Arizona over the last couple of years has been suffering from a chronic lack or nurses. To solve this critical nursing problem, they have embarked on several initiatives to increase the number of nurses registered and functioning within the state. This problem came about because of Arizona’s aging nurses, a reduction in the number of available nursing school within the state and a population explosion over the last couple of years.

To alleviate the problem, the governing bodies of Arizona have table a three-pronged attack. First, they have embarked on a three billion dollar project to build hospitals that will increase the number of beds by 3000. Secondly, they plan to increase the increase the salaries of nurses to attract more nurses to the state. Finally, instead of building new nursing schools, there are encouraging online nursing schools to establish themselves within the state. With the combination of capital investment, remuneration and increased proliferation of online nursing schools, they hope to add an additional 49,000 nurses by 2017. This will raise the nurse to resident ratio from 681 per 100,000 to 825 per 100,000

Top Online Nursing schools in Arizona

To increase the number of trained nurses within Arizona, the Governor has earmarked $20 million over the next five years to increase the number of universities offering degrees in nursing. As a result, several accredited online universities have established locations from which the offer online nursing degrees. Some of these top Arizona online nursing colleges include:

• University of Phoenix: The University of Phoenix is one of the oldest and most respected online universities in the world. All their online courses enjoy the highest levels of accreditation that allows them to be a trendsetter in the online education industry. The University of Phoenix offer online nursing students from Arizona the same high level and type of nursing courses as those offered nationwide. By pursuing an online degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix, students will be well qualified to fill one of the thousands of nursing spaces being earmarked over the coming years.
• Kaplan University: Kaplan University’s school of nursing has adapted an innovative method of propagating their style of online learning. The course work material is distributed via message boards, online readings, delayed lectures, academic exercises and web field trips. This approach gives Arizona’s nursing students an added advantage by the use of technology-based health care. It also simplifies how easily the course work material is understood. Kaplan University brings to Arizona many years of experience. As a result, their students enjoy the same high level of accreditation for their nursing degrees as in other states.
• Liberty University: Liberty University is proud of the record of accomplishment in delivering quality education to online students. They now proudly bring this reputation to the state of Arizona, where students can pursue an accredited and highly recognized online degree program that acts as the perfect propulsion for their nursing career in Arizona. Their online degree program is designed to give students high levels of flexibility and freedom to study at the times that best suit their schedule.

Economics play a vital role in balancing the day-to-day activities of our lives. The study of economics entails the study of how individuals utilize goods and services. This consumption and expenditure may take place both at the micro and macro level. An understanding of economics is even more vital in these tough economic times as we try to find ways of making ends meet.

By pursuing an online degree in economics from an accredited online university is one of the easiest means of getting an understanding of the principles of economics. During the online degree in economics, students can study from the comfort of their homes without ever having to set their foot into a university. Classes are delivered by delayed broadcast from highly qualified teachers who are specially trained in the art of online tutoring


The typical course work of an online degree from an accredited online institution includes:

• Economic theory
• Micro and macro economics
• Risk analysis
• Capital investments
• Banking systems
• International economics

Top Online Colleges for Degrees in Economics

Several accredited online institutions offer online degrees in economics to students. Some of these accredited online colleges include:

• Strayer University: Strayer University was started in 1892 and has since then established over 65 campuses nationwide. At the dawn of the internet age, Strayer used their experience in the field of education to create one of the premier online education programs in the online education industry. One of their most popular online degree program is their online degree in economics by which the prepare students for successful careers in the field of economics. All online courses offered by Strayer University are fully accredited and receives the full the backing of all major industry players.
• Ashford University: Ashford University is another university that has evolved from its previous campus style on which is was created in 1918 to now one of the leading online universities in existence. They offer many accredited online degree programs that are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools such as their online degree in economics. Their programs cater to both local and foreign students and come in the form of both regular and accelerated programs. This also allow students to transfer up to 99 credit hours from other accredited universities.
• Walden University: Walden University finds itself among a group of universities categorized as “Best Value”. This categorization is reserved for those universities that offer only the best quality online education. Both the Higher Learning Commission and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredit all courses offered by Walden University. Their online degree in economics is among the top set of degrees demanded by online students. Walden’s online degree in economics is offered in both regular and accelerated formats, so students are not being held behind by slower learners. All their courses are designed and taught by leading instructors who are trained in the art of online education. They also receive significant support from major industry players who ensure that their courses remain current and relevant.

Although the popularity of online colleges is on the increase, online colleges are not for all students. Before choosing whether to attend an online institution, one must first perform a self-assessment to determine if you can cope with the requisites of being a successful online student.

First, forget about the notion that I will choose a particular online institution because that the one my friends choose. Every student have varying educational capabilities and this will become evident when the course work becomes difficult. An online college is like cloths, one size does not fit all.


Ensure that you have the time to dedicate to your studies. Because classes of online colleges are unsupervised, it makes it easy for students to miss classes. As a result, studying online requires significant self-motivation and discipline to be successful. Students must establish and maintain their schedule in order to complete their course within a specified time.


If you are an individual who does not want to travel or relocate to attend college, then online colleges are your answer. With online colleges, the classroom is brought to your living room and you can study in your own convenience. Although the social interaction is restricted to digital contact, the distractions of traditional institutions is eliminated allowing students to study undisturbed. This model also benefits individuals whose learning patterns favor the use of technology such as web conference, email and chat rooms.


Do not be fooled by thinking that because the course is done online that there will be any difference in the quality of the material. All online colleges must be accredited based on the quality of their online course work. As a result, if you think you will struggle in a traditional institution, chances are you will struggle also in an online college. However, online colleges have one secret weapon. Online college students are able to revisit previous course with the click of a button. So this can be used to re-enforce whatever week points they may have.

Questions to Ask Yourself

As mentioned before, a personal examination is required before making a decision if an online college is best for you. Some of the questions students can ask themselves are:

• Do I need to be in a classroom environment to bring out my best educational achievements or I can survive on my own
• Do I have to have face to face contact with a professor to be able to understand the course work material
• How technologically savvy am I? How well do I navigate the internet and can access web media
• Do I have the discipline to study on my own
• Due I have the time to dedicate to my studies

Top Online Colleges

There are many online colleges available, offering courses in just about any subject area and specialization known. Many accreditation boards are used to maintain the standards of these online colleges however, not all will be at the same standard. Some of the most accredited online colleges are:

• Kaplan University
• Ashford University
• University of Phoenix
• Liberty University Online
• DeVry University