Online Degrees in California (CA)

Californians have traditionally enjoyed access to top-notch public and private education. On U.S. News & World Reports' 2011 list of the top 25 post-secondary institutions in the U.S., five are in California. The state's recent high-profile budget crisis, however, has placed significant strains on the public university and community college systems.

According to a 2010 report by the California Postsecondary Education Commission, post-secondary education expenditures per student for the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems dropped precipitously between 2007-08 and 2008-09. Fortunately, the last two years (2009-10 and 2010-11) have shown a small, but steady increase in higher education funding as the state economy struggles through recovery. With a three percent increase from 2009 to 2010, California exceeds the average increase of 0.8 percent for all states nationwide and leads states in the far west region in state funding increases for higher education.

California is also remastering its 50-year-old Master Plan for Higher Education to focus on improving graduation rates and better meeting the state's job needs, according to a 2010 press release by the Joint Committee on the Master Plan.

The 2011 Outlook for Online Learning and Distance Education, a report by the Canadian research group Contact North, reports that during 2010, enrollment in fully online courses in the U.S. increased by 21 percent, while campus enrollments were only up by 2 percent. The for-profit education sector is driving much of this increase, providing classes for this new and very lucrative market that has previously been viewed with some disdain by many traditional colleges and universities. However, as online education gains traction, this perception may be changing.

In an article in U.S. News & World Report, Richard Garrett, managing director at the research firm Eduventures, said: "We're at the beginning of elite schools starting to take online seriously. They're trying to marry the online experience with the brand of the institution." U.S. News goes on to report that although "wholly online programs generally target nontraditional students, established institutions that are populated by traditional, high-achieving students are starting to embrace the technology."

To that end, most major colleges and universities, including those in California, are making inroads into the online education market. Funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, the California Virtual Campus (CVC) is a state-wide initiative that helps students navigate the range of available California online degrees. CVC has partnered with K-12 schools, community colleges, and public and private universities to support the development of high-quality online courses and programs. As of June 2009, the CVC catalog provided information on 313 programs with more than 8,400 courses at 168 California educational institutions.

CVC also provides online resources including California CareerZone, a career exploration and planning system that has a number of self-assessment tools available online, as well as California industry career profiles, educational preparation suggestions and a list of jobs currently available in California by industry sector.

California economy: the ups and downs

California's recent budget troubles have been well publicized, as the state faced a fiscal year 2010-11 budget deficit of $19.9 billion and the second highest unemployment rate in the country at 12 percent. However, in an article on Bloomberg Businessweek, Comerica, Inc. chief economist, Dana Johnson predicted that the California economy could grow faster than the rest of the country during 2011 if the state can get its budget woes under control. Johnson said, "California tends to be more cyclically sensitive than the national economy, suffering more in the downturns but growing more rapidly during expansions."

Information technology is one of the top industry sectors in the California economy that could lead recovery, according to the California Employment Development Department. CNBC lists California as number one in technology and innovation in 2010, and information technology careers were listed on both the top 10 fastest growing occupations and the top 10 high wage occupations in California in 2009. Of the 50 fastest-growing occupations in California, almost half require a bachelor's degree or higher, so obtaining an education is paramount for success.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the 2010 mean earnings for all California occupations measured in at $50,730, higher than the national figure of $44,410. Those higher wages are balanced by a generally high cost of living in California, which exceeds the national average by 32 percent.

Eight California careers, with 2008-18 projected employment growth over 30 percent, made the list of the fastest-growing occupations that require a bachelor's degree or higher; two of the careers are directly related to information technology. Employment growth rates and 2010 BLS mean annual salary information are also included.

• Biomedical engineers: 81 percent growth ($95,450)
• Network systems and data communications analysts: 50 percent ($84,790)
• Biochemists and biophysicists: 48 percent ($89,120)
• Medical scientists (except epidemiologists): 47 percent ($86,190)
• Physician assistants: 42 percent ($93,660)
• Veterinarians: 34 percent ($100,140)
• Financial examiners: 32 percent ($86,430)
• Computer software engineers, applications: 31 percent ($102,280)

California is working to fix its economy and develop jobs in growth industries like information technology to meet the needs of the 21st century. Meanwhile, California's post-secondary education institutions are increasing their own online programs or partnering with the California Virtual Campus to increase the quality and quantity of online programs statewide. As the demand for higher education becomes a gateway to most careers, California residents should consider looking at online degrees in California.