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Online Law School, PhD Programs & Doctoral Degrees 2026

Online graduate education has caught up with traditional grad school in almost every field except the two most conservative ones — law and the doctoral sciences. Both have loosened up in the last five years. Neither has fully crossed over. If you're looking at online law school or online PhD programs in 2026, you're in that uncomfortable middle space where the options exist but you have to read every accreditation document twice.

Here's what's genuinely available, what's worth considering, and where the landmines are.

Online Law School: What's Actually Possible

The single biggest thing to understand about online law school: the American Bar Association (ABA) — the accreditation body that controls whether you can sit for the bar exam in most states — only began approving fully online JD programs in 2023. Before that, the ABA had a cap on how many online credits an ABA-accredited law school could offer. That cap was gradually lifted, and now a handful of ABA-accredited law schools run fully or mostly online JD programs.

This matters because in most US states, you cannot take the bar exam unless you graduated from an ABA-accredited law school. California is the one major exception — California has its own accreditation system and allows graduates of non-ABA schools (including several online law schools) to sit for the California bar. If you want to practice anywhere else, ABA-accredited is what you need.

ABA-Accredited Online Law Schools

• Syracuse University College of Law (JDinteractive). One of the first and most established fully online JD programs with ABA accreditation. Hybrid structure with some in-person residencies, otherwise fully online. Tuition is similar to the on-campus program — around $180,000 total.
• Mitchell Hamline School of Law (Blended Learning JD). Half the coursework online, half in person. Designed for working professionals who can travel to St. Paul a few times per semester.
• University of Dayton School of Law (Online Hybrid JD). Newer program, ABA-accredited, hybrid format.
• Suffolk University Law School (Online JD). Approved for online delivery in 2023, well-regarded in New England.

California-Accredited Online Law Schools

If you only want to practice in California, the state's Committee of Bar Examiners accredits several fully online law schools that cost a fraction of ABA programs:

• Concord Law School (Purdue Global). The oldest online law school in the country. Graduates can sit for the California bar.
• St. Francis School of Law. Fully online, California-accredited, significantly cheaper than ABA schools.
• Taft Law School. Similar model. Has been running online JD programs for over 25 years.

The bar pass rates at California-accredited online law schools are lower than at ABA schools — make your peace with that before enrolling. You're trading prestige and bar pass rates for cost and flexibility.

Online PhD Programs and Doctoral Degrees

Online PhD programs are more common than online law school, and the list of schools offering them is growing every year. Not every field translates to online delivery. Humanities, education, business, nursing, public administration, psychology, and some social sciences run well as online doctoral degrees. Hard sciences (chemistry, physics, biology) mostly don't — you need lab access, and there's no substitute.

Fields Where Online PhDs Work Well

• Education (EdD and PhD). The most common online doctorate. Johns Hopkins, USC, Vanderbilt, and University of Pennsylvania all offer online doctoral programs in education. Widely respected in K-12 administration.
• Business (DBA). Practice-focused doctoral degree for working executives. Shorter than a PhD (three years typical) and oriented toward application rather than research. George Washington, Temple, and Northeastern run respected online DBA programs.
• Nursing (DNP and PhD). Covered separately in our nursing guide — Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt all offer online doctoral programs.
• Public Administration and Policy (DPA and PhD). Online doctoral degrees in public administration are offered by Walden, University of Colorado Denver, and others.
• Psychology (PsyD). The PsyD is practice-focused, similar to the DNP in nursing. Online PsyD programs exist but check accreditation carefully — APA accreditation matters for licensure.
• Library and Information Science. The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) is the credential most working librarians hold, and online options at the doctoral level exist at a handful of iSchools. The master's itself is very commonly offered online — Syracuse, University of Washington, and University of Illinois all run respected online MLIS programs.

Online PhD Programs That Are Actually Respected

The general rule: if the school is well-known for its in-person doctoral program, its online version carries weight. If the school only exists as an online operation, the doctorate is less respected. Sort on this dimension first.

• Johns Hopkins University Doctor of Education. Fully online EdD program at a top-10 education school.
• University of Southern California Online EdD. Large cohorts, strong alumni network, respected in education leadership circles.
• Arizona State University PhD programs. ASU offers several online doctoral degrees, including an online PhD in nursing and an online EdD.
• University of Florida Online PhD. Limited catalog but what's offered is real and accredited — their online PhD in educational technology and online PhD in nursing are both strong.
• Indiana University Online PhD. Also offers a handful of online doctoral degrees, including their respected online PhD in library and information science.

Online PhD Courses Without the Full Degree

If you're not ready to commit to a full doctorate but want graduate-level coursework, you have more options than you might think. Many universities allow non-degree-seeking students to enroll in individual online PhD courses for continuing education or professional development. Stanford's online professional certificates, MIT's MicroMasters programs, and Harvard Extension School all offer doctoral-adjacent coursework without requiring full admission to a doctoral program. This is a good way to test whether you actually want to do a doctorate before committing five to seven years of your life.

The Honest Financial Picture

Law school and PhD programs are expensive, and online delivery doesn't reduce tuition the way it does at the undergraduate level. A few things to keep in mind:

• JD programs cost $100K to $200K total. Online doesn't change that. The savings are on living expenses (no need to relocate) and the ability to keep working.
• PhD programs traditionally waive tuition for full-time students on campus. Online PhDs rarely come with funding. If you enroll online, you're usually paying out of pocket — $30K to $80K for the full degree depending on the school.
• DBA and EdD programs are rarely funded. Expect to pay $40K to $100K. The ROI is in keeping your current job while earning the credential, not in a post-doctorate pay bump.

If cost is the dominant factor and you have any flexibility, a traditional funded on-campus PhD is almost always the better financial choice. Online PhDs make sense when the flexibility is worth paying for — working professionals who can't quit their job and move somewhere new for five years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you become a lawyer through online law school?

Yes, but carefully. If you attend an ABA-accredited online JD program (Syracuse, Mitchell Hamline, Dayton, Suffolk), you can sit for the bar exam in any US state. If you attend a California-accredited online law school (Concord, St. Francis, Taft), you can only sit for the California bar. Anything not accredited by either body won't qualify you to practice law anywhere in the US.

Are online PhD programs respected in academia?

Less so than traditional PhDs, especially for research-track academic jobs. Online doctoral degrees are more accepted in professional fields (education, nursing, business, public administration) than in traditional academic disciplines. If your goal is to become a tenured professor in a humanities department, an online PhD is a difficult path. If your goal is to get a promotion at your current job or move into K-12 administration, online PhD programs work fine.

How long do online doctoral degrees take?

EdD and DBA programs: three to four years part-time. Online PhD programs: four to six years part-time in most fields. The part-time pacing is typical because most online doctoral students are working full-time simultaneously.

What's the difference between an online PhD and an online EdD?

A PhD in Education is research-focused — you'll write a theoretical dissertation and the program prepares you for academic or research roles. An EdD (Doctor of Education) is practice-focused — the dissertation is applied, the program is oriented toward administrative and leadership roles in K-12 and higher education. For working educators who want a doctorate, the EdD is usually the better fit.

Is a master of library and information science worth it?

If you want to work as a librarian in a public, academic, or research library, yes — the MLIS is the standard credential and you can earn it entirely online from respected iSchools. Online MLIS programs from Syracuse, University of Washington, Illinois, and Rutgers are all ALA-accredited, which is the accreditation most library employers require.