Washington — Jan. 8
U.S. News & World Report on Wednesday released its 2014 Best Online Programs rankings. The rankings, now in their third year, are a resource for students who are seeking online education programs for degree completion and career advancement.
The 2014 U.S. News Best Online Programs include online bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, business, education, nursing and computer information technology, as well as information on the costs of an online degree and tips for being a successful distance learner.
The 2014 rankings evaluate information and data from nearly 1,000 online degree programs, up from 860 programs the previous year. Only degree-granting programs offering classes entirely online were considered.
This year, the publication changed its selection method to incorporate additional data, further enhancing its analytically rigorous approach to and better reflect retention and graduation rates and required time to graduate.
Moreover, for the first time all six rankings include peer review data based on schools’ evaluations of each other. These changes are the primary factors behind why many of the schools moved up and down in the rankings.
Best Online Bachelor’s Programs
1. Central Michigan University
1. SUNY College of Technology — Delhi (NY)
3. Pace University (NY)
3. Pennsylvania State University — World Campus
Best Online Graduate Business Programs
1. Indiana University — Bloomington
2. Arizona State University
3. University of Florida
Best Online Graduate Education Programs
1. Northern Illinois University
2. Indiana University — Bloomington
3. Central Michigan University
3. University of Houston (TX)
Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs
1. Columbia University (NY)
2. University of California — Los Angeles
3. University of Wisconsin — Madison
Best Online Graduate Computer Information
Technology Programs
1. University of Southern California
2. Boston University (MA)
2. Virginia Tech
Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs
1. St. Xavier University (IL)
2. Medical University of South Carolina
3. University of Massachusetts — Amherst
Source: U.S. News & World Report
