In 2016 Forbes ranked Virginia as the 6th best state for business. What makes Virginia a continual contender among the top ten in the country? The answer, in short, is in its diversity. When scanning the map of Virginia what appeals to you may be its emerging wine region in the Blue Mountains, the bustling harbor of Hampton Roads, the high production of agriculture in the Southside of Virginia, or its professional government sector in NOVA. Along with its diversity comes its business-friendly governing policies, and strong incentives that draw in entrepreneurs from a variety of backgrounds. When it comes to higher education Virginia has been doing is for a long time, almost longer then anyone else with The College of William and Mary, founded in 1693 (30 years after Harvard) drawing in the brightest and most innovative minds for over 400 years. Leaders in organizational management and business skills are valued in nearly every field, but particularly necessary in many of Virginia's most prominent industries. This is evidenced by the particularly high earnings of those in managerial roles in the state of Virginia:
VA Average Salaries for common MBA-holding roles
Financial Analyst: $53,475
Chief Financial Officer (CFO): $303,061
Marketing Manager: $93,120
Project Manager, Information Technology (IT): $117,396
Operations Manager: $89,293
Finance Manager: $112,951
Online Learning in Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is a roadstead or harbor that surrounds Southeastern Virgina and is comprised of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Newport News. As a combined statistical area, Hampton Roads has a population of 1.7 million residents. This harbor encapsulates over 400 years of American history and is a tremendous draw to tourists each year. There are four Fortune 500 companies that reflect the major industries of the area: Smithfield Foods, Norfolk Southern, Dollar Tree, and Huntington Ingalls Industries. These Fortune 500 reflect the predominant industries of the region such as the food industry, retail and shipbuilding, and transportation. As the third largest port in the United State (by tonnage) Hampton Roads is a major player for importing and exporting some hot commodities like coal which created a broader highway for commerce. The large military presence as well as the presence of the university consortia (that includes the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech among others) leads to some incredible research endeavors and along with it, opportunities for technological innovation. This region of the U.S. is alight with great thinkers, entrepreneurs and go-getters, and with its advantageous position along the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, it's no telling where your business dreams will take you.
Online Learning in Richmond
Richmond is the state capital and the fourth-most populous city in Virginia. As a capital city, much of the economy is driven by finance, government, law, and banking firms. And as an historic colonial city, the museums, monuments, and performing arts venues attract tourists and locals alike. Richmond has the best of both worlds and offers high quality-of-life experiences like its emerging 'foodie' scene, beautiful parks, revitalized downtown, and unique local performers such as GWAR. With its strategic location along two interstates, three rail lines, and the James River, Richmond is literally located at the intersection of where commerce meets opportunity. There are six fortune 500 companies that call Richmond home including Dominion Resources, Westrock Company, and two of Amazon's fulfillment centers. Another key component to Richmond's economy is the Virgina BioTechnology Research Park where many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies got their start. The dense concentration of major higher education institutions like Virginia Commonwealth University, and University of Richmond drive in innovative, and creative individuals who are ever-expanding and building upon the foundations that make Richmond great.
The 5 Best Online Business Schools in Virginia
In total, there are 16 online business degree-granting institutions in the state of Virginia. These range from community colleges offering affordable associates-level programming and the ability to transfer to a four year institution, to some of the best graduate business schools in the world. While potential students should first and foremost ensure that a given university has the type of business degree they wish to pursue, there are a few business programs that stand out across the board. We've selected our favorite five online business degree offering universities in business below. To select our programs, we've used the methodology of equally weighting the range of online business offerings with the academic prestige of a given university. The academic prestige of universities is calculated using a number of metrics such as average amount of financial need received, average class sizes, admissions standards, and the percentage of faculty holding terminal degrees in their field. Check out our top five online business degree-granting universities in Virginia below!
Averett University is a private institution with its main campus located in Danville. It was originally founded in 1859 as a woman's college. Today, Averett is a co-educational institution that enrolls about 890 students. Their online learning program adds an additional 1,000 students. The classroom size remains small and the student-to-faculty ratio is just 11:1. According to U.S. News Averett University ranks as the 20th best college in the South as well as the 9th best college for veterans. This diverse campus represents over 20 states and 14 countries across the globe. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accredits Averett University to award associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs. When it comes to online businesselated degrees, Averett offers 4 programs including a A.S. in Business, B.A. in Business Administration, a MBA, MBA in Human Resource Management, MBA in Leadership, and an MBA in Marketing.
Liberty University is a private Christian research university located in Lynchburg. With more than 100,000 students enrolled online, Liberty University is considered to be the largest evangelical Christian university in the world. According to U.S. News Liberty University ranks as having one of the top online criminal justice programs, graduate business programs, online MBA, and best online bachelor's programs. With years of development, we have become very impressed by the quality educational programming provided through Liberty University and the high number of online businesselated degree programs. Liberty University offers 27 fully online businesselated degree programs that range from the associate to doctoral level and include an A.A. in Business, B.S. in Finance, an MBA in Healthcare Management, and a D.B.A. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission accredits Liberty University to offer comprehensive degree offerings and professional certifications.
Old Dominion University is a public research university located in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1930 it was developed as the Norfolk campus for the College of William and Mary. Today, Old Dominion University enrolls a diverse student body of 24,672 people. The student-to-faculty ratio is 19:1. There are 70 bachelor's degrees, 54 master's, 42 doctoral degrees, and 2 educational specialization degrees offered as well as over 100 online programs through ODU Online. According to U.S. News ODU is the 210th best school in the nation, 118th top public school. Their online programs rank incredibly high and the online MBA is ranked 55th in the nation. Old Dominion University is regionally accredited- the highest level of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees as well as professional certifications. When it comes to online businesselated degrees, ODU offers 12 degrees that range from the bachelor's to doctoral level and include a BSBA, M.Ed. in Sports Management, and a PhD in Occupational and Technical studies among others.
Southside Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Alberta, Virginia. This rural campus enrolls 5,784 students and provides affordable tuition and a vast number of degree programs. Degrees range from accounting to welding and are appropriate for both traditional and non-traditional students. Students may engage in the Old Dominion University distance learning program and transfer into a number of four-year university programs. The Southern Association of College and Schools fully accredits SVCC to award associate degrees. The student-to-faculty ratio is 20:1. In addition to typical associate degree programming, SVCC engages the learner through their workforce development initiative that includes their onine programming, literacy programming, and trained manpower hours where you learn to build and work in teams, produce quality goods on-the-job, and more. There are 9 online businesselated associate degrees available including their A.A.S in accounting, A.A.S in environmental management, and an A.A.S in marketing among others.
Bluefield College is a private institution that was founded in 1922. It is located in Bluefield in southwest Virginia right in the Appalachian Mountains. This rural college enrolls 976 students who benefit from small classes and a student-to-facultuy ratio of just 16:1. According to U.S. News Bluefield College ranks as the 37th best college in the South, 12th best college for veterans, and 13th best value school. There are 45 degrees offered and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accredits Bluefield College to offer bachelor's and master's degrees. 99% of students from Bluefield College receive financial assistance. When it comes to their online businessalted programming, Bluefield College offers 5 bachelor's degrees including their bachelor of business administration in accounting, bachelor or business administration in information technology, bachelor of business administration in management and more. We like Bluefield College for their quality classes, and high value programming.
Directory of Online Business Degrees in Virginia
| Averett University | Danville, VA | Online B Degrees: 6 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO 1-800-AVERETT707 Mount Cross Road, Danville, VA 24540 |
| Virginia University of Lynchburg | Lynchburg, VA | Online B Degrees: 3 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (434) 528-52762058 Garfield Ave, Lynchburg, VA 24501 |
| Bluefield State College | Bluefield, WV | Online B Degrees: 2 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (304) 327-4000219 Rock St, Bluefield, WV 24701 |
| Rappahannock Community College | Saluda, VA | Online B Degrees: 2 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (804) 758-670012745 College Dr, Saluda, VA 23149 |
| John Tyler Community College | Chester, VA | Online B Degrees: 2 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (804) 796-400013101 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Chester, VA 23831 |
| Eastern Mennonite University | Harrisonburg, VA | Online B Degrees: 1 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (540) 432-40001200 Park Rd, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 |
| Bethany College | Bethany, WV | Online B Degrees: 1 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (304) 829-700031 S Loop Campus Dr, Bethany, WV 26032 |
| West Virginia Northern Community College | Wheeling, WV | Online B Degrees: 1 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (304) 233-59001704 Market St, Wheeling, WV 26003 |
| Lord Fairfax Community College | Middletown, VA | Online B Degrees: 1 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (800) 906-5322173 Skirmisher Ln, Middletown, VA 22645 |
| Central Virginia Community College | Lynchburg, VA | Online B Degrees: 1 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (434) 832-76003506 Wards Rd, Lynchburg, VA 24502 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College | Goochland, VA | Online B Degrees: 1 | |
 ADDRESS & CONTACT INFO (804) 371-30001851 Dickinson Rd, Goochland, VA 23063 |