taken on-campus for the first two years of the program but can be moved online for the last two years of coursework. Meanwhile, graduate students have a much broader range of online programs, as well as several options to pursue online certifications or Rank I programs.

Many of the online programs at MSU are focused on teaching, in accordance with the school's origins, but there are also online STEM programs such as the M.S. in engineering and technology management, the bachelor's in computer information systems and the certification in instructional computer technology.

What online resources does MSU offer?

At MSU, students have access to round-the-clock online tutoring through Blackboard, as well as a tutoring page with subject forums that allows students to get help on specific topics. The school also participates in the Project Graduate initiative, a statewide collaborative effort with the Council on Post-Secondary Education (CPE) that focuses on helping returning students who have already earned more than 80-credit hours to complete their degree. Students who qualify for Project Graduate may apply to MSU at no charge, receive assistance with tuition and benefit from individual advising services.

What is UKY like?

Established by the state in 1865 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the Kentucky University, UKY climbed up two spots from where it stood in last year's rankings of the best online colleges in Kentucky. The Lexington-based institution offers online learning through its UKOnline portal, delivered via the Canvas learning management system.

What online programs are available at UKY?

While some of the online programs at UKY can be completed entirely online, many others are taught in a hybrid format. This gives students options as to how much they want to learn online versus on-campus. In addition to its degree programs, the school has a dizzying range of graduate certificate programs that cover many nontraditional subjects, including digital mapping, professional and technical writing, next generation teaching and more.

Courses at UKY are designed to be flexible for working professionals; many of them have four start dates per year and accelerated 10-week terms.

What online resources does UKY offer?

UKY's Distance Learning Library Services strive to provide access to information resources for online students and is staffed by a full-time librarian. Students also enjoy free tutoring services via Zoom video conferencing, and confidential online counseling services can help them talk through personal issues or concerns.

What is KSU like?

KSU is a public historically black institution (HBCU) that was founded in 1886. Since its inception, KSU has steadily grown to the point where, during a typical academic year, the composition of its students and faculty stands out as one of the most diverse populations in the Commonwealth. To accommodate its diverse student body, the university offers online programs, allowing students to meet their education and career goals from home or abroad.

What online programs are available at KSU?

KSU's list of fully online degree programs may be short, but it is also buttressed by a surprisingly large number of online courses that can be taken semester from semester. With these classes, students can turn many of the university's normally on-campus programs into hybrid options in order to fit them into their schedules. Whether part of a fully online program or not, the online courses at KSU are delivered through the Blackboard online learning system.

What online resources does KSU offer?

KSU's Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) supports online students by helping with career exploration, resume writing, interview preparation, graduate school admissions preparation and more. Students also receive a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 at no additional cost and access to the WorldShare Management Services online catalog, where they can search for articles, books, videos and other digital materials.

What is WKU like?

Founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, WKU is a university with a long and storied history. The school earned over 35 recognitions for its academic programs from various sources during the 2017-18 school year. The same year, WKU also won three Pacemaker Awards for its College Heights Herald and Talisman student publication. If that wasn't enough, the university is also known for its diversity; the number of first-generation and ethnic minority students sent abroad by the university was recognized by the inaugural Gilman Top Producing Institutions list.

What online programs are available at WKU?

The online offerings at WKU encompass just about every degree level a student could want, across both the graduate and undergraduate level. Several of the bachelor's programs at the school use a "2+2" format, designed for students who have completed credit requirements for an associate degree.

Students interested in teaching have a particular amount of freedom at WKU, with online teaching programs going all the way up to the doctoral level. There is also a unique online pre-speech language pathology post-baccalaureate program. It's designed for bachelor's degree-holders who have limited background on communication sciences and disorders, but would still like to enter the speech-language pathology field.

What online resources does WKU offer?

WKU's student resource portal features resources such as live online tutoring; an online writing lab where students can submit their papers online and receive feedback; and presentation coaching, which offers feedback on the structure, flow and delivery technique of student presentations. There is also an archive of "Road to Success" webinars that offer advice on various topics, from how to cite sources to negotiating salary in job offers.