Featured College

Request Information

New York has long been a leader in higher education. The state has one of the highest numbers of degree-granting institutions in the nation, which includes public and private two- and four-year universities, community colleges, and online institutions. New York is home to two Ivy League colleges, Cornell University and Columbia University, as well as the prestigious NYU, Vassar College, and Colgate University. City University of New York (CUNY) and State University of New York (SUNY) are some of the largest providers of public higher education in the state. In fact, SUNY is the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the nation, with 64 geographically dispersed campuses that offer both campus-based and online degrees. The New York State Education Department’s Office of Higher Education is the governing agency that oversees and coordinates higher education laws, regulations, and policies in New York.

One of the major state initiatives of NYSED’s Office of Higher Education is to improve college graduation rates for underrepresented students. The Department has also developed distance education initiatives that aim to provide New Yorkers with more opportunities to continue their education and earn their degree through brick-and-mortar and online colleges. Online degree programs in New York are monitored and reviewed by the Department’s Principles of Good Practice for Distance Higher Education, which measures approved programs’ interactive effectiveness, organizational commitment, learner support, and learning design.

NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers several accredited online degrees and graduate certificates in human resource management, leadership and management studies, translation, and more. New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers alike can also attend Hofstra University, Excelsior College, CUNY’s School of Professional Studies, and the SUNY public colleges to complete distance courses or an online degree program. There are a few institutions in New York that offer OpenCourseWare to students living in and out of state. Queensborough Community College and State University of New York Empire State College offer free educational resources and courses to anyone, anywhere. New Yorkers and out-of-state students can also take classes and earn a degree by attending one of the many well-known online colleges in New York, including DeVry University and Everest Institute.

The New York State Department of Labor reports that, based on criteria including job counts, wage levels, and job growth, twelve industries were designated as “significant” in the state of New York. These 12 industries fall into six major industry groups?construction, manufacturing, financial activities, professional and business services, educational services, and health care. The United States Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration also reports that New York State has a several significant industries distributed across the state. The three most often cited according to the DOLETA are professional, scientific, and technical services, educational services, and ambulatory health care. New York State offers several tax incentives and other assistance for small businesses. New York’s Small Business Resource Center offers start-up guides and information about registering a business, tax information, permits and licenses, and regulations. Several degree options at various are available in these burgeoning industries, including online degree programs in healthcare administration, medical billing and coding, manufacturing engineering, manufacturing management, business administration, accounting, and education.