Top 10 Accredited Online Universities Distance education has moved past its initial growth in the last 5 years to a mature educational industry.  The era of experimenting is over, as we see top accredited online universities offer high quality degree programs on a mass scale.  With more people leaning to an accredited online university for their post-graduate work, it is important to differentiate the best programs from the others.  Selecting an online accredited university starts with defining your needs and understanding how an online degree can help fulfill those needs.  Online universities offer you time flexibility, self-paced learning, and progressive training. Some distance-learning students want to commit to life-long learning, while some want to make sure that they have the cutting edge skills to catch up with emerging trends.  Let us look at the top 10 accredited online universities.  This list should cover a broad range of disciplines and education levels.  You can also consult accredited online university directories to narrow down your search. Kaplan University This accredited online university offers 152 online degrees and courses in the fields of business, criminal justice, information technology, and paralegal studies.  The online university also offers interdisciplinary studies in the arts and sciences, which is perfect for students who are still deciding on their career path.  Kaplan has a deep roster of courses for all levels with convenient class locations and dynamic online activities University Of Phoenix University of Phoenix continues to add to their batch of online programs, despite already having a developed standard in their business and nursing programs.  The university has 20,000 associate faculties who attend to students online including instructors in Alaska and Hawaii.  This online accredited university offers an excellent nursing program that budding medical practitioners can use to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. Devry University Devry University offers programs at any level, but they have an excellent reputation with their business programs.  You can earn a business degree with focus on accounting in as little as three years.  Devry has 80 physical locations across the United States allowing students to continue their education and finish their degree on campus.  Devry offers a student-centric environment with intensive small-group discussions.  Their bachelor degree programs include computer information systems, web development, computer forensics, criminal justice, and bio-medical engineering. George Washington University The online faculty of this top accredited online university takes more than 170 years of experience from 200 fields of study.  The university has developed a deep database of research in the field of government relations, campaign management, issues management, environmental politics, legislative affairs, and leadership.  Westwood College Westwood College online offers advanced programs in business administration, software engineering, game design, animation, and information security systems.  This online accredited university values hands-on approach with a highly interactive curriculum to simulate traditional learning in progressive fields. Regis University Founded in 1877 in Denver, Regis University has more than 12,000 online students with campuses in Colorado and Nevada.  Classes are offered in an eight week accelerated format, allowing students to complete their program in as little as two years.  You are required to complete 128 hours of coursework to earn a Bachelor of Science degree.  Like other top accredited online universities, Regis offer masters and PhD programs.  Its online MBA program was named as one of the "Best Online Graduate Programs" by the U.S.  News and World report. Walden University Walden University has been offering distance learning for over thirty years.  Thus, their infrastructure and experience in distance education have propelled them in this short list of top accredited online universities.  Degree programs in Walden include management, health, education, human services, engineering, and psychology. Capella University Whole other schools build numerous programs for a broad range of needs, Capella University trains its 19,000 students with focused online courses in its five schools; namely, the School of Business and Technology, School of Education, School of Human Services, Harold Abel School of Psychology, and School of Undergraduate Studies.  Capella offers 30 online PhD programs in Management, Education, Human Services, Public Safety, and Information Technology. Colorado Technical University Colorado Technical University focuses on emerging markets with their online programs.  While they offer traditional courses, they have a deep roster of technical and specialized courses to help current professionals acquire new skills in their craft.  Bachelor's degree programs can be completed after 30 months.  Students with no college experience can complete a degree in this accredited online university in as little as two and a half years. Jones International University Jones International University offers online courses in an eight week accelerated format on a broad range of graduate and undergraduate degree programs such as business administration, digital media, IT management, corporate finance, global enterprise management, accounting, and more.  JIU is an Internet-only institution designed by professors from prestigious schools as Stanford University, Columbia University, Michigan State University, and Rutgers University.