The Best Degrees for Remote Work

Remote work: it’s the employment of the future, offering flexible schedules, freedom to live across the globe, and relatively seamless transition to family or personal commitments — but it doesn’t work for every job. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best degrees for remote work.

If you’re trying to transition to a work-from-home lifestyle or become an expert at remote and hybrid workforce management, it’s never a bad idea to expand your education with a degree that’s tailored to remote work.

This post aims to address:

• Suggestions on what to study. The fields or majors you’ll want to explore.
• Skills to develop. Which programs can give you the technical and hard skills to help you succeed in the “future of work.”
• Unbiased opinions. This won’t be a list of specific programs at specific schools you should enroll in. It also won’t waste your time exploring vague designations like liberal arts or trade education.

In each of the sections below, I’ll outline each degree or major and then talk about how it connects to remote work success — or how you might want to customize your program to make the most of your studies.

Developing the criteria

Before we jump in, here’s a brief look at the methodology I developed. I took a look at data from Remote, which “​​analyzed more than six million job ads… to reveal which job roles and industries currently offer the most remote career opportunities.”

Then, I correlated what was listed in that data with what people are commonly searching for on Google, drawing from information found in Ahrefs, a search engine analysis tool.

(Source: Remote, “Industries with the most remote opportunities in 2022 and beyond”)

Computer Science

According to Remote’s data, several jobs related to computer science listed Remote’s data for top 20 remote work fields:

• Web Developer
• Software Engineer
• Cyber Security
• Consultant
• Project Manager

Note that two of these job roles, consultant and project manager, do not necessarily require specific computer science-related training. However, remote IT consulting and development project management fields can be bolstered by earning a degree in the computer sciences.

If you’re interested in growing your remote work career in one of these fields, look for majors like these:

• Software Development
• Management of Information Systems (MIS)
• Programming and Development
• Enterprise Technology Management
• Computer Engineering

Many remote jobs are for technology or software companies — industries that will always require engineers, programmers, and software developers. Plus, every business needs a website or online ordering system. If you’ve studied front-end web development, you’ll always have job prospects in the world of distributed work.

Business Administration

Almost every job role on Remote’s list could be augmented by studying business administration. That said, here are the roles that most directly correspond to earning a degree in business administration:

• Account Manager
• Data Analyst
• Business Development
• Insurance Broker
• Lawyer
• Buyer
• Accountant

Business administration classically covers many fields of study in terms of running a business, from HR to number crunching. Some even have specific emphases or specialties like “IT business management” or “sales management.”

However, when it comes to remote work, keep in mind having a specialty in this field is important. Ask yourself what kind of role you’d like to find yourself in. Would you want to run the books for an online business? Or, would you want to be an account executive, making deals and landing clients?

You’ll want to look for majors like these:

• Entrepreneurship
• Economics
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Finance
• Organizational Leadership
• Risk Management and Compliance

A degree in business administration is perfect for remote work settings, as it provides a broad foundation of business knowledge. Graduates will learn how to be skilled communicators, improve employee experience, and how to start companies. This degree opens doors to various remote positions like customer support, marketing, and human resources.

Graphic Design

Not surprisingly, several job roles related to graphic design fill top positions on Remote’s list of jobs:

• Design
• Producer
• Web Developer
• Marketer

A degree in graphic design is perfect for businesses that require visual representation in marketing and web development. Graduates will be proficient in creative software applications, social media, and front-end web design. They should have experience in leading as a creative director to hire or work with graphic design talent.

Look for majors such as:

• User Experience (UX) Design
• Fine Arts (BFA or MFA degrees)
• Media Production
• Web Design
• Digital Media

Journalism

Online and remote writing jobs are here to stay! With the investigative training of a journalism major, you’ll always know what information is important to prospective buyers or clients.

These jobs for people with journalism degrees have been staples of distributed work for a long time and will always have a place. (In fact, you’re reading content from a remote-working writer right now!).
Here are some of the jobs from Remote’s list that requires you to put pen on paper (or on screen):

• Copywriter
• Account manager
• Editor
• Consultant
• Marketing
• Lawyer

Journalism skills are essential for many remote work jobs. Graduates with a degree in journalism will have excellent writing, editing, and language skills, making them ideal for remote content writing and editorial positions.

Here are journalism emphases, specializations, or minors that will help your degree take you to the land of flexible work:

• Creative Writing
• Digital Journalism
• English
• Public Relations
• Technical Writing
• New Media

Marketing

A marketing degree is useful in every industry — which is why you’ll see it in a lot of job descriptions on remote and hybrid job boards.

• Copywriter
• Editor
• Account Manager
• Consultant
• Marketing (of course!)
• Buyer
• Producer

Focus on these specific marketing degrees and majors if you want to find those top remote jobs:

• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Marketing Analytics
• Digital Marketing
• Social Media Marketing

Graduates will learn skills like community management, market research, and paid advertising and become ideal candidates for professional services, consulting, software, and internal communications positions.

Accounting

In a world of software and tech, you might be surprised that the tried-and-true field of accounting takes a few places on top 20 remote jobs:

• Consultant
• Insurance Broker
• Buyer
• Accountant

Professional services consultant firms (by necessity of traveling to visit clients) have been something of “original” remote workers, operating on flexible schedules and often working away from their company’s offices.

You’re likely to attract remote-ready, number-crunching corporate jobs with accounting-adjacent degrees. Here are a few examples:

• Finance
• Accounting Information Systems
• Business Analysis and Account
• Forensic Accounting
• Management Accounting
• Financial Planning
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Data Science

A degree in data science equips graduates with technical knowledge in analyzing and interpreting large data sets. With remote work, there is a high demand for graduates who can engage with reporting and analytics.

The reason? Remote organizations require dashboards, statistical interpretation, and “big data” knowledge for optimal business performance. A few jobs on Remote’s top twenty list require data science degree holders:

• Data Scientist
• Data Analyst
• Business Development

Here are some popular degrees that can qualify you to hold these positions:

• Data Science
• Data Analytics
• Computer Science and Data Science
• Applied Mathematics
• Actuarial Science
• Applied Statistics
• Statistical Modeling
• Informatics
• Data Engineering

Conclusion

Remote work is still just work — you’re not going to find a program called “Master of Remote Business Administration.”

That said, if your goal is to break into a remote job or improve your skills in the distributed workplace, it’s a good idea to look at degrees and majors most associated with open roles at remote companies. We hope the list helps you take a step in the remote work direction.

Are you working in a remote-friendly field? Do you know any remote-friendly degrees we didn’t think of? Let us know!