Accredited Online Colleges in Oklahoma (OK)

As of 2010, Oklahoma’s 3.6 million residents have benefitted from a cost of living that is 21.8 percent lower than the national average and has also withstood the recent economic downturn better than most states with an unemployment rate of 7 percent. Oklahoma features an economy that relies heavily on oil and natural gas production, aviation and telecommunications and has a projected future job growth of 29.5 percent of the next 10 years which is well above the national average of 21.6 percent. The state features only two large metropolitan areas but has several cities across the state with a significant number of people.

Oklahoma’s largest city is the state capital, Oklahoma City, which features more than half a million residents. Just to the northeast of Oklahoma City is the states’ second largest city, Tulsa with a population of 384,000. Norman, home of the University of Oklahoma’s main campus , is the states’ third largest city totaling more than 110,000 residents while Broken Arrow and Lawton round out the top five most populous cities in the state, totaling more than 90,000 residents each. While Stillwater is home to only 45,000 permanent residents, it is home to the state’s second largest university, Oklahoma State.

With an economy that was once dominated by agriculture, Oklahoma has emerged as one of the countries’ top producers of oil and natural gas. According to Forbes magazine, Devon Energy Corporation, Chesapeake Energy Corporation and SandRidge Energy Corporation are the largest privately held oil related companies in the nation. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Utility Company also holds a major role in state’s economy and is the 25th largest of its kind in the nation. Tulsa features the world’s largest airline maintenance facility which is home to American Airlines global maintenance and engineering facility. The state is also one of the nations’ top tire and air conditioning unit manufacturers.

Oklahoma’s three largest state campuses are The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and University of Central Oklahoma. All three feature one main campus and offer several satellite campuses throughout the state. Naturally, with the states heavy emphasis on business The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and The University of Tulsa all rank among some the country’s best undergraduate business programs. The state also features three law programs accredited by the American Bar Association: The University of Tulsa College of Law, Oklahoma City University’s School of Law and the University of Oklahoma College of Law. For those looking for technical training, the state also features 54 different post-secondary technical institutions operated by Oklahoma’s CareerTech program to provide education for students looking for training in specific fields of industry.