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If you’re looking to add a masters degree to your résumé, online classes may quickly reveal themselves as your most convenient and cost-effective option.

Online courses are almost always cheaper than on campus, and there aren’t additional collateral costs associated with commuting, room and board, or child care. Equally if not more appealing as price is the freedom allowed — in both style and schedule. If you value independence as a learner, you may find that online learning actually suits you better than a classroom — and you can spend less time on the course by working more efficiently.

While some may be skeptical of online master's degree programs, there are plenty of reputable universities offering them on sites like Coursera and edX — and online students benefit from the same instructors, degree, and alumni network as students who earn their Masters on campus (though you should still do your due diligence before committing to anything).

In other words, online master's degree programs — if you find the right one — are a relatively inexpensive, highly customizable way to advance your career, add prestigious programs to your résumé and meaningful connections to your network, and make higher education altogether slightly more accessible.

Below are 8 Masters courses from top universities that you can take online at Coursera and edX: