More and more students today are in the market for an online PhD. With the job world being a hyper-competitive place, job seekers must differentiate themselves in some way. Getting an advanced degree is an excellent way to do that and can also provide individuals with greater options later in their careers. With that in mind, what are some of the most popular online PhD programs today? There are plenty of them in every discipline from hard science to the arts. Within each of these disciplines exists a number of different PhD specialties for those who want to advance in their profession.

Arts and Humanities PhD Programs

There are some academic disciplines where individuals are almost expected to pursue a doctoral program if they want to be successful. Arts and Humanities qualifies under this distinction. Those who pursue a PhD program in Arts and Humanities have plenty of different options at their disposal. The following are potential specialties within the Arts and Humanities PhD category:

* Performing Arts
* Religion
* Foreign Languages
* Literature

Why do individuals pursue online PhD programs in Arts and Humanities? Some do it to help themselves gain access to the highly competitive world of academia. If you want to teach at a college or command a nice salary as a researcher, then a PhD in one of these fields is almost a requirements. Some will even specialize further than the categories listed above, studying some type of regional literature or a single aspect of religion.

Business PhD Programs

Doctoral programs in Business remain some of the most popular, especially for students looking to study online. There are a number of online colleges and universities that offer these programs, making it that much easier for students to get involved if they are interested. These programs provide individuals with a chance to move up in their company, as an advanced degree is required for most upper level positions. These programs can help students master a wide range of different business skills, including the following:

* Accounting
* Applied Economics
* Marketing
* Management

Criminal Justice and Law PhD Programs

The field of criminal justice requires an advanced degree for many positions. Those who want to act as attorneys or handle criminal prosecution often find that these online PhD programs give them an easy way to advance in their careers. When done online, these programs can be balanced with a job for those who are active in the criminal justice world already. The following degree programs are available for those who want to study criminal justice:

* Criminal Justice
* Juris Doctorate (JD – law degree)
* Paralegal

Education and Teaching PhD

In the world of education, teachers are often paid according to how many degree programs they have completed. A person with just a bachelors degree in teaching will make less than someone with a masters, and someone with a masters will lose out to a person with a PhD. This is why so many online PhD programs exist for those people who want to go into different types of teaching. Educators often choose a specialty, as some are more inclined to work with different types of students. These programs are available online for aspiring educators:

* Adult Education
* Early Childhood Education
* Special Education
* Library Science

Health and Medicine PhD

The medical world is one that has remained relatively stable despite the economic difficulties. With that in mind, it is no surprise that many people seek out these online PhD programs as a means of getting ahead in their careers. Though one can’t get a medical degree online, there are ways to get involved in the medical field with other types of degree programs. These are the most popular choices for online health PhDs:

* Human Services
* Medical Billing and Coding
* Nursing

Social Science and Psychology PhD

For those who study things like history, political science, sociology, and psychology, it is often necessary go into a graduate program if you want to work in the field. Simply put, there are not many jobs available for fresh undergrads with these types of degrees. Luckily for folks who have studied these disciplines, there are plenty of online degree programs that can help them get ahead. The following degree programs make the most sense for those with a background in social science:

* History
* Clinical Psychology
* School Psychology
* Political Science

Technology PhD

With technology becoming more prevalent in today’s world, online degree programs are shifting to account for that. Many people want to get involved with computers and stay ahead of the curve. For these individuals, the following programs are a great way to land positions that work with high technology:

* Computer Science
* Information Technology
* IT Management PhD