Online master’s degrees in finance, analytics and management

Online master’s degree or online MBA?

The MBA is a general-management degree; a specialist master’s goes deep in one discipline — finance, accountancy, business analytics, marketing, management. The choice follows the career: someone moving into a data role needs an analytics master’s, not an MBA; someone moving from a technical role into general management needs the reverse. Specialist master’s degrees are also typically shorter (12–24 months part-time), cheaper (often a third of an MBA) and admit candidates with less work experience — many take graduates straight from a bachelor’s.

The main fields, and what each is for

How much do online master’s degrees cost in 2026?

The spread is unusually wide because platform-delivered degrees have collapsed the floor. Georgia Tech’s online analytics master’s costs under $10,000 in total; the same degree from a private US university on campus can exceed $80,000. In the UK, online MSc programmes from Russell Group and mid-ranking universities cluster between £10,000 and £25,000. Coursera and edX host degrees from partner universities at $15,000–$45,000, with the university — not the platform — awarding the degree.

What should you compare before you shortlist?

What usually goes wrong?

The commonest problem is a mismatch between the maths required and the applicant’s background — analytics and finance programmes fail students in the first term for this reason, and reputable ones tell you the prerequisites plainly. The second is choosing a degree for its title without checking the professional-body recognition that was the reason for studying. The third is assuming a low-cost platform degree carries the same weight with every employer as the campus version; with the best-known programmes it now largely does, but ask in your target sector first.

Frequently asked questions

How this directory is compiled

Every institution on this page was added by our editors from publicly available information: the school or university, the programme it is known for in one line, and a link to its own site. No school paid to be listed in the free section, none was asked for approval, and inclusion here is not a ranking or a recommendation — it is a starting point for a shortlist you should verify against the institution’s accreditation, admissions page and current fees.

The block at the top of the page is different and is labelled as such. Positions there are paid: a school or programme provider chooses a daily bid and a number of days, pays once, and sits above the free listings for that period, ordered by bid. That is advertising, it is disclosed on every listing, and it has no influence on our editorial course guides or on the Kurums Trust badges, which are earned against published criteria and are never for sale.

Tuition, formats, intake dates and rankings change every year in this sector, so we keep descriptions short and factual. Check the programme’s own page for the current fee, the accreditation body’s register for its status, and treat anything you read in a directory — including this one — as a list of candidates rather than an answer.