Online Degrees in Ohio (OH)

The State of Ohio is making bold strides in higher education policy, with the goal of preparing the state's workforce for a new professional economy. The Ohio Board of Regents' Strategic Plan for Higher Education, 2008-2017 sets an ambitious goal for the coming decade: "Our state, whose workers once ranked among the world's best educated, must regain its heritage of leadership and innovation in higher education if Ohio is to compete and prosper in the new millenium's global economy."

The Ohio governor and Board of Regents are collaborating to create a higher education system up to the task of educating students for Ohio's emerging professional economy. In an effort to make a college education accessible to all Ohioans, the Board recently committed to lowering the cost of associate and bachelor's degrees, opening a University System of Ohio campus within 30 miles of every Ohioan and expanding the technology infrastructure of Ohio's higher education institutions. Key innovations in these areas include:

• Online degrees in Ohio, connecting busy working professionals with continuing education, professional certification and degree programs.
• Ohio Skills Bank, a program linking industry demand to workforce supply in the state's 12 development regions. The Skills Bank tracks employment in each region and the number of graduates, and adjusts degree program offerings to reflect employer needs.
• Diversity in the (online or campus) classroom, a series of initiatives to recruit and support underrepresented and non-traditional students seeking a college education, with a special focus on African-American males, military veterans and adults over 55. International student programs also promote a global perspective in the higher education system.
• Partnerships across the higher education system link the state's private colleges with the public University System of Ohio, which includes 13 public universities, one medical college, 24 branch campuses, 23 community colleges and adult workforce development centers. This relationship supports credit transfers, streamlines financial aid for students and encourages accountability standards across Ohio's postsecondary institutions.

Through these measures and more, the Ohio legislature hopes to build "a higher education infrastructure that rivals any state in the nation," said 2007-2011 Governor Ted Strickland--a system that "provides Ohioans what they need to succeed in the 21st century."

Online degrees in Ohio offer a means for mid-career adults and high school graduates alike to retool their skills for the state's shifting economy. The Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Education recognize the value of college e-learning, and in fact formed the Ohio Learning Network in 1999. The OLN was "created by pioneering educators committed to making learning accessible, active, individualized and cooperative through enabling technologies and new educational methods." In the intervening decade, this vision of technological innovation has come to fruition in the state's diverse array of online degrees and courses.

The Ohio Learning Network maintains a series of online resources to connect students with the degree programs that meet their needs:

• OhioLearns, an interactive catalog of more than 400 Ohio online degrees, certificates and courses offered by accredited Ohio colleges and universities.
• Plan Your Education tool, a Web-based advising resource that includes a self-assessment application, a Planning Guide and an interactive list of online degrees and certifications.
• Ohio Quality Matters Consortium, a peer review program certifying the quality of Ohio online degrees and courses. The Consortium's member institutions, which numbered 51 as of 2009-2010, continually assess and update their online programs according to the QM Rubric, which defines quality standards.
• OLN eTutoring Collaborative, an online synchronous tutoring program serving more than 85,000 Ohio college students with free tutoring via video, audio, eChat and live whiteboard.

In addition, the Ohio Learning Network hosts conferences, awards state grants through the Innovative Learning and Teaching program and publishes The E-Learning Extra!, a quarterly newsletter for students pursuing Ohio online degrees.

Ohio's economy is in the midst of a transition from a manufacturing to a services-based economy. Manufacturing still represents an outsized share of the state's economy--18 percent compared to 12 percent nationwide. But the state's professional and service sectors are gaining ground. Employment growth in Ohio today is concentrated in areas such as management services, high tech and biotechnology research, health care and social services. Ohio is investing heavily in innovation; technology research and development accounted for 48.1 percent of development loan and grant expenditures in 2010, or $123.9 million.

Postsecondary vocational training is the ticket into up-and-coming professional services careers in the state's new economy. Online degrees in Ohio offer access to some of the state's fastest-growing career fields, including:

Health care

Allied health care workers face the most demand of any career field in Ohio, with 27.3 percent growth forecast for the 2008-2018 period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Health care clinicians will also see robust growth, at 16.7 percent. Top occupations include:

• Optometrists, 23.7 percent growth and mean annual salary of $133,310 (BLS, 2010)
• Physician assistants, 33.5 percent and $83,750
• Registered nurses, 17.7 percent--with 21,020 new jobs expected in the 2008-2018 decade--and $60,590

Computer and mathematics professional services

The information systems and mathematics sector should see 17.5 percent growth in the 2008-2018 period. Key roles include:

• Computer and information scientists, 24.7 percent and $99,740
• Computer systems software engineers, 24.4 percent and $82,930
• Network systems and data communications analysts, 43.2 percent and $79,610

Business and financial operations

Business and financial occupations should thrive in the coming decade according to the BLS, with overall growth of 10.5 percent. Top careers in this sector include:

• Personal financial advisors, 21.6 percent and $81,560
• Financial analysts, 13.3 percent and $77,430
• Financial examiners, 30.7 percent and $76,160

Careers in the business and finance sector generally require a bachelor's degree for entry-level roles. The MBA degree is an asset in career advancement.

Life, physical and social sciences

Overall growth for science careers is expected to hover around 10.1 percent. Opportunity in the sciences is concentrated in biotech research and development. Biochemists and biophysicists can look forward to 31.6 percent job growth and an average wage of $71,630. Medical scientists will also fare well, with 28.7 percent growth and $69,360 earnings.

Ohio is poised for economic growth, with opportunities ahead for careers in high-paying, skilled professional sectors. The Buckeye State is gearing up for the new economy with investments in higher education. Online degrees in Ohio empower motivated students at all stages of their careers to gain the skills and credentials they need to compete in the 21st-century job market.