Accredited Online Colleges in Washington (WA)

The Pacific Northwest state of Washington is known for its lush natural scenery, including a beautiful coastline and stunning views of the Cascades. This, coupled with endless recreational opportunities, contributes greatly to its quality of life. Aside from being a beautiful place to live, it's also a great place to work and go to school. At 9.2 percent, Washington's unemployment rate was close to the national average as of March 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the cost of living is higher in Washington than the national average, residents do enjoy higher salaries on average to make up for it.

Seattle and its surrounding metro area is home to approximately 60 percent of Washington's population. As the largest city, Seattle also is the best area for jobs, as it is home to a diverse economy that mixes older industries with newer industries in high-tech and clean tech. While Seattle has a well-earned reputation for rainfall, those who live there love it for its arts and music scene, coffeehouse culture and quirky-yet-friendly feel. The job market in Spokane is also positive compared the rest of the state, and health care is a major industry there for those going into health care fields. In the state's capital, Olympia, jobs in state government are prominent.

Some of the fastest-growing industries in Washington include green building and clean technologies, industries that have led to a number of successful start-up businesses, particularly in the Seattle metro area. College students preparing for these cutting-edge industries would do well to pursue studies in green energy management, environmental studies, and information technology. Other long-standing major industries in Washington include aircraft manufacture and design, computer software development, telecom and biotech. Students preparing for these industries will need to focus their college education on science and technology, with potential majors being software development, computer science, engineering, database management or information systems management.

Washington's higher education system contributes toward an educated populace throughout the state. Washington has six state universities, more than 25 private universities and more than 30 community, technical and career colleges. Two of the biggest and most lauded schools in the state include the University of Washington and Washington State University. WSU is a research university that serves more than 26,000 students; it is ranked among the nation's Top 60 public research universities by U.S. News & World Report. The University of Washington is a multi-campus university with a presence in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell, along with a well-regarded academic medical center. It is rated one of the 15 greenest colleges in the country by the Princeton Review.